Hofmeister Helles Bavarian Lager

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Fellow Brits of a certain age will fondly remember those “Follow The Bear” ads for Hofmeister, a 3.2% alc./vol. pale lager produced by Scottish Courage and then Scottish & Newcastle from the 1980s until 2003. Well, a couple of entrepreneurs acquired the brand and relaunched Hofmeister in 2016.

The 1980s ads featured George, a cheeky street-wise bear (well man in a bear outfit) with a yellow jacket, loafers and a pork pie hat.

While the Hofmeister of old was brewed in the UK, the revived beer is made at a fourth generation family-owned brewery nestled on the edge of Ebersberger Forest in Bavaria, Germany. It is brewed according to the 1516 Reinheitsgebot German Beer Purity Law using mineral water, yeast, locally grown barley and hops from the Hallertau region.

Review and Tasting

Sampled on 10/04/2017

Appearance:

(sample bottle best before 31/Oct/17) Clear, bright golden amber with quickly diminishing off-white head.

Aroma:

White freshly baked white baguette, Weetabix and tinned sweetcorn.

Taste:

Light-bodied. White bread maltiness with very light hop bitterness and enough carbonation to give this beer a mild bite.

Aftertaste:

Crusty white bread maltiness continues with a mild but cleansing hops and carbonation.

Overall:

It’s great to see Hofmeister back – just the name brings memories of the brand’s ads of old. Sadly, George, his yellow jacket and pork pie hat, remain in hibernation, but although the amusing TV ads are missing this revived Hofmeister boasts 5% alc./vol. - 1.8% more than the original.