If you’ve ever stood at our bar looking at the German bottles and thought “I’ll just get the one I recognise,” this post is for you.
Here are the questions people actually ask about German beer — answered straight, no waffle.
“Isn’t German beer just lager?”
Technically, yes — most of it is. But that doesn’t mean what you think it means.
Lager isn’t a flavour or a style. It’s a fermentation method — cold and slow. That’s it. A lager can be pale or pitch black, light or 7.9%, filtered or cloudy, smooth or smoky. Calling something “just a lager” is a bit like calling every dish “just cooked food.”
Once you get that, the whole German beer range makes a lot more sense.
“What’s the difference between Helles and Pilsner? They look the same.”
They do — both pale gold, both clear. But taste them side by side and they’re nothing alike.
Helles (we stock Augustiner, Tegernseer, Flötzinger) is soft, malty, bready — almost no bitterness. Easy drinking, rounded.
Pilsner (we stock Rothaus Tannenzäpfle) has real bite. Crisp, tart, with bitterness that lingers on the finish. If you like Peroni’s sharpness, this is the proper version of that.
Short version: Helles for easy, Pilsner for edge.
“What is a Kellerbier, and why does it look cloudy?”
Keller means cellar. A Kellerbier is unfiltered — served the way beer originally was, straight from the cask, nothing stripped out.
The haze isn’t a fault. It’s the point. You get more body, more caramel on the nose, a slightly fuller mouthfeel than a filtered lager. We’ve had Kellerbier on draft and currently stock a Keller Märzen.
If someone tells you a cloudy German beer is “off,” they’re wrong.
“What’s a Dunkel — is it like a stout?”
No — Dunkel just means “dark.” It’s still a lager, brewed the same cold, slow way as a Helles, just with darker malts.
Our Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel is the benchmark here — biscuity, malty, rich, brewed by an abbey that’s been making beer since 1050 (one of the oldest monastery breweries in the world — the “oldest” title is disputed with Weihenstephan, but either way we’re talking over a thousand years).
If you like a British best bitter, a Dunkel is probably your gateway into German beer.
“What’s the strongest beer you sell, and should I be careful with it?”
Yes. Genuinely, yes.
Doppelbock — we stock Paulaner Salvator (7.9%) and Augustiner Maximator (7.5%) — was originally brewed by monks as a liquid meal substitute during Lent. High calorie, high strength, designed to sustain rather than refresh.
One bottle is a session on its own. Don’t order this at 5pm thinking it’s “just a beer” — we’ve seen people make that mistake.
“Why does that smoked beer smell like a bonfire? Is something wrong with it?”
Nothing’s wrong — that’s Schlenkerla Märzen (5.1%, Bamberg) doing exactly what it’s meant to do.
The malt is kilned over burning beechwood logs, which is where the intense smoke character comes from — think bonfire, smoked bacon, baked ham. People often compare it to Islay whisky, and the flavour reference makes sense, but the process is different — Islay uses peat, this uses beechwood.
It’s the most divisive beer we stock. You’ll either love it or really won’t — and it comes in a bottle that’s nearly a pint, so if you’re in the “won’t” camp, you’ve got a way to go. Worth trying once just to know which camp you’re in.
“What’s Kölsch, and why is it served in those tiny glasses?”
Kölsch is a pale ale — not a lager, despite coming from Germany and despite looking like one. It’s light, floral, subtly fruity. People expecting something malty are often genuinely surprised.
It’s served in small cylindrical glasses called Stangen, and traditionally the waiter keeps bringing fresh ones until you put your beer mat on top of your glass to say stop.
We stock Reissdorf and Gaffel — both from Cologne, a city with 20+ breweries producing Kölsch, more than anywhere else in Germany.
“What’s the difference between Kölsch and Altbier — aren’t they basically the same?”
No — and the fact that they’re brewed 25 miles apart (Cologne and Düsseldorf) and are completely different styles is exactly why German beer deserves more credit than it gets.
Kölsch = pale ale, light, fruity. Altbier (we stock Uerige, 4.8%) = darker, copper-coloured, malty, closer to a traditional ale. “Alt” means old — referring to the brewing method, not the beer’s age.
Two cities, two completely different beer cultures, 25 miles apart.
“What should I try first if I’ve never had ‘proper’ German beer?”
Start with Augustiner Helles — it’s the easiest entry point, soft and approachable, and genuinely one of the best beers in the world regardless of style.
From there, work toward Dunkel (if you like darker British ales), then Kölsch (if you want a surprise), and save Doppelbock and Rauchbier for when you’re ready to commit.
Or just ask whoever’s behind the bar — we’ll talk you through it.
All beers in this post are available now at the Old Cross Tavern, Hertford. Range rotates seasonally. Watch the full tasting video on our YouTube channel