Our Inspiration

Brandenburg, Germany

Germany is home to the the most famous highway system in the world - The Autobahn. Although the Autobahn does go through some dense population centers with speed restrictions, much of the highway has no speed limit. Brandenburg is located in the Northeast corner of Germany and surrounds Berlin - the German capital. Much like Washington, DC, The Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region is the third largest German metro with just under 6.5 million people.

Brandenburg is known for its well-preserved natural environment. There are 15 large protected areas, including one national park and three biosphere reserves. This contrasts sharply with Berlin, which is the German capital and the most populous city in the European Union with 3.5 million people.

As drivers leave the dense urban city-state of Berlin and enter Brandenburg, they are greeted with signs stating, "Limits No Longer Apply."

We find inspiration in the idea that limits no longer apply. Historically, bock beer was a style of German strong lagers with dark appearance, malt-forward flavors, and lightly hopped. Since the first bock beers were introduced in the 14th century, many different Bock styles now exist. These include the Doppelbock, Weizenbock, Eisbock, and Maibock, which literally means “The Month of May Bock.” The Maibock was traditionally brewed as a spring special, a celebration of the end of winter and the arrival of spring.

Tradition in name only, our Autobahn Maibock is full of flavor, body, and mild hoppiness. We think it is too good to only enjoy in the month of May, so we brew it year-round. Like the German Autobahn, Limits No Longer Apply to this fantastic lager.

The Style

Helles Lager

The german beer calendar is defined by bock beer. The traditional bock beer - the Dunkel Bock - is brewed in the winter, the Dopplebock for Lent, and the Maibock brewed in May leading into the warmer summer months. Recently, the style has experienced a surge in popularity and increase in year-round availability. The Beer Judge Certification Program, which writes style guides for all beer types, recently changed the name from Maibock to Helles Lager to better account for the year-round popularity of the style.

The beer represents a shift in German brewing that occurred in the 19th century. Traditional german beers were all dark. Pale malts were first developed in England, and German brewers were not quick to adopt the new lighter malts. As these pale lagers grew in popularity around the world, German brewers eventually adapted and began brewing lighter styles including the Maibock.

The Helles Lager is defined by the BJCP as, “A relatively pale, strong, malty German lager beer with a nicely attenuated finish that enhances drinkability. The hop character is generally more apparent than in other bocks.” The Autobahn Maibock is pale amber in color and clear. We use a strong pilsner base and add some Munich malt to develop a moderate sweet flavor.