This place needs more threads

Discussion in 'Germany' started by MattSweatshirt, Jan 18, 2013.

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  1. MattSweatshirt

    MattSweatshirt Initiate (0) Jun 29, 2011 Texas

    So I'm gonna throw up a few pictures and a concise run down of beer fun from my travels(mostly from this past September). My memory also sucks.

    I love reading the travel posts some of you dudes throw up here. I just spent a couple days in the cities so I didn't do too much drinking but got to experience the styles in their respective birth places which was cool.
    I started off with Koln(there won't be umlauts in this post) looking forward to some Kolsch! It just wasn't what I was expecting I guess? Hanging at Fruh was awesome though. I got there super early but after my first glass the place was abuzz.
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    After that I wandered around figuring out where to drink next and the benches at Peters were calling my name. I think I like it a little more than Fruh.
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    I bailed on drinking anymore Kolsch after that. Probably a mistake.
    Took a train up to Dusseldorf next.
    Uerige was my first stop and that place is just greatness. I was only going to drink one or two and then bounce but had three and then ended up coming back at the end of the day for three more. The ambiance and food were great. Being surrounded by locals was awesome as well.
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    After Uerige I went to Schlussel and Fuchsen. Schlussel didn't do anything for me. Fuchsen tasted great! But the smell was the oddest thing ever. Eier. I don't know. Maybe the bartender or server had handled eggs and then my glass. I didn't feel like ordering another to figure it out. A pity really. After those Uerige was calling me back. I just had the regular stuff. No Doppelsticke which I am keen to try now.
    The next beer destination was Bamberg. I was in Hamburg beforehand, but had no idea where to go for beer.
    Bamberg was easily my favorite German city I've been to. So much beer in the city limits itself. I would love to travel around more of Franconia. I can't wait to go back whenever that may be. I drank too much of this:
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    I feel sorry for the hostel worker who had to scoop my mess out of the sink :/
    The Weizen was super as well. The guy I ordered it from had to make sure that's what I wanted since it wasn't on tap lol.
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    After Schlenkerla, Klosterbrau was my second favorite spot. The Schwarzla and Braunbier were delicious. The spaetzle was good as well just a little pricey it seemed but I was hungry.
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    While drinking Fassla beers I could hear Herr Burgess in my head. The beers weren't big and ridiculous, just solidly brewed fresh beers. They were delish.
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    Just had a couple since I had to check out Spezial across the way.
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    My misunderstanding about Bamberg was shown when I left the confines of Schlenkerla after my first night. I thought everyone had a Rauchbier. I didn't find any until I came here. I had no idea what Spezial even had. The lager was on tap and a awesome older British gentleman confirmed it was good so I went with it. I had a couple and chatted with this guy John. He headed up to his room and was going to go for a walk. I left and wandered around town a bit and then to Schlenkerla for a nightcap where I met up with John again and had a couple more Marzens before leaving the next morning.
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    I was planning on Salzburg but wanted to stop in between it and Bamberg so Munchen it was! Kind of the worst place to stop for a night after drinking heavily in Bamberg. I wasn't really wanting any beer. Had to try a Andechs though so that was my one beer of the day. I had it at the Andechs place in Munchen. Didn't make it to the church outside of town. Their spaetzle was super interesting with fried onions and pear topping it. The Doppelbock was good, but I was looking for something to knock off Korbinian and Celebrator as my favs. It probably didn't get the best evaluation with my expectations and being in recovery mode. I did make it to Oktoberfest in 2011 though.
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    The Augustiner Helles is a magical beer. I liked it too much to even try the Edelstoff which is great from what I hear. Some Kartoffelauflauf at HB:
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    Prost!
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  2. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    Thank you Matt. Without the pics, this report wouldn't have been half as fun to read. Has anyone noticed that the other "country" forums usually don't do threads/posts like this? I haven't seen anyone do that in the Brit. forum, though I do remember 1 poster who posted a link to pics from Westvleteren, but other than that, not many. If more do this, then this forum will be really packed with information. Again, thanks Matt, and I found Spezial's Rauchbier as my fav Rauchbier in all of Bamberg.

    I stayed in the hotel above Fäßla, and you would never have known a bar was below... that's how quiet it was in the rooms. What amused me most was at 8 (or was it 9?) am, the old guys were there on a Sunday morning for Frühschoppen. We went to the hotel's breakfast in a separate room in the back of the bar, but in the front, and specially in the foyer area of the bar, which is covered and heated, sat a bunch of grizzled old men who looked like they hadn't slept the night before, or had slept under a bridge. Now is that what you want to see of local color before you've had breakfast?

    Here's the Wiki English entry for Frühschoppen:
    ... literally meaning: early glass [of an alcoholic drink]) is the German and Austrian tradition to meet up at a pub or inn in the late morning (usually on Sundays). The specific customs vary from region to region. Frühschoppen is often a kind of brunch, i.e. a combined breakfast and lunch, but does not necessarily involve food.​
    In Lower Bavaria and most of Upper Bavaria, Frühschoppen is understood to be a specific kind of brunch consisting of Weisswurst, sweet mustard, pretzels, and Weissbier (an unfiltered wheat beer). The Bavarian Frühschoppen began in rural areas and has originally taken place on Sundays in a tavern at the regulars' table (Stammtisch). During Frühschoppen, folk may discuss everyday life and politics. In the corner of the tavern or festival tent (Festzelt) there is typically a band playing Volksmusik. (Nowadays some places have pop, rock, and jazz bands.)​
    In many other regions of Germany, Frühschoppen is understood more generally to be a gathering in a pub on Sunday morning, traditionally held after church service. This usually includes the consumption of alcoholic beverages, but not necessarily that of a meal. With the decline of church attendance in Germany this tradition has become somewhat less common, but is still held up in many places, especially in rural areas.​
     
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  3. Gutes_Bier

    Gutes_Bier Maven (1,339) Jul 31, 2011 Germany

    That's one heck of a trip, and one heck of a trip report! Nice pix, and I'm glad you made your way to Düsseldorf. Uerige is my favorite pub in the land so far, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I never made it to Schlüssel, but I did make it to Füchschen once. No egg smell for me, just a cool Köbes who chatted with me about America while I passed the time with a delicious Alt.

    Some other random thoughts:
    • if you can find it, the Dopplesticke is exported to the US. In fact, I'm not sure it's sold in Germany.
    • I like the Klosterbräu pub, too. I'm also a fan of their Braun and Schwärzla, and their Maibock is superb.
    • Yep, the streets of Bamberg are not overflowing with Rauchbier, only Spezial and Schlenkerla as far as I know, but those two are both pretty great.
    • I would not want to get sick on smoked beer. I hope it hasn't scarred you forever.
    • Did you make it to Mahr's in Bamberg?
    Thanks for the write-up, and seriously, next time umlauts or it didn't happen. :stuck_out_tongue:
     
  4. patto1ro

    patto1ro Pooh-Bah (1,998) Apr 26, 2004 Netherlands
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Frühschoppen: one of my faviourite German words. I jokingly translate it as "early shopping".

    I agree Klosterbräu Maibock is a wonderful. I could drink the stuff all day. Mahr's Pale Bock isn't bad, either.

    It reminds me that I haven't got my German trip for thyis year organised yet.
     
  5. herrburgess

    herrburgess Grand Pooh-Bah (3,053) Nov 4, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Good stuff. Shame about the Koelsch. I find that reaction among even the most hardcore devotees of German beer; somehow the stuff doesn't seem to strike a chord with many. For me, on the other hand, I have become enamored of the style -- even more so following my most recent trip. There's such variation in the different breweries' takes. I'm brewing another 30 gallons tomorrow, matter of fact, and am gearing this one to be more like Paeffgen. Previous ones were more along this lines of Frueh (the WLP 029 yeast we use is from Frueh after all), Malzmuehle, Gaffel (using Shill malt instead of Weyermann), and even the more pedestrian Sester (mashed at a higher temp and got a sweeter profile). Will be aiming for 30 or so IBUs with this one. As you can see, getting into it pretty deep....

    Your other pics are great as well. It may be a blessing that you went into Munich with a bit of a hangover; last time we started in Munich before heading to Bamberg, and the Augustiner flowed much too freely, such that I was having trouble with my Bamberger Zwiebel at Schlenkerla on my first visit the following day. Didn't make it to Faessla this past trip, but, yes, that place is a bastion of simplicity in more ways that one -- the local characters in the Schwemme are some of the most "memorable" anywhere. One of my favorites was a guy I met nicknamed "Patzig" (which I later found out means something like "impudent," or "cheeky" for the Brits). He was wearing a hospital bracelet and stammering in his speech. He eventually told us -- between the 4-5 beers we bought him -- that he had just been released from the hospital after suffering a stroke, which was responsible for the stammer. To his credit, he also added that his doctor had informed him that he wasn't supposed to drink beer, but (to quote him with a rough translation, "What're you gonna do?" And to that I say, "Prost!"
     
  6. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    I've done a couple day-long pub crawls in Köln and enjoyed my Kölsch, though Früh was the worst & Mühlen was the best. Many Germans who aren't from Köln share a disgust of Kölsch, and I know at least old guy from Köln who refuses to drink anything but this. Like Rauchbier, I think you almost need to grow up with it.

    Great story. Thanks for sharing.

    My g/f saw these drunks on Sunday morning and simply said "Penner," which means bum/homeless person. She was scared of them, but I found them more sad than scary. You see a lot of the same Penner, drunks really, like them around main train stations early in the mornings, too, but interestingly enough, never drinking anything other than (cheap) beer. This brings me to the observation how deep beer runs in German culture. What do most drunks/bums drink in America? Certainly not beer, right? Usually, it's something much harder. Yet in Germany, they all only drink beer.

    That, folks, is how deep the roots of beer are in German culture.
     
  7. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    When I was a kid growing up in the city, the ‘bums’ would drink either Old English 800 (which is a malt liquor) or Thunderbird (a fortified wine). Another ‘favorite’ was MD 20/20 (which is a fortified wine & MD had a knickname of Mad Dog).

    Cheers!

    P.S. I played for an intramural softball team in college and the team was called The Mad Dogs (we had T-shirts with MD 20/20 on them).
     
  8. CwrwAmByth

    CwrwAmByth Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2011 England

    This is actually exactly what I thought about 1/4 of the way through reading this! Surprisingly few people actually come to the UK for beer holidays though, especially BAs, who see Germany and Belgium pretty nearby and with (to them) better beer, because they can get good British styles of beer in the US (most US-style craft are pale ales and stouts). It's a shame though, we have great beer :slight_frown:
     
  9. CwrwAmByth

    CwrwAmByth Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2011 England

    Oranjeboom super strength is one of the most popular homeless drinks here in Cardiff!
     
  10. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    You could start a trend in the British forum by posting drinking experiences like we've done here.
     
  11. herrburgess

    herrburgess Grand Pooh-Bah (3,053) Nov 4, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    It's impossible to capture the unique experience of UK pub culture in photos (the pub is known as the living room of the UK, and what could -- on the surface -- seem less interesting than a photo of a living room). Much easier in a Belgian cafe or a German Biergarten -- a pic of a cool snifter of Trappist ale or a Masskrug of lager is much more ostentatious. All things considered, this might make the UK pub the last bastion of those who like beer more than they like the idea of beer. Let's keep it that way, please :wink:
     
  12. CwrwAmByth

    CwrwAmByth Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2011 England

    I'll be bringing my camera with me when I visit home next week!
    This is true. It's probably something I take for granted as well.
     
  13. herrburgess

    herrburgess Grand Pooh-Bah (3,053) Nov 4, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Nothing like it anywhere in the world. When I'm in a good pub with a well-kept cellar, there's no place on Earth I'd rather be, including Belgian cafes and -- yes -- German Biergartens.... Of course when I'm at either of those places, the same applies. Wish there were some equivalent place in U.S. beer "culture." Maybe someday soon....
     
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  14. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    Actually, I meant more drinking and describing beers either from smaller or craft brewers in Britain, and a pic of the bottle, glass, beer mat, etc would be a great visual. If I just wanted pretty pics of British pubs, I have Google for that.
     
  15. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Nothing like a” Masskrug of lager”!:slight_smile:

    Those Seidels are just wimpy!:wink:

    Prost!
     
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  16. CwrwAmByth

    CwrwAmByth Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2011 England

    Stuff like this?
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    I usually save them for my blog tbh!
     
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  17. PancakeMcWaffles

    PancakeMcWaffles Initiate (0) Jun 15, 2012 Germany

    I've got plans for a beer trip to the UK, I have never had a real british cask ale :slight_frown:, that's definitely something I really want to experience(I have always been underaged when in the UK...).
    I really love ESBs, Porters and pretty much most of the british ales I have had so far :grinning:
     
  18. CwrwAmByth

    CwrwAmByth Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2011 England

    You should come to Wales too! Only a 2 hour train direct from London, lovely surroundings and quite a few nice places to drink I can direct you to. I could also hook you up with local real ale as well as craft beer. We have nice craft beer now too.
     
  19. boddhitree

    boddhitree Pooh-Bah (1,765) Apr 13, 2008 Germany
    Pooh-Bah

    A. Did you post this in the correct forum, i.e. the Brit one? :-)
    B. if you already wrote about these beers in your blog, would it be possible to either link to those post, and/or cut & paste them into the Brit forum?
    C. Love the pics!!!!!! Need MORE pics & also of the food which accompanied it, if any.
     
  20. CwrwAmByth

    CwrwAmByth Initiate (0) Jan 24, 2011 England

    No, we in the UK forum generally just take it as the place for UK people, rather than for UK beers. Don't tell anyone though...

    More will come if you want! Here's my blog you asked for: http://hailtotheale.wordpress.com/
     
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