A good beer is like a good book: It changes your perspective the moment you take it in. Sometimes we choose the beer by judging its cover, other times because people highly recommended it and occasionally we explore on our own and find something new. However, good beer can take you places in terms of how we taste things, how to distinguish flavors and how to select personal favorites. Like all good books, you need a place where you have access to them. For beer, it’s the Beer Stein in Eugene, a place that holds a variety of more than 700 beers and has a tap bar that changes seasonally.
I’m here to guide you on my personal selection of beers to try. They’re beers that can get a little weird, be sweet and sour or just a refreshing drink to have in your spare time. It’s a selection I’ve been wanting to try for some time now, and I selected six beers that deliver in flavor and unique style. There are also styles of beer that go beyond lagers and ales and beyond the small selection that I tried myself.
Block 15: maltster series 5.5% alcohol by volume
This beer offers a different combination of malts like the pilot, wintmalts, triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye), molasses malts and an extra dark munich. Barley is usually used for lager style beers. Combined, these malts give a refreshing bitter taste that’s slightly sweet. Although the beer at heart is an amber ale with its red hue and ale style taste, this beer collides these ingredients to make something so much more than that. It’s subtle in flavor but finishes like a lager style ale that’s perfectly in the middle.
Oakshire: sun made raspberry sour 4.1% ABV
A normal beer tends to have an ABV that’s 4.7-5%. In my experience, beers that tip on the lower scale in alcohol content have more flavor. It’s not just about getting buzzed with what you drink, but savoring the way the drink was made and the uniqueness of the flavor. This local brewery from Eugene has a variety of different style beers like amber ales, IPAs, hazy ales, stouts and, in this case, sours. Sours belong in a category of beer unlike any other, filled with flavors that come at you strong and pungent. And no doubt, this Oakshire native delivers with an impactful sour style.
Straffe Hendrik: Tripel Ale 9% ABV
There’s something we need to understand about Belgian-style beers: Most are Trappist beers which are ales that were brewed by Trappist monks, and when they are replicated in other countries, the same ingredients are used to replicate their methods. It’s a style of beer that you can immediately recognize because it has a signature taste. It has a creative way of unfolding itself to your palate, and a perfect balance of malts, hops, fruits, spices and herbs. For Straffe Hendrik, these triple ales deliver something strong and traditional to what Belgian-style beers are. A sweet but flavorful beer that you can’t miss out on.
Duvel: Belgium Ale 8.5% ABV
Some drinks pair well with your food. It opens the taste buds to the flavor of the food and can enhance your meal to something spectacular. Some drinks are like desserts and are better to have after you’ve eaten. For this drink, Duvel is a beer you have before you eat. It’s an aperitif that opens up your appetite and doesn’t fill you as most beers do. With its golden ale hue, this beer prepares an impact of taste most unique to anything you’ve ever tried. It has a subtle sweetness and caramel flavor that balances well for a Belgian-style beer. It’s something to check off your bucket list and maybe try a couple more times.
North Coast Brewing: Brother Thelonious 9.4% ABV
For this beer, I did judge the bottle by its cover, and I’m glad I did. The sleeve has the bebop artist Thelonious Monk playing his piano with a cathedral window shining a luminous light on him. The bottle tells me to pick it up and have a taste from the art alone. Another Belgian-style ale, this beer isn’t made in Europe but rather California. That being said, it promises the same ingredients that Trappist monks use and is a refreshing ode to monks and Thelonious Monk himself. The company also supports local jazz education for those interested in supporting the genre while having a beer. They’ve given money to nonprofit organizations like the Mendocino Coast Jazz Society, which helps form jazz events in California and educational programs for student musicians.
There’s so much more that you can find at the Bier Stein. It’s an endless world for beer lovers that could take many lifetimes to try everything they have. There’s something for everyone to find, and hopefully something for you to enjoy. The Bier Stein is located at 1591 Willamette Street, welcoming those who are ready to try some good beer. The Beer Stein also has a food menu, featuring the Bavarian soft pretzel with cheese soup and mustard sauce for $8.95, German-style bratwurst with sauerkraut for $14.95, paninis and other classic sandwiches, soups and salads and even family meals to go. The beers range from different prices that will fit anyone’s budget, and you can build your own six pack to take home.
