Lowenbrau Special

With its highly recognisable labels of pale blue and gold, most supermarkets these days seem to stock bottles of various sizes, cans and multi-packs of this German lager. Special offers abound.

This is Löwenbräu Original – described as a typical Munich beer magnificently refreshing and delicately bitter. Back in its homeland, the Brewery also produces a Premium Pils, a white beer, a full-body Oktoberfest beer, an alcohol free beer and a canned shandy. As far as I am aware these do not appear on our stockists shelves.

THE BREWERY

The Company’s two mantras are ‘Born in Munich, loved by the world’ and ‘Drinking Löwenbräu means enjoying the Bavarian way of life’ .

“Half a millennium of brewing history has turned Löwenbräu into a large company with an international reputation. Löwenbräu is a byword for Munich beer throughout the world. Despite its global presence in more than 50 countries, Löwenbräu has always preserved its Bavarian roots, creating a happy symbiosis of regional identity and global worldwide scope. Löwenbräu beer unites longstanding traditions with modern Bavaria. Our beers are brewed with the latest brewing technology from traditional recipes - and in strict adherence to the Bavaria Purity Law. To prevent impure and inferior substances from entering Bavaria's beer, Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria issued the so-called 'Purity Law' in 1516. This law decreed that only three raw materials may be used in the brewing of beer: malt, hops and water. The Purity Law is the oldest foodstuff law still in effect in Germany.”

The brewery maintains a very busy website (in Russian, German and English) featuring company and historical information, fun and games sections, electronic postcards and an extensive guide to Oktoberfest.

[The Company website: http://www.loewenbraeu.com/0_homepage/in​dex.htm]

THE BOTTLE

This version came in a tall rather curvaceous smooth green bottle closed with a crown cap. The neck label notes the brew to be Imported Löwenbräu Original with an alcohol content of 5.2% ABV. The main front label notes the year 1383. It also notes that the beer is “Pure Munich brewed”.

The rear label clarifies this by noting that the beer was brewed in Germany and packaged in the UK. “By importing the beer we guarantee purity and authenticity”. The barcode starts with the British “5”. The beer is also declared suitable for vegetarians.

Images of the breweries crest (a gold lion rampant on a dark blue ground) are prominent on the front labels and the crown cap.

THE DRINK.

I bought a pair of specimens on offer from Tesco and stored them in the refrigerator. The top came off without much fuss. The lager pours a mid gold colour creating little head but leaving some tracery around the glass. It is crystal clear without sediment and sparkles in the glass. It has little nose.

The first taste is a mixture of woody, slightly musky, sour and yeast tones. When it was popular to do so (do you remember the 1970s?) I used to brew lager from a can and had similar taste experience then. This soon develops and is replaced by a rounded slightly bitter, slightly sweet and quite lightly malted flavour on the palate (not that my 70s brews developed like that!!!). It is a fairly light bodied lager. After swallowing it is perhaps the sweetness that persists longest on the tongue.

Overall this is an average undemanding brew. It’s better than some I have tasted and written about but well off the best. It is a quite refreshing, but not complex, long drink. It would accompany most fast foods (pizza, hamburger) and medium foods (curry, pasta). It would also be at home in the open in the late spring or and a summer evening.

Would I imbibe again? Well – if you’re offering….. Would I buy again? There are still too many exciting brands out there for me to declare allegiance to this one for very long.

AVAILABILITY

Varies – cans, large and small bottles. Tesco 660ml bottles 1.75 each (this offer two for £3.)