Ayinger

When you are in Munich, there are so many tempting offers for a trip to the country side for a beer lover (Andechs, Weihenstephan, Tegernsee, Aying and the Hallertau). After you have visited all these place, go to Reutberg monastery and brewery. You can sit on the terrace with a view to the alps and enjoy beer and food (my favs Ägidius-Trunk and Export Dunkel)

 

recommended.

Won a bet coming back from a hike in the alps. My prize was dinner and beers at Ayinger. Love their Jahrhundert bier and wanted to go to the brewery. Not disappointed and repeatable.

 

Nice, but ugh, the Bayern München pullover. Heja BVB!

 

Now I know what scarf I'll be wearing if we ever meet. ;-D

 

Then you’ll like this story.
I grew up watching soccer made in Germany and Bayern was my team . My German friends call me “der Kaiser “ as I am a huge Beckenbauer fan.
I play in the New England over the hill soccer league. that’s my friend mike, he’s my goalkeeper and I was the center back . He owns a large American soccer store. Adidas gave him tickets in the adidas box for the champions league final in Munich . Great time , great match up until the 88th minute when Bayern failed to guard the near post against Chelsea anc Drogba scores. Chelsea went on to win in Munich . Das ist schade.

I do admire Dortmund and they always have great players and coaches . Aber.....I love the reds.

we went to Berlin to see Barca and Juve ( courtesy of Nike). Munich will be hosting a CL final in a few years. I’ll bring you some American craft beers and we can discuss in a Munich beer garden which is better, mustard or ketchup !

 

If this is 2011-2012 season, I watched that finals from a hotel room in Berlin. When I first moved to Germany (2010), Dortmund had run the table and practically had the Bundesliga won by the winter break. Not knowing anything but that rooting for Munich was like rooting for the Yankees, I adopted Dortmund as my team (local Hoffenheim was not well regarded at the time). Dortmund during those years was loaded, and I enjoyed Klopp as well. It's no surprise to me to see his success at Liverpool.

So count me as Team Dortmund (although I still root for Munich in international play which I have been told I'm not allowed to do).

Fun additional story: as a going away present, my brother bought me a German-looking soccer shirt he somehow found in America. I wore it once in Germany, and was told by friends that I should never wear it again in public. Turns out it was a Frankfurt Ultras shirt, and it turns out that Frankfurt has the worst reputation going for being violent troublemakers and (as it was told to me), someone may punch me square in the jaw just for walking around with it on. Now that I live in America I can wear my shirt again.

Anyway. Beer.

 

Hahaha... living in FFM, I know the rep of SGE (Spiel Gemainschaft Eintracht: how they're informally known) Ultras... think Hooligans, but slightly under control. They make for great atmosphere in the Allianz Arena, still known among locals as Waldstadion, but don't dare cross them. I've heard too many stories.

Me, too. I watched it on my PBS channel every Friday evening. There's a YouTube video or two, even an interview with Toby Charles, who made the games sound so damn exciting. I was a mild SGE fan in the 80s, but when I moved here in 2008, they sucked. I tried to become a SGE fan. I game it my all; I even went to a few games in the Allianz Arena and they played awfully each time. That's when Klopp took over BVB, and I fell in love with their playing style ("Vollgas Fußball"), their business model (buy young, hungry but super talented players before their stars, but don't get a chance at regular 1st team playing time, and coach them up) and atmosphere of the Yellow Wall in the stadium. Also, it didn't hurt that my wife is from the Dortmund area and she's a fan, and her father's a huge fan. Heja BVB.

You're welcome to join me any time your in FFM.

I wished for the Away jersey for my b-day this year. I got Jadon Sancho on the back. My daughter got Marco Reuss already, so I went with another player.



To bring it back to beer,... beer is hugely wrapped up in the Ultras and fan culture. It's not just Ultras, for I see this before every home game. You go with your mates early to the stadium, beer cans (or bottles) in hand via public transport, then stop in at a pub nearby or a kiosk (in FFM, their known at "Trinkhalle") in front of the stadium and get in the mood of the game, then go in to enjoy the game. The idea of Vorglühen, or "pre-heating" with beer has a long tradition before going to games, parties, or any event. One reason is that beer in the stadium is more expensive, and if you go to buy beer at the concession stand, you will miss a lot of the action, and it could be the only goal of the game you miss.

 

I like Klopp and if/when Jogi Lowe steps down, I would hope that Klopp gets Die Mannschaft.

I do admire their business plan - - >
" buy young, hungry but super talented players before their stars, but don't get a chance at regular 1st team playing time, and coach them up"

Erling Halend is a great example of that tenet. Fun exciting player in the same vein as dembele or politic.

Back to beer. In the Champions League finals I have attended , Munich and Berlin, there is no alcohol inside the stadium. The trains were jam packed and very well ruled heading in to each stadium.

 

U.N.V.E.U