German/Belgian Beer in UK Hunt

krafty_2

Hey all Beer lovers,
I was searching for pubs/off licenses offering a good selection of german/belgian beers/lagers ( there arent many!!!) and came across this site- thought i would share it with u lot. Doubt if its updated regularly, but worth a check!
If we put our collective resources i suppose we could generate a lot of info for buying these beers in the uk. I am particularly interested in the north-west england...any suggestions would be welcome!! I know there may be quite a few in london/SE.
the website URL is-http://www.germanbeerguide.co.uk/

Ken68

Lidl is good value..they often have wheat beer and a very strong German beer, apart from the usual premium and cheap lager. I know, I know...not the same but good taste at a good price.
Wetherspoons prices are stunningly low....Abbot Ale 5% (Greene King ) £1.85

[Deleted User]

One of the best German beers that I know is Wernesgruener Bier and you can buy that at Aldi's (in Cardiff). It is strong and may be a bit bitter for the faint hearted, but has always been the top runner in Germany. Don't know the price, but Aldi is generally not expensive

grex9101

My personal favourites are Warsteiner and Furstenberg, also quite partial to Schofferhoffe Heffe and Liefmanns Kriek/Frambozen. Can get these at Makro, but expensive. Can anyone point me in the direction of other places to buy? cheers

dbs

I think the Liefmans kriek and frambrozen are bottle conditioned beers therefore are more expensive to make and will have a shorter shelf life.
Also better quality beers are made the traditional way which also adds to the cost.
Also importing continental beers adds to the cost as well.

Its always hard to get quality beer at a cheap price.

Was talking to a owner of a pub one time who said obtaining beers from abroad is also time consuming with paperwork, delays etc.

Said all that you cant beat drinking a quality beer even if it is more money and I dont mean that stella stuff.

Hunnymonster

Beaumont Wines in East Boldon Tyne & Wear always used to be worth a peek - his usual stock included at least 30 non-UK beers, often with the 'correct' glasses available, and he regularly had cask ale on tap for carry out too.

6 Station Terrace, East Boldon, Tyne And Wear NE36 0LJ Tel 0191-536-7152

tomt

krafty,
I can highly recommend Belgian Belly in Chorlton, Greater Manchester. They are a retail shop, and do wholesale as well. They have a website here.
Their web prices are a bit higher than their in-store prices, but they're only a 5 min drive from the Stretford Junction of the M60. They deliver nationwide (I think) for £4.99.

They really know their stuff in there, and can help guide you from what you already like/hate. Great range, and catch them at the right time and you get to sample some too (They also do belgian chocs and have a sit-in cafe bit for sarnies etc.)

I did know of a wholesaler from around Stoke that did Belgian and other European beers only, but the minimum order was a few crates, with no mixed crates I don't think. If I can dig out the price guide I'll post some more info in this thread. I can't remember their name at all!

Hope this helps!

tomstickland

Majestic Wine !!!!!house (aka Warehouse) have Paulaner Wiesbier and a few other import lagers on at good prices. For example:

http://www.majestic.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=272&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=21115

http://www.majestic.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=272&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=11427

http://www.majestic.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=272&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=11513

I've gone off Hoegarrden now, but it can be lovely when you're in the right mood
http://www.majestic.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=272&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=11415

Never forgetting Knobgoblin either
http://www.majestic.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=272&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=11509

I wish they had circle master.

shown73

Don't write off Asda. They do a lovely Belgian beer, red/white can, for £2.58 for 4 half litres, 5%. Also their stubbies are quite good, French, German, or Belgian. That said, I regularly visit Germany, and the prices are so low as to be laughable, for very good beers. This is just another example of rip-off Britain, we have no brewing integrity and the prices would make your eyes water, for so-called "premium" beers. Sorry to rant, it just makes me angry, the profit margins must be astronomical.
Lidl and Aldi are also not bad, but they also do some cheap rubbish, so choose wisely. Happy trials, gentlemen/ladies..!

tomstickland

The saddest thing about the UK is people happily drinking "beer" that tastes like old bath water / fizzy coke. Think John Smiths Creamflow, Stella, Carling. It's a crying shame. Imagine if nothing but the best Pilsner lager was acceptable. Or decent ale. The world would be a better place. If it doesn't make you go "oooooohhhhhthaaaat's gooood" then it's not good enough.

I'm on my 3rd bottle of London Pride right now. It's passed the "ooooohhhh" test.

colliecrew

I've only managed to get my hands on "real" Stella Artois a couple of times, a shop quite near to me did a special.
But it's like nectar from the gods!!!!
I can only describe the taste as like drinking freshly baked bread!!!
Not like that Whitbread P*SS we have to buy.

Good luck if you find it.