Adapt or die! Such is the law of the business world, and even old world German brewers are starting to learn that in the American beer market, you can’t be a one trick pony. For many many years, Germany’s Warsteiner was just that, relying on sales of their Warsteiner Premium Verum (true reward), a pilsner, for the majority of their sales. To be fair, they also had a Dunkel, and still do, but it was the Premium Verum that was and is the flagship.

Warsteiner is coming out of its comfort zone, however, with new beers for the fickle American consumer to drink. The first of these was Warsteiner Oktoberfest, which I first saw showing up on store shelves back around 2003. It’s a decent Oktoberfest/Marzen beer, but I’ve always thought it lacked the malty oomph that the best of these beers pack. With Warsteiner Winter Special Edition, we finally have a little more of that oomph we were looking for in a tasty Vienna/Marzen style lager.

A little about the malt and hops used:

Our company only purchases and processes quality hops that meet our strict quality requirements. The special combination of bitter and aroma hops is unique and is a key component of the well balanced, mild-hoppy WARSTEINER Premium German Pilsener.

The malt for our beer is manufactured from top-quality brewing barley cultivated from well-known German producing regions and from Champagne, which enjoy optimal climatic and soil conditions.

At 5.6% alcohol by volume, this is the strongest Warsteiner beer I’ve come across. The price is a good one these days; $8.99 is a bargain for a six-pack of quality imported German beer. My bottle is stamped on the back label as best before 26.JUL.16, and I drank it just before that date on July 24^th as part of my 2016 Christmas in July celebration.

Warsteiner Winter Special Edition pours to a light chestnut color with a thick creamy head of foam and a luscious nutty malt nose. Taking a sip, the beer is even fuller with delicious toasty nut flavors, fresh toasted malt, melanoidins and molasses. The finish is rounded out with a balancing hint of grassy herbal hops. A Marzen but a fuller, richer maltier one than Warsteiner Oktoberfest.

A very delicious malty treat indeed, and one I’ll be back for more of for sure for Christmas 2016.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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