Hops Report

Beer and children is not a topic you often see, but in this case we’re talking about the travel side of beer. When we had our first child many people told us (and, despite our statements to the contrary, we feared) that our days of pleasant afternoons at a nice brewpub were over. Not true.

As I sit here today we await with some anticipation our first pilgrimage to the Stoudt’s brewery for 2007. For those who don’t know, Stoudt’s is a long-established Pennsylvania microbrewery with an “Oktoberfest” in its rather large beer hall every Sunday in October, complete with music, roast pig, and, of course, beer.

Now what does this have to do with children? Well, when we went with our first child, we were pleasantly surprised to see that she absolutely loved it. As she grew, and a sibling was added, she enjoyed it even more. Even better, everyone else at the Oktoberfest was thrilled to see our little girl (and sometimes her friends) dancing on the dance floor, running around under the trees, and just generally having a good time. Meanwhile, we enjoy the beer and the (relatively) peaceful afternoon in the beer hall/beer garden we had longed for.

Contrary to expectations, Stoudt’s Oktoberfest (much like the real thing) is a relatively family-oriented affair, which is one thing for which I am exceedingly happy.

Ok, so where were we? Munich, of course.

Now I’m going to make a recommendation which will come as a surprise to those of you who know me, but no beer tour is complete without stopping by the Hofbraühaus. Yes, the tourist schlock begins over a block away from the building, with stores hawking everything from cheesy beer glasses to soccer paraphenalia, and yes, most of the time there will be one Bavarian to every 30 or 40 Americans (to say nothing of the Italians, Poles, etc.).

All of those things are true, but … it’s historically significant, and it’s a true, old beer hall with a host of subtle details which are important to understanding the beer culture of a city like Munich. There are the paintings on the ceiling, showing where the various Guilds had their regular table (or Stammtisch. There are the nifty iron “cages” used to store the beer glasses for regulars, of which there are more than you might expect. And there is a beergarden out back which, on the right day, can still be quite a pleasant and charming oasis in the middle of this busy city.

The trick, then, is to go when many others aren’t there. Obviously, the offseason is a good time, meaning late fall through early spring. Sometimes going during transition times to or from meals helps. Whatever works, when you’re in the center of town just wander by and take a glance in the beer hall, and if the moment is right take a seat. At least once.

Before you go, you might consider getting a copy of Ludwig Thoma’s short story Ein Münchner im Himmel (A Municher in Heaven) to get a real flavor for what the place once meant to the working people of this city, and a taste of the Bavarian way of seeing things. Better yet, read it there over a beer!

beer, Munich, Hofbraeuhaus, beergarden, biergarten, Ludwig Thomas, Ein Münchner im Himmel

On a warm summer day in Munich there’s nothing I’d rather do than take the subway (or, better, bike) to Münchner Freiheit and wander through the English Gardens to the beergarden at Kleinhesselhöher See, a man-made lake in the middle of one of the Europe’s largest urban parks. Many guidebooks would send you to the beergarden at the Chinese Tower instead, but I’ll take a beergarden on a lake any day. Before (or after) a couple of beers you can pedal across the lake on one of the pedalboats, or just throw pieces of your pretzel to the ducks. For those whose taste runs to the less plebian, there’s also a gentleman who makes crepes on premises.

If you’re a little more ambitous, ride your bike along the Isar river to the Waldwirtschaft Großhesselhohe, an expansive and traditional beergarden atop a hill in the south of Munich. Here, in addition to other traditional beergarden fare, you can get Steckerlfisch, fish (usually river trout) roasted on a stick and served whole. There’s jazz, lofty Chestnut trees, and a lovely atmosphere. That, and the ride back will keep you honest.

Even farther afield, but worth every kilometer, is Kloster Andechs, but that’s another post for another day.

Honorable mention in the traditional beergarden category goes to the Hirschgarten, in the west of Munich, and Aumeister, in the north. Finally, if you’re near Nymphenburg, there used to be a Biergarten zu Thurn und Taxis, but that appears to have disappeared after the acquisition of that brewery by Paulaner. Anyone who knows what happened to it, let us know!

I’ll post more on beergarden culture later, but feel free to bring a picnic, and kids are also welcome. In fact, many beergardens have a playground on premises.

beer, beergarden, biergarten, Munich, München, Kleinhesselhöher See, Waldwirtschaft Großhesselhohe, Andechs, Hirschgarten, Aumeister

There is no shortage of beer-oriented sights to see in Munich, rather, the problem is choosing between the many possibilities. On the plus side, the city seems to finally have grasped the potential boon which is beer tourism, and there are now a number of tours for those who like their travel pre-packaged, like this one. There’s also a book, although having never seen it I can’t vouch for it.

That said, the do-it-yourself beer lover should have no problem picking out things to see and do, and I’m here to help you do it. Ok, really I’m here because I like beer and pontificating, but if you want the opinion of someone who has spent some serious time in Munich, keep on reading. That said, it is my opinion, and I don’t pretend to be particularly objective.

One approach to this type of post would be for people who want to see the most well-known sights, including the Hofbräuhaus, the site of the Oktoberfest, and, in summer, the biergarten at the Chinese Tower. The down side of this tour is that you’ll be surrounded by hundreds of other visitors, and you won’t have experienced Munich’s beer culture as it is lived by the locals (and, let’s face it, a few of us tourists). These sights are well-known, and are described in the guide books, so with a few exceptions I won’t focus on a lot of those places.

Instead, I’ll take a different approach. I’ll tell you about the places I like, from years of living there, and you can check it out for yourself. By all means, try both, and if you do let me know what you like and, frankly, what other great beer locales you find.

Tomorrow, we’ll get started. The first topic will be biergartens since, after all, it’s summer.

beer, Munich, biergarten, Hofbräuhas, Oktoberfest, Chinese Tower

It’s another Friday, and time for another installment of Hopfen und Malz

This will be the first of a small series of sporadic entries dedicated to Saints who loved beer. While there are a number of authentic accounts of Saints who personally imbibed, praised or otherwise promoted beer, they are a minority when compared to the number of Saints who went on record condemning our favorite beverage. But let’s move onto our first entry.

Saint Columbanus (543-615) was an Irish born Saint who helped bring Celtic monasticism to the continent. There are two associations connecting him with beer. The first is a story and the second, a quote. Legend has it that Columbanus came upon a group of men in the town of Bregenz (in modern day Austria) who were sacrificing a vat of ale to the god Wodan. Angry at this act of pagan idolatry Columbanus breathed upon the vessel which promptly shattered and spilled the beer upon the ground. Columbanus is then reported to have then told the now frightened Wodan worshippers that good ale is wasted on false gods. He then explained that the Christian God also loved beer but only when it was drunk in his name. The result of the miracle and Columbanus’ attractive (and beer-friendly) theology brought about many conversions.
Even more famous is this quotation “It is my design to die in the brew house; let ale be placed to my mouth when I am expiring, that when choirs of angels come they may say, ‘May God be propitious to this drinker.’” Few saint’s quotes are more memorable since I think it expresses some rather unconventional holy wisdom.

So next time you’re toasting, raise a glass to this Saint of the Suds.

The Friar

I’m thinking Columbanus should have a starkbier named after him - if I become a brewer I’ll definitely do him that favor.

beer, God, religion, saint, Columbanus, Wodan, Hopfen, Malz

So, I haven’t written about our decorating style because, well, decorating is not one of my priorities in life. There is one decorating decision we made some time ago which I both enjoy and regret, and it’s with some sadness that I announce its passing.

You see, long ago when we first bought our house we decided to decorate the backsplash in the kitchen with beer bottle labels. That was ten years ago, and now, many cases of beer later, the backsplash is completely covered with a joyous assemblage of beer labels. The funny thing is that it’s also covered with memories, from the first good beers we enjoyed in this house of ours, to the Presidenté lager from our honeymoon cruise, to a host of different beers enjoyed with my wife and friends both here and overseas. There’s the Dittmarscher from our Christmas in northern Germany, the Flensburger Pils I drank with Tom in Frankfurt, and some morally suspect labels another friend, Jochem, brought back from Slovakia. Hell, there’s even a Miller Genuine Draft label my friend Don brought to the house, and which I put up because he wanted me to. Of course, it’s in a very inconspicuous corner (I have a reputation to worry about), but it’s up.

Unfortunately, at some point we made the decision to extend the beer labels past the backsplash to the large wall next to the stove, which was a bit of a mistake. First, it is actually a royal pain to cover even a small area with beer labels, let alone a big area. Second, my kids really love to peel beer labels off the wall, so it was beginning to look ratty around the lower edges.

In any case, for a variety of reasons we’ve decided the beer label backsplash has to go, and go it will. It’s a sad day for us, but fortunately I have a great idea - I’m going to document it in photos before we take it down, and I’ll post the best photos here. You folks can then vote for the one you’d like to see as the graphic header for this site (assuming I figure out how to arrange the voting). The beer label backsplash will live on, both in framed photos in our new, more mature kitchen, and in cyberspace.

So watch this space, and vote early and often.

Ok, maybe that’s a bit much said, but let’s face it, many cultures throughout history have considered beer to be a healthy product. Since many people today equate healthy food with organic, it’s nice to know there are a few organic beers out there to enjoy.

As I write this, I’m enjoying Wolaver’s Brown Ale, an organic ale from Vermont. It’s tasty, even if it decided for some reason to explode all over my kitchen floor. Never much for describing the nose and the taste of a beer, it’s particularly difficult when the nose is accompanied by the smell of the bleach-containing product I used to clean it up.

In any case, organic beers seems to have become a mini-rage in the subculture of microbrews, at least according to some observers. There’s even an organization for organic brewers, and they have enough members to at least try to hold a festival. In addition to the ubiquitous Samuel Smith, there’s another organic beer I’ve enjoyed over the years, St. Peters. St Peters is a UK-based beer definitely worth purchasing, in cool bottles which look like something out of the the US colonial era. Now I know why, at least according to this excerpt from the website:

Our Bottle is a 500ml copy of one from Gibbstown, near Philadelphia which dates from c. 1770. It was produced for Thomas Gerrard, an innkeeper with a tidewater inn on the Delaware River.

Huh, so a Suffolk brewer is using a bottle from Philadelphia, where I’m writing this post - another reason to like them, although it’s a little odd given that any bottle from the colonial US should have a precursor from the UK. Anyway, now that I’ve seen the brewery pub, pictured above, I’m thinking I’ll have to grace them with my presence one of these days, although apparently tours have been discontinued. It’s rarely difficult to persuade my wife that we need to go to the UK.

In any case, try an organic beer next time you see them, I think you’ll enjoy it. Just open it over the sink.

beer, brewing, Wolavers, Vermont, organic, St. Peters, Suffolk, UK, Philadelphia

Regular readers will know that I owe you an update on Munich - problem is, I wrote so much I have to figure out how to cut it down to blog size! Sounds like we’ll have a Munich beer week coming up.

Anyway, in very non-Munich news, apparently residents of Pawnee, Nebraska now have a new brew available thanks to Larry the Cable Guy and SchillingBridge, a local microbrewery. As this blog points out, the market for celebrity beverages isn’t likely to put Schilling on the national map for long.

This, of course, reminded me of the mother of all celebrity beers - Billy Beer. I have a can of Billy Beer in my collection which - shudder - happens to be full, and which I conned my Dad into buying for my beer can collection. Apparently it’s worth ten dollars, although some poor sap is trying to sell it full for $25. I’m guessing it tastes better empty. Not surprisingly, the brewery responsibly for Billy Beer, Falls City Brewing Company, closed its doors the year after the Billy Beer debacle.

Anyway, Git-R-Done ale is brewed by a microbrewery, so it’s likely that it’s better tasting now than Billy beer was then. Anyone in Nebraska care to tell us how the stuff tastes?

beer, brewery, Larry the Cable Guy, Git-R-Done, Pawnee, Nebraska, Billy Beer, Billy Carter, Jimmy Carter, Falls City Brewing Company

And here, another edition of Hopfen und Malz for your reading pleasure!

A church beer club? Was I out of my mind? I could not find any others in existence. I knew that the idea could not be all that original yet where they? To that end I want to share with you the surprisingly easy process of getting it all together.

I have always believed that if the Church is going to have any chance at continued relevance it needs to connect with people where they are. While this is sometimes simply a matter of bringing Church out into the community (not surprisingly pubs definitely make this list) it is also a matter of creating opportunities for people to bring their lives and interests into the context of Church. It seemed only natural that the love of beer should fall into this category. It was in this spirit our club was conceived.

Anyway, the board had no problem with it. In fact, it was first suggested at a board meeting. But when I announced it in our newsletter, I was expecting much more resistance and concern. I was surprised to find only two such responses. Sadly, one person was so upset that they withdrew from the parish. The other had some questions which I was able to answer satisfactorily. We have met about 9 times and the group has continued to attract new members, some of them from the parish, others from our motley group of friends. But the real question seems to be, where does the Almighty stand on the subject? Well there are no overt Biblical references to beer but plenty to wine and a few to “strong drink.” But to cut to the chase, the prohibitions and restrictions that are so often used to attack alcohol all have to do with getting drunk as opposed to drinking. Only in a few special cases (like Sampson- see Judges 13) is drinking altogether prohibited. But if we think about it, these biblical prohibitions against drunkenness make sense since nasty things (like murder and rape) tend to happen in its stories as a result of influence of alcohol. Those of us (myself included) who have had a few too many, can most likely point to a number of things we have done under the influence that we regret when sober. Yet the casual and social drinking of alcohol is mentioned without condemnation many times and receives the tacit endorsement of no less a personage than Jesus himself as seen in his first miracle of turning water into wine.

God wants us to embrace life. Pleasures like food, sex, dancing and alcohol (including beer) are created by God for our enjoyment. The trick is coming to understand the correct context and portions in which we might partake of them. The old adage, “All things in moderation” proves to be a very sound theological principal. Given that we take great pains to make sure that no one drinks too much at our meetings (thus allowing for responsible behavior and safe driving) our church beer club is not only not contrary to the Bible, but even in keeping with our spiritual journey. I know this has little to do with beer per se but I wanted to share with you all the joy of our Beer Club and the process by which it came to be. I would love to see more such clubs springing up in months and years to come. If you manage to start one or have questions about the same, please let me know.

I have to admit to being a member of said beer club and, quite frankly, that it’s brought me closer to religion than I’ve been in a while. Not bad thinking on the part of the good Reverend.

beer, beer club, church, bible, God, Jesus, religion

My wife also happens to be taxgirl, a blogger with a slightly disturbing interest in (and enjoyment of) all topics dealing with taxation. I try not to hold that against her, and once in a while she comes up with some pretty interesting stuff.

Anyway, she recently found out the the Aussies are tampering with their beer, all in the name of some tax savings. Shame on them!

Now that I’m back in the States my posting schedule should become a bit more regular, and I have some good posts in the pipeline from my trip so check back soon!