Munich quick stop

Don't sleep on Giesinger. It's easy to reach and the beer is both different and really good.

 

Forschungsbrauerei is a bit of a trek, but the beer's good, the Wirtshaus is gemütlich, and they have a beer garden out front for trainspotting if the weather's nice.

If you make it out to WaWi, make an afternoon of it and head to Hinterbrühl as well.

 

I didn't think it was that far using the rail system* -- and yes, terrific beer from a very small brewery.

*Good directions in the Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich (mentioned in another thread).

 

Forschungs is pretty quick/easy via the S-Bahn. Just take the S7 to Perlach. It's actually on the way to/from Aying if you want. It's about 1/2 mile walk from the station, though. You can take a shortcut through some office buildings, but I'm not 100% sure if that's okay. They're gated, but I was told (like 10'ish years ago) that it's fine to do that. The gate isn't locked or anything. That cuts the walk in half.

 

@Domingo, I'll be there in a couple of weeks and staying in an apartment not too far from Giesinger. Beer selection looks really good, any chance you (or anyone else who can comment) ate there too?

 

I'm heading back over in August. When I was last there (2017), I was really impressed. Both the traditional styles and the non-German styles were equally well done. Most of the newer school places I've visited have been kind of "meh," but Giesinger is now a must-visit.

 

Actually, I'll pose a question now
Anyone know if Giesinger is open on Monday? In looking around online, some sites say they're open on Monday, while others don't. Anyone know for sure?

 

Google indicates they are closed Mondays. Search using Google maps.

 

Yeah, that's one of the ones that says they are closed that day. Facebook, Yelp, and a couple others just list alternate hours. Their own website doesn't officially say yes or no, but it doesn't list Monday hours. It's also a day where lots of other places are closed. Normally I would just assume they're closed, but that's one of the only days I have a chance to drop by. I'm hoping this might be a recent change, but it's unlikely.

 

Not sure if it helps you or not, but Monday is Pfingstmontag, so it is a public holiday in Bavaria.

 

I won't be there until August, however I have been in Munich during Pfingstmontag before. We showed up to the Hirschgarten without knowing and it was nearly full!

 

I really enjoyed Menterschwaige when I visited 10 years ago. It was definitely a neighborhood biergarten and I think we might have been the only tourists there. I like how forested that area is.

Waldwirtschaft isn't far from there, too. It involves a walk through a pretty nice residential neighborhood to reach. It feels a little awkward, but it's also worth a visit. It's a little more touristy, but still nothing like the Chinese tower or Hirschgarten. I mainly remember some Canadians also being there and we were both surprised we weren't the only tourists.

Since it's been so long, I think I'm going to try and revisit both if time permits.

 

Well, I'll be on my way to Bavaria in a few hours. We'll be there there for the traditional fare, but will deviate here and there for fun. At the very least we plan to revisit the previously so-so Kronprinz and previously fantastic Giesinger.

I've been shopping at the same Hit grocery store over by the Deutsches Museum for 15 years. It has been fun to see their bottle selections change and revert over the years. I'll also never forget the look I got when the cashier discovered the Schorschbock bottle I bought was something like 6 Euros.

Anyway, will toss up some photos and a rundown when we return. Looking forward to some fresh helles and relaxing biergartens!

 

Finally back and desperately trying to clear out the nearly 1,000 emails in my work inbox. Here are some VERY quick notes.

1. The Braunbier at Klosterbrau was back to having diacetyl. It wasn't totally unbearable, but it was definitely there. It was also back to being very much on the sweet side. Related, Tegernsee's Spezial was another beer both of us got diacetyl from. That's time #3 for that beer in my experience, so I'm not going to bother with it anymore.

2. The Kronprinz beers were better this time. Last time they were nothing special, but the two hoppy beers we had from them tasted like solid US takes this time.

3. Seems Paulaner and T&T both discontinued their roggenbiers.

4. The Spaten branding continues to fade. Lots of places pushing the Franziskaner/Lowenbrau combo instead. I bet we only saw the Spaten brand advertised 2-3 times and at least one of those places only served Franziskaner.

5. Dunkel seems to be making a comeback. At least 4 Munich biergartens and restaurants that were only serving hell and weiss a few years ago were pouring them...and people were ordering them, too.

6. The beers we had at Mahr's were as good as I've experienced in the past. My first visit was 2009, so my experience doesn't go that far back.

7. The craft beer selection at the grocery stores we went in had been dialed back. Loads of helles and pre-packaged mixers seemed to be in their place. The Bierothek store in Bamberg was an obvious exception, though.

8. Giesinger didn't disappoint. Their beers were still fantastic.

That's it for now. Gotta put out some fires at work now!

 

My town had their Volksfest this last weekend. They were pouring both Spaten lager and Spaten Oktoberfest. Both were $4 per 16oz or $10 for a 48oz pitcher. I took advantage

Gotta love small town Wisconsin!

 

How can you tell it has diacetyl?

That is a real bummer. I loved their Dunkel. Am pleased that the Oktoberfest is still available on-tap around my parts as is Optimator.

More good news.

Sorry about work

 

Diacetyl has a strong butter or butterscotch character -- it's a pretty easy one to pick out.