“This whole beer geek thing amuses me,” says Phil Leinhart, brewmaster at Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, New York). “Everybody wants super-hoppy or super-sour, but I think it’s going to pass at some point. I’m kind of old school, I guess. Don’t get me wrong; I love a good well-balanced IPA. But mostly, I like good solid beer, straight up beer that tastes like beer. It doesn’t have to be über-this or über-that.”
That said, it probably comes as no surprise that some of Leinhart’s favorite beers are traditional German and Belgian beers, where simplicity and quality of process are prized over recipe.
Duvel
Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat
(Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium)
As many others have noted, Duvel is a great drinking beer. It’s just a pale, sparkling, higher-carbonation beer that packs a wallop but still drinks like a fruity Pilsner in many ways. To my taste, the best Belgian beers are not very hops-driven or malt-driven. What makes them unique and gives them character is the microflora that ferment the beer. Those bugs produce a unique flavor and aroma that is difficult to replicate. The beer itself isn’t complex—it’s not about the recipe—it’s how they process the ingredients and ferment it to produce an array of esters and higher alcohols. Everything just comes together.
When I heard that Duvel had purchased Firestone Walker, I was excited (Duvel Moortgat also owns Brewery Ommegang and Boulevard Brewery in the United States). Firestone Walker is one of my favorite hoppy beer breweries in the world, and really, honestly, I do love a nice hoppy beer. But what some people call world-class hoppy beer, I often find to taste really rough and disjointed. Firestone Walker’s take on hoppy beers land solidly on the “world-class” side of the line for me.
Westmalle Trappist Tripel
Brouwerij Westmalle
(Malle, Belgium)
I’ve always loved Westmalle Trappist Tripel. Outside of Duvel, the Trappist beers as a whole are my favorite Belgian beers, and Westmalle Tripel is the cream of the crop. Tripels are simple, recipe-wise. As with Duvel, it’s the yeast strain and the way they manage the fermentation that makes the difference. It produces a little fruitiness from the esters and a unique biscuit bready quality that makes a delicious beer.
When I was over there working on a project, I stopped by the abbey and brewery. It was so quiet and peaceful. They’re not making a million beers; basically it’s only three—tripel, dubbel, and a special beer served only on-site. And the recipe for Tripel hasn’t changed significantly since 1956. I got to taste the beer out of the conditioning tanks, and it confirmed my feelings for that beer.
Augustiner Edelstoff
Augustiner-Bräu
(Munich, Germany)
I love Bavarian Helles lagers—they are the most drinkable beers. Where I come from, there’s a great deal of respect for those brewers because Helles is the hardest beer to brew. A good one has a lean malt profile, slight hops bitterness, and a hint of sulfur. It pairs with a lot of different foods. Edelstoff, a slightly brighter, sweeter, more sparkly, and stronger version of the Augustiner Helles, has that perfect balance between grassy hops and subtle sweet malts. Noble hops, of course.
Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel
Klosterbrauerei Andechs
(Andechs, Germany)
The Andechs monastery is a really special place in the Bavarian countryside, and the experience of hiking there is incredible. In the monastery brewery you see a successful marriage of Benedictine brewing tradition and very modern brewing technology.
Their Doppelbock Dunkel is Andechs’s trademark brew. It’s full-bodied, super-clean, malty, and just delicious. A number of breweries make that style, but for me, Andechser Doppelbock is the best of them all—especially when you can savor it as you watch the sun set at the monastery.
Smuttynose Old Brown Dog
Smuttynose Brewing
(Hampton, New Hampshire)
I end up judging the American Brown Ale category a lot because it’s usually on the top of my selections. I love the flavor of those specialty grains and caramel. Smuttynose Old Brown Dog is a classic example of the American brown ale. It’s malty, not too sweet, and not too highly hopped. Too hoppy wrecks a beer. There’s just enough hoppiness to balance the sweetness. It’s all about the malt and the yeast strain complementing the malt profile. I’ve brewed every kind of beer there is in my career, and now at Ommegang, we’re branching out—brewing IPAs and DIPAs. Who knows, maybe down the road we’ll brew an American brown ale, too.
Paulaner Pils
Paulaner Brauerei GmbH & Co.
(Munich, Germany)
The ultimate elegant beer is a Bavarian Pilsner. It’s well-attenuated and has a delicate mouthfeel. When I worked at Paulaner, I always loved their Pils. It is dry with a full taste but mild and refreshing.