Paulaner Salvator (GER)

This is the original of the "-ator" doppelbock lagers. The Pauline monks brewed and drank this as an end-run around rules about Lenten fasting, and if that was okay with God, it's okay with me. Anyway, I paid nearly three bucks for one 500 ml bottle.

This is a gorgeous red-tinged, crystal clear with a decent off-white head. I also really like the body of this, rich with small bubble carbonation. Of course, this tastes malty. Caramel sweetness and perhaps some molasses, but it's cut by a fair amount of hops. At the end, it brings a pretty good shot of booze. It's not shy about is 7.9% ABV.

This is a big and tasty beer, worthy of its reputation. Whether it's the pinnacle of German Doppelbocks, I can't say.

Paulaner Hefe-Weizen (Germany)

The link I have to About.com is for an article entitled Top 10 Top Ten Beers Every Beer Lover Should Know by Bryce Eddings. This is one of them. The list isn't supposed to be the 10 best beers ever, but is meant to show classic beers of various styles. I think few would argue against the inclusion of this Bavarian unfiltered wheat ale, and if you're just developing an interest in beer, you should try this.

This is a style I like (admittedly, a fair number doesn't seem to). I had tried the Paulaner earlier this summer but got a bad bottle: overly fizzed, no taste. Giving it another shot, I paid $2.50 for this 500 ml bottle dated 11/06. Not exactly new, but as best I can tell, there's nothing bottled in '07 available in the US.

Anyway, this is a great beer. Nearly opaque orange-yellow with a head your pet mouse could fall asleep on. The creamy body blows me away. The taste is fruity, but not too much so. Hefeweizens are described as good summer beers, but it would be wrong to consider this insubstantial. The combination of the rich body, slightly high alcohol (5.6%) and larger size would keep me from drinking too many of these in one sitting.

Note: this site has a nice tasting of several German hefes, but doesn't include the Paulaner. For the record, I didn't put a lemon slice in my beer, and I know that's not a proper hefeweizen glass.