Game Day Beer Review: Staatliches Hofbraühaus Hofbraü Original Munich Helles Lager

The Location: Lockhart Stadium Parking Lot, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Date: Saturday, November 2nd, the final game of the NASL Fall season.

The Time: 6:45pm, prior to a 7:30pm Ft. Lauderdale Strikers' kickoff

The Weather: 78 degrees, heavy cumulus clouds lingering overhead and partially blocking the sunset. Moderate breeze blowing through the parking lot.

The Scene: Children throwing and kicking balls, cars looking for open spots, adults gathered around a charcoal grill, and the smell of grilled meat and smoke mingling delightfully in the nearby air.

The Music: Small Town USA, Justin Moore

The Beer: Hofbraü Original, Hofbrahaus Munich

The Taste: In a word, refreshing. Aromatic hops and malt in almost the perfect balance. Caramel, bread and biscuit were all present and accounted for. This is how a good German lager should taste.

The Feel: Perfection.

Game Day Beer Review: Staatliches Hofbräuhaus Original Munich Helles Lager

(5.10% ABV) Hofbrau Original poured a deep straw color with a head that was as pure white as the driven snow.

The beer's smell was a mix of bread and crackers, with slight whiffs of citrus, hops and yeast thrown in for good measure. This is a seemingly simple beer, yet it has an amazingly complex smell.  It's almost as if these Germans have this brewing thing down to a science....

The beer was tingly on the tongue, and refreshingly bitter. There was a grassy hop taste that gradally faded into a off-dry finish. The beer was very German, and very good. We enjoyed it immensely: B+