Good bavarian beer

As muenchener beer goes, turnover is the main consideration. A fresh tap of this light-styled stuff--with the keg just tapped--and with atmosphere--is what it is all about. Once it heads overseas and sits forever in a boat, on a dock, and at a distributor--then you are FAR better off with a local microbrew.

There is no "best lager out of Munich" - what are the criteria for "best?" My personal favorite Munich lager, St Jakobus Blonder Bock, isn't even available in the U.S. It's not exactly common in Munich, either. I'm also fond of Augustiner Edelstoff on tap. But most Munich beers are pretty decent when fresh.

As far as a good place to buy it - depends on what you want. Bottles to take home?

So you mean bottles to take home, then.

Not uncommon, especially if they're sold in green bottles and not protected from light. You'll do better if you can get a bottle out of a freshly-opened case.

What you should try is to find a place in Columbus that has German beer on tap. Is Schmidt's in German Village still around?

If you're up for *really* fresh Munich-style beer, maybe you'll want to head down the highway to Newport, KY, across the river from Cincinnati. There's a Hofbrauhaus there, affiliated with the well-known one in Munich. Better book a hotel there, though, and save the drive home for the next day.

"fclaugus" wrote in news:cl9tgs$4tb$ snipped-for-privacy@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu:

Not sure what your distribution is around there so can't help, but I do know you live in a pretty good area for beer. Perhaps you can find a more locally-brewed lager that'll give you a similar taste profile rather than worrying about skunked green-bottled beer sitting around. I know Great Lakes up in Cleveland makes a phenomenal Vienna and a number of other good beers, though I haven't tried a Helles from them and their Dortmunder wasn't that exciting. At any rate, there should be lots of things to try. Anyways, obligatory Ratebeer link to the Columbus brew tour:

No matter which one you choose, odds are you're not going to find Munich's finest in the States. There are a couple brewpubs that offer beers that aren't sold elsewhere in Munich, let alone overseas, that are on my list of contenders for "best" in Munich.

Of the major breweries, Augustiner is generally considered the best by the locals, and is my favorite as well. Distribution to the States is spotty, at best.

Hofbräu, Hacker-Pschorr and Löwenbräu are, in order, the worst of the Munich beers, IMO. Spaten and Paulaner are decent but not great. One of them tend to sell in green bottles (I think Spaten) and the other in brown (I think Paulaner). Unless you're buying unopened cases, stick with the brown bottles.

-Steve

-Steve

Give this link a try ...

Cheers!!

The best Munich beer by far is Augustiner and if you like the light beers then they have 2 choices, Helles and Edelstoff. The second is slightly stronger, more malty and with a honey flavour. They also do an excellent Stark beer

The best place to drink Ausgustiner indoors is perhaps their new place alongside the domed cathedral in the centre named "Augustiner am Dom". There they serve Helles from wooden barrels and also Edelstoff from wooden barrels in the evening. They have a high turnover - so much so that the glasses are sometimes not terribly clean and you get smears and bubbles on the inside of the glass. If you want a cleaner glass then go to their main outlet at Stacchus towards the Hauptbahnhof about 7 minutes walk away on the main pedestrian thoroughfare.

The best place to drink Edelstoff outdoors in the Augustiner Keller beergarden (weather permitting) which is near Hackerbrücke on the north side of the main railway line just one S-Bahn stop out from the Hauptbahnhof. There is a large self-service bar and they serve Edelstoff (not Helles) from large wooden barrels.

Maybe you drank Paulaner. That used to be good, especially if you made the trip up Nockenburger hill where they brew some of their beer, but is now less good and not worth drinking any more. Only their strong dark Salvator beer is worth drinking and you won't need many of them.

Hofbräu festival beer is good but their regular beer is not so good. For all the atmosphere of the Hofbräu Haus, they have fake wooden barrels and their rather average regular helles beer is served from the tap. They have a beergarden in the Englisher garten by the Chinese Tower which is popular and pleasant.

Hacker-Pschorr Helles is quite nice. I suppose the best place to drink it is with a meal in the Domisl place along the side of the Rathaus in Mariensplatz. A nicely done-out, though modern building, that is far more a food place than a beer place.

Ayingerbräu is quite drinkable. They have a helles and a light and dark weiss beer. The best place to drink it is in their bar roughly opposite the entrance to the Hofbräu Haus beergarden.

Löwenbräu isn't that great. Nothing to go look for but drinkable if it is there. Spaten is rubbish but they make Franziskaner which is the king of all weiss beers.

If you want a really good Bavarian beer then go to Nürnberg walled town. Near the top, by the castle, there is a small brewery nearby called Ältstadte (I think). That beer puts Ausgustiner to shame. If you like dark smoked beer then go to Bamberg and drink it there. You can also find an outlet for this beer in Nürnberg in the small restaurant right near the castle in any case. It is a beer I like a lot but none of my friends like it.

that is correct as I lived there for a year and a half not too long ago. FYI, it is also the only tent at Wies'n to serve the beer out of wooden kegs. The other tents make it look like they are serving out of wooden kegs, but it is just a front.

correct too althouigh Hofbraeu might be a step below Hacker-Pschorr and Loewenbraeu.

Ones just outside of MUC that are very good is Erdinger and Wiehenstephan which also is known for their milk.

Gerald

generally very crowded and very small. right around the corner is a place that sells a Krug of bier for 2 Euro. Can't remember what brewerie but it is a stand-at-the-window kind of place. :)

definitely. Man, I miss this place.

Oh, the other place that most people miss is Kloster Andechs which is about a 25-35 drive away. Classic classic place. The restaurant next door to it served one of very *few* memorable meals while I lived there with excellent service (service wuerste deutschland) and excellent food (in a land known for their bier and not for their food).

Gerald

If it is the one I am thinking about then it is still owned by Augustiner. Yes, you have to stay standing to get the cheaper beer. I think it is 2.40 Euros for a half litre.

If you don't want to make the trip, you can drink Andechs at the back of the Dom church/cathedral. I have tried their beers. I think they are OK but not to my taste. It is a very popular place. The food is popular there too.

it isn't the absolute best but good and the atmosphere can't be beat.

Another classic place is out near Grafing at a farm house. A real bier steubl. Has about 5 tables. Typical bavarian snacks. Typical smoke that you can can't cut a knife through but on a good day might make an indent. As for the exact location of this, no idea but it is about a 10 minutes drive from Grafing and literally in the middle of nowhere. If you want, I can ask my friend for directions there.

literally every place serves typical bavarian food which is nothing to scream home about. At every place the menu is *identical*. Go to bier halle for the bier and not the food. in fact, I went for weisswuerst with some friends and after a couple of bites they asked what I thought of it. I said it tasted like "meat in a condom." They said, "we do't exactly like it but it is traditional." Kind of like Wies'n music. Everyone hates it except during Wies'n (and after skiing). In fact if whenever I hear "won't you be my girl" (exact name?), "I will survive," etc I might commit suicide....after I go to the next Wies'n of course.

Gerald

I forgot to mention that Wiessbier (or hefewiezen outside of bavaria) is only drank out of the bottle and never on tap because all the yeast (hefe) and flavor would only be on the bottom of the keg. Never with a lemon although a Russ'n is half weissbier and half lemon-lime soda (like Sprite). I don't normally drink these but occasionally they are good when it is hot outside.

Gerald

I don't know... I developed quite a jones for kaesespaetzle and spinatspaetzle... Subtle food, but damned delicious.

Maybe you didn't have the right kind of senf...

I think it's "Hey Baby (Would You Be My Girl)" by Bruce Channel. It was on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, yes?

My big surprise was "Country Roads" being played everywhere... Who knew Germans were big John Denver fans? That's like going to a Raiders game "Du sollst nicht weinen", isn't it?

kaeshschpatz'n (Bavarian dialect) is good but I never found it amazing. Generally I thought the food was "homestyle" food....ok, occasionally good, but nothing like Italy or France but that is a given.

I never knew the name. I simply roll my eyes every time for 4 out of the last 6 Wies'n I was at....so that makes it about 7000 I heard the song. ;-)

almost. I never even heard the song Country Roads or never noticed it until a german colleague sang it for kareokee in Tennessee at a convention. Egal.

A week ago I was in Monterrey, Mexico for work. I heard "Hey Baby," "I will surive," and get this, "Life is Life."

I went home for a few days and now back in Monterrey and coincidently wearing a shirt from the 2001 Wies'n. Time for some tequila.

Gerald

I didn't say it was amazing either, but it's the ONE thing I really craved when I got home.

Right... Germany is more about sustenance than cuisine. Of course, I had some amazing Jaegerschnitzel that almost moved beyond that sentiment... Had an awesome cheese platter at the Seehaus too... The mountain cheese went especially well with the Radieschen... They shouldn't even serve those separately -- put the cheese right on the rye, and plop the Radieschen on top. Gods...

Ha ha... I've only been there once, but it was amazing just how far afield of the Weis'n you'd hear the song being sung... Usually at night after some big drinking, but occasionally during the day to.

Really? Wow. It was impossible to avoid last year. I didn't actually realize it during the verses, but when the chorus came up... Yikes. What do deutschen Maenner & Frauen know about West Virginia anyway?

There's no escape!!

To each his own. I'd almost kill for the dunkel, which is to my palate the best doppelbock on the planet.

I know a similar sort of place out by Unterhaching. There are those little gems like that scattered all about. And this place brews their own.

I lived in Munich for a while and got around. I'd dispute both characterizations. Maybe more so at the beer halls, but even then there is variation from one to another. And Bavarian food can be quite good. Yeah, it tends to be more on the hearty side, but there's still a lot of variety there.

As is the case in pretty much every city on the planet, you need to get out of the touristy quarters to really get a good experience for what the real food, real atmosphere, etc. is like. Of course the Hofbräuhaus is going to serve typical Bavarian food, done in a typical style, because that's what people expect. Go to a more locals-oriented place like some of the Augustiner beerhalls, and you'll start seeing better quality and variation. Get into the neighborhood restaurants, and you see it even more.

There is no song on earth I despise more than the first one you mentioned. I've had good fortune the past few years to go to the right tents (again, the ones that are more locals-focused) and not heard that piece of excrement.

-Steve