Beer Styles

Zwiesel Dampfbier is the most distinctive beer in the region. It's amber-colored, top-fermented, and according to the brewery has 5 percent alcohol with an original gravity of 11.5 percent. The flavor is mild and malty, with little hop character.

How does Dampfbier differ from Altbier? Both are top-fermented and range from copper to amber in color. A Düsseldorf Altbier, per style guidelines, is considerably more bitter at 25 to 50 IBU, while Dampfbier stays soft and slightly sweet. There's no style standard for Dampfbier—it's a regional specialty of the forest brewers.

Helles is the second style. It's golden yellow and bottom-fermented, with low bitterness and a short, clean finish. Set it beside a Dampfbier and the difference in color and body is immediately apparent: the Helles is smoother and lighter, the Dampfbier fuller and somewhat fruitier.

A third style rounds things out: Festbier. The Falter Brewery produces a Pichelsteiner Festbier, named after the stew and the festival in Regen. A Festbier is a stronger, golden lager with around 6 percent alcohol. It's soft and easy-drinking, perfect for folk festivals.

Falter Private Brewery's wheat beer completes the picture. Visitors to the Pichelsteiner Festival in Regen will also find it on tap there alongside the Festbier. It's top-fermented, cloudy, and tastes of banana and clove. Comparing it to the Dampfbier shows just how varied top-fermented beers can taste.