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Bavaria 2005 So, Prince Ludwig marries Princess Theresse in 1810 with a grand celebration that lasts a week. They dance, drink beer, hunt, and carry on. Little did they know that people from around the world would still be helping them celebrate some 200 years later. The Grand Daddy of all beer festivals where over six million liters of beer are drank and umpteen pounds of sausage are eaten each year during a 16-day period held on the festival grounds known as the Theresienwiese or just “die Wiesn”. We set out in the direction of Klosterbrau, a favorite of ours from a previous visit. We both were tasting the Schwarzla before we got there! Just as we remembered it, a dark alley entryway, the first door on the right leads into the gastube, a small bar room. It’s a big solid wood door, that you would not open unless you knew something from before. No changes here since probably 1533 when it started. The braun is 5.7% full of flavor, thick mouth feel, buttery caramel hints, and a gold amber color. The Schwarzla, or black beer, is 4.9%, smells roasty and coffee-like, robust in flavor, and has a less thick mouth feel. I love this place. |
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Weisses Brauhaus is located on Tal Strasse. To get there we need to walk through the Marienplatz, and towards the Isartor Gate on the East side of the Platz. The building, which houses Weisses Brauhaus, was a brewery as early as 1540. It is located just around the corner from the famous Hofbrauhaus. Our favorite beer was the Aventinus dark wheat, 8.2% alcohol, direct from the keg. It has a dark ruby color, a chocolate aroma, and has hints of banana, raisins, and caramel in it. The next day at lunchtime, we came across a stone staircase on a side street leading down underground. It was named Nassauer Keller. We lowered our heads from hitting the brick ceiling of the stiarcase and entered a spectacular cellar with gothic vaulted ceilings. The room was filled with low hanging lamp fixtures, wooden benches, candles, and wrought iron decorations. What a beautiful place. The featured beers were from a brewery in Buttenheim, St. Georgen Brau. The pilsner was delivered with a perfect pour. The bright white head must have stood up two inches above the rim of the fluted glass. The waitress explained to us that the cellar is 900 years old.the taste |
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Passau is near the intersection of Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. When we exit the train station we both realize that the city has an Austrian flair to it, resembling Salzburg to us. The small narrow winding streets of Passau’s well-known old town reflect its two thousand years of history. Passau, the city where the rivers Danube, Inn and Ilz meet is a young, old city. You can walk along the Danube until a point where you stand at the meeting of the three rivers. Our first stop was at Peschl Brau. There has been a brewery at this site since 1259, and is the oldest brewery in Passau. Winkler Braustuberl is located between Regensburg and Bamberg just off the A3 highway. It is run by two families the Winklers and Bohms, and has been a Winkler family tradition since 1428. Imagine a property in your family for more than five hundred years! The drive was easy and scenic through the Hallertau hop region. It was early in the growing season, but we could see miles of large posts connected with holding wires for the hops to grow on. It’s not too long now, for the hops to grow, and for the harvest. Maybe that’s another idea for a trip? There was a large parking area and a beautiful rustic inn waiting for us when we arrived. The flurries were changing to a more steady snowfall and it looks like we arrived just in time |
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