KINGS GOLD

In Germany, unlike in the rest of the world, a Lagerbier is always a blond, mild, low-hop quaffing lager. Royal Bavaria’s traditional Munich Lager is a medium bodied, unfiltered, malt emphasized beer with low bitterness. Malt character is reminiscent of freshly and very lightly toasted malt barley, with the typical light golden color.

KINGS WEIZEN

Royal Bavaria’s Weizen or “Wheat” beer has a very characteristic flavor that is produced by the interplay between the Weissbier ale yeasts and the trace elements from the large portion of wheat in the brew’s grain bill. This flavor is variably described as clove-like, banana-like, phenolic, sour, spicy, or even bubblegum-like. Because of the complexity of the Weissbier flavor, these beers are only mildly hopped. This puts them in contrast to many blond lagers such as the Pils/Pilsener, which are fairly strongly hopped for an assertive up-front bitterness.

DUNKELWEIZEN

Dunkelweizen is the dark version of the regular golden-yellow Weissbier or Weizenbier (more commonly called Hefeweizen in North America), the spritzy, creamy Bavarian wheat beer with pronounced clove, vanilla, banana, apple, bubblegum, and sometimes nutmeg flavors. Dunkel means dark in German (as opposed to weiss, which means white) and Weizen means wheat. Like a Hefeweizen, Dunkelweizen is made from a mixed mash of wheat and barley malts, but unlike a Weissbier, it also contains a large array of lightly to thoroughly caramelized or roasted malts that give it both its color and its complexity.

OKTOBERFEST (Märzen)

Before refrigeration, it was nearly impossible to brew beer in the summer due to the hot weather and bacterial infections. Brewing ended with the coming of spring, and began again in the fall. Most were brewed in March (Märzen). These brews were kept in cold storage over the spring and summer months, or brewed at a higher gravity, so they’d keep. Märzenbier is full-bodied, rich, toasty, typically dark copper in color.   This traditional seasonal lager has a malty, toasty character with a mild hop bitterness in the finish. Amber in color, medium-bodied and very smooth from a long lagering process.

MUNICH DUNKEL

An old friend of Bavaria, Royal Bavaria’s Munich Dunkel is smooth, rich and complex, but without being heady or heavy. It boasts brilliant ruby hues from the large amounts of Munich malts used, and these malts also lend a fuller-bodied beer. The decoction brewing process also lends much depth and richness. Bitterness is often moderate, with just enough to balance out any sweetness.