My husband who doesn’t drink has been drinking a beer a day for the last month or so. He swears the health benefits of the brewed beverage. He’s been sticking near exclusively with German beer — more specifically Bavarian beers — so I certainly can’t complain…but it doesn’t mean I’ll be joining him anytime soon. I’d rather eat my bread than drink it.
But I have really been enjoying examining the bottles. It is a disappointment that the labels have little to no German on them as they’re bottled exclusively for international export. But the labels still have some nice packaging, colorful artwork and sometimes a special design on the bottle cap. One variety even came with a small plastic trinket hanging around the neck of the bottle from a red string. Yes, I have to admit, I’ve been enjoying — in a somewhat guilty fashion — the German beer bottles.
Ayinger, in particular, have some colorful and whimsical artwork. Bright, bold colors paint picturesque and charming scenes on the beer’s artwork. The brand’s Celebrator variety, which features goats on the label, come with a small plastic goat hanging from the neck of the bottle on a short red thread.
There’s even a smoked beer (Rauchbier) from Bamberg’s Schlenkerla with traditional German-style script on the label. The Franziskaner label is a bit more boring. It features more traditional style artwork of a monk enjoying a beer.
And although it’s not German, my husband brought home a really neat beer bottle from Iron Chef Morimoto’s restaurant in Philadelphia. The bottle features lovely artwork printed right on the glass showcasing the Japanese chef himself.
I’ve no idea how far this little German beer fascination or obsession will go. I’ve already eyed Ayinger’s brewery tour, conveniently located just outside of Munich. Meanwhile my husband was telling me about festivals that the smaller breweries hold on their own in conjunction with Oktoberfest. Yet more things to add to the must-see list for our next trip…
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