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Our next first round tasting was with four typical Munich Weissbiers. König Ludwig and Erdinger both are well known for their Weissbiers (Erdinger makes only Weissbiers, though has a wide variety of types), and Augustiner is one of the best local beers. Löwenbräu...well, while I love their biergarten, I never remember the beer as being good. But I may be biased by the Löwenbräu they sell in the US...
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This time we reversed the pairing question and asked "What German beer works with Indian food?" While I often have Kingfisher at Indian restaurants, I decided to be daring and see if the sweetness of the Weissbier worked well with the spiciness. It did. We paired it with tandoori chicken and chana masala.
The first surprise was our discovery that Weissbier, not Miller High Life, is the true champagne of beers. With its effervescence, it's a party in your mouth!
The biggest shocker, however, was from the underdog, Löwenweise.
Against Erdinger Weissbier, it was not much of a contest. The Löwenweise was crisp and had a slightly sweet finish. The Erdinger was similar in appearance, but had a touch of bitterness (more hops) and was flatter. It did go very well with Indian food, though.
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Both the König Ludwig and the Augustiner were good, though quite different in their appearance. The Augustiner had noticeably more head and was a stronger flavored beer. The König Ludwig was lighter and sweeter, but overall was a more complex beer. So we gave it the win based on complexity and good balance.
For the Sweet Sixteen berth, however, it was an OT game. König Ludwig and Löwenbräu were both great beers, but the win went to Löwenbräu. It had the perfect blend of flavors and effervescence, and the weissbier sweetness came only at the end of the sip.
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Lots of surprises in the first Weissbier round and looking forward to some more beer exploration. Not a bad beer in the bunch yet!