The last thing I expected to find in Regensburg was a craft beer festival. We were walking around the old town when all of a sudden numerous pink flyers in a shop window declared, "Good People Drink Good Beer." A quick look at the flyer and then a map revealed that today was the last day of the event, and it was only a couple of blocks away.
We walked into the square and saw a typical setup with several pop up tents offering various brewer's wares. An information tent was nestled in the center and seemed like an obvious place to head. There was a man there who talked to us for about five minutes about beer. He let us eat some roasted barley and smell a few kinds of hops. I have to admit the barley's flavor was a bit gross, but it did really highlight the roasty flavors that one can find in a stout or Schwarzbier. The different hops produced markedly different scents and some like Mandarina Bavaria were quite intense. This was the first time I've seen an information area with beer ingredients to interact with, and I think it was a great idea.
Most of the tents offered 10cl pours for between 1 and 2 euro. Teku glasses were available with a 5 euro deposit. There were a fairly wide range of brewers represented there ranging from locals like Spitalbrauerei to an American based brewer like Urban Chestnut (their brewmaster is German). While the offerings would not be enough to warrant a pilgrimage, I think people in the area probably really appreciate the chance to attend an event like this.
I'm impressed with the growing popularity of craft beer in Germany. It was enjoyable to be able to talk about beer, eat barley and smell hops with someone who was obviously passionate and knowledgeable about beer. My Bavarian barrage left me a bit weary and combined with the time of day, I wasn't ready to sample any beer. Despite my lack of imbibing I was still able to have a good time and feel lucky to have a momentary adventure in craft beer.
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