What makes for a great Biergarten?

Spaten? What?

 

He said real plumbing.

 

Large large tables that have the paper table cloths and crayons

Also sausage. And large HB mugs.

 

Shot-skis.

 

No, I'll stay indoors if I can't get most of my demands.

EDIT: Oh, thanks for reminding me -- I forgot a moderate temperature.

 

1)Picnic tables. Lots of picnic tables.
2)Lots o' European brew.
3)TV's exclusively for watching soccor.
4)Meats, cheeses, pretzels, pam fritz, and spicy mustard. None of that bright yellow mess to be found.
5)Litre pours on the lighter brews.

Might be my favorite place to drink beer. Really miss this place:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10306/?view=ratings

The physical location is sort of lame. Big place in a tiny stripmall, but you can't blame them for that. They are in Tampa. That being said once you walk inside this place feels just right. Best Biergarten I've even been to in the US. Never been overseas so I cant really compare it to the real thing.

 

If you want a completely traditional biergarten buy a plane ticket to Germany or Austria. That said I've been to some good ones in the US. The closest I've seen a traditional biergarten in the US is Stoudts Brewery in Adamstown, PA. They make traditional German beer styles very well also. However, it's going to be very out of the way for most people.

Frankford Hall in Philly is really well done. When the seasons get chilly they have a very large fire pit in the middle that you can sit near and they sell smores fixings, so you can toast your own marshmellows.

My wife and I really liked Ben's Tune Up beer garden in Asheville, NC. It was a just a cool open-air space that made great use of the old structure (formerly a garage) with interesting gardening and decorations around. Our dogs prefered it to their crates in the hotel too.

(I have a bias for renovated/reclaimed spaces. )

 

good background music, attentive servers , good strung lighting for after dark and of course friends to drink with

 

Good people
Good beer
Good food
Good atmosphere

 

+Proper climate (a biergarten wouldn't do well in a cold state unless it was strictly seasonal)
+Simple, but enjoyable draft list with maybe 3-4 options, max.
+It's a fun touch when all the draft lines are hand pumped (i experienced quite a few like this in my travels to Germany)
+It's an awesome touch when they are in a cool location. Really adds to the atmosphere (like in the middle of a city or set at the top of a hill overlooking a valley/skyline, etc.)
+Well prepared sausage and bratwurst is essential. Maybe a homemade pretzel also.

 

I have attended beer festivals at the Lancaster (PA) Liederkranz where there was good beer, good food and music/dancing. They have some picnic table seating under an open air barn structure.

There are lots of people of German heritage in Lancaster County.

http://lancasterliederkranz.com/facilitiesphotos.html

Cheers!

 

Big mugs and if ya don't have a big mug I'll take the larger size. The Big Jug!
out of doors
communal tables
and friendly people who can talk and talk and talk some more

 

Delicious schnitzel and a delicious maibock

 

Geselligkeit...

 

This place in Wyndhook Namibia:

http://www.joesbeerhouse.com/

In the late 1800s lots of folks started showing up from Germany. The streets have German sounding names and I met people who vacation here from Germany in the winter. Sort of like their Florida or Arizona in the winter.

A very cool place and very easy to start a conversation with anyone. Seems to be a bit of a cross roads for travelers as I saw many reading their Lonely Planet books. Really fun to visit with folks over good beer about where they have been and where they planned to go to next. I guess the best part of this place or any good biergarten is the friendly people you might get to meet.

 

I will have to check that place out. I didn't know they had a biergarten in Asheville.

 

I remember going to a nice in Pagosa Springs in CO. The ones I went into Germany all seemed to have the quality, that you wish you could stay forever; particularly one near the Donnersberg sucking down Bischof Biers.

 

great beer.

 

Drunk austrians, germans and wetern europeans make a nice environment, because they go to have fun, not to fight or cause problems. Also pretty girls offering smokes and spirits.

 

Weird to me that only a couple folks made this comment! I echo it. Nearly all else will fall in place.

I mean, think about it...imagine if the place had great food, great atmosphere, big trees, lotsa green, beautiful surroundings...AND a great beer selection.

Oh...that is what I've been imagining. Maybe I'll DO something about it. ;-]-=