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Posted Sep 11, 2009, 3:35 PM
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BANNED
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: lodged against an abutment
Posts: 7,556
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originally in the LA Times (mentions cologne's kolsch but not the rivalry with dusseldorf's altbier?):
Quote:
GERMANY
Beer hall crawl
A sudsy sampler from Munich's monster kegfest to the venerable breweries of Bamburg
Sep 12, 2009 04:30 AM
Rosemary McClure
Special to the Star
MUNICH, Germany–The last thing I expected as I slid my fingers through the handle of my first tankard of beer in Munich was 10,000 voices erupting in a ragged rendition of Hang On Sloopy. There was no mistaking it, even when sung with a German accent.
I was in a cavernous beer tent at Oktoberfest, Munich's salute to its favourite liquid, and like everyone around me, I was determined to squeeze the last drop of fun from the world's biggest kegfest. My mission: Chart a trail that others could follow; a beer hall crawl through the heart of Germany.
Germany is awash in beer. As tourist posters phrase it: "Want a beer? We can give you 5,000."
The country has 1,300 breweries. Exports account for some of the 9 1/2 billion litres produced annually, but Germans drink their fair share – an average of 140 litres per person. In some areas, that number doubles.
I arrived in Germany during Oktoberfest, the biggest and boldest of Germany's many beer festivals. Don't let the name Oktoberfest fool you: It begins in mid-September and ends early in October; this year it's Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.
Munich wasn't the first stop on this journey. Cologne has recently become a cosmopolitan superstar known for its art, culture and excellent museums. But beer, not culture, was the focus of this visit, which began at Malzmuhle (6 Heumarkt), where waiters in long aprons dashed back and forth serving Kolsch to patrons at sturdy wooden tables. As soon as one glass emptied, a full one took its place.
The light-yellow Kolsch is brewed with lots of hops and served at room temperature in Stangen, straight, narrow glasses that hold only about 180 millilitres of beer.
Along with the brew, patrons consumed plates of hearty German foods, such as boiled pork with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, and Heaven-and-Earth, which is fried blood pudding with mashed potatoes and apples.
Kolsch has little carbonic acid and just 5 per cent alcoholic content.
"You can drink it like water, but it does the trick," said Andre Fischer, a sixth-generation Cologner. The beer is fruity and refreshing, qualities that make it beloved by millions and disliked by just as many.
I liked the light taste and wanted to try more varieties of it, so we moved on, visiting a couple of brew pubs in the city's Old Town and then finishing our evening near the cathedral at Fruh (12 Am Hof), Cologne's most famous brew pub.
The brewery, more than 100 years old, draws locals and tourists alike. The beer is light and easy to drink, and this time we toasted Kolsch and Fruh.
The next morning, I told myself I didn't have a headache as we walked to the train station, pulling our bags behind us, then dozed off quickly as the fast, quietly efficient TGV train barrelled 4 1/2 hours southeast to Munich, Bavaria's capital.
As we drew closer, the car became noisier. Teenage drinkers (16-year-olds can legally drink in Germany) were guzzling beer and raising a ruckus. I wondered aloud whether I'd hate the rowdiness of Oktoberfest. The woman seated next to me surprised me by answering.
Edith Fuess, a doctor in Ludwigshafen, said I'd probably like the event, despite the uproar.
"The German people are not so friendly at first," she said. "But with one beer, they are very friendly."
Munich, one of Germany's largest cities, also is one of its major tourist attractions, full of imposing buildings and shops and museums.
But we managed to home in on our subject.
We dropped in for some information at the Bier und Oktoberfestmuseum, which traces 5,000 years of beer history and also has tasting samples (2 Sterneckerstrasse, www.bier-und-oktoberfestmuseum.de).
Among the things we learned: German beer is still brewed as the law has stipulated since 1516 – from malt, water, hops, yeast and nothing else.
"Its purity is the reason why it's such an outstanding product," said Lukas Bulka, the museum director. "No preservatives, no artificial colour or flavours."
The next stop was Hofbrauhaus (9 Platzl), Munich's world-famous beer hall, but like the city, the brewery was overflowing.
Hofbrauhaus, established as a court brewery in the 16th century, holds about 2,300 revellers inside and seats more in its beer garden.
Tourists drink, listen to oompah bands and watch Bavarian dances. That day, the din of the crowd was deafening, and I finally gave up when I couldn't order a beer.
I hoped we'd do better at Oktoberfest. Free tickets are available for the festival in advance (www.oktoberfest.de/en/navitem/Tents/), but getting them can be complicated. We had decided to take our chances and wait in line to get in, a bad idea on weekends or evenings, when lines are long.
But we arrived on a weekday afternoon and in less than an hour, we were seated in the Schottenhamel tent, one of 14 huge temporary beer halls that house celebrants during the event.
Costumed servers appeared as soon as we sat down, and one-litre glass mugs quickly materialized full of Spatenbrau beer, a special copper-coloured Oktoberfest variety that has a fresh taste and a malty flavour.
Before long, we were singing in unison with the people at the tables around us.
By the next afternoon, we were on a train headed north to lovely Bamberg, a city built on seven hills.
The hills provide superb views of a beautifully preserved Old Town crisscrossed by branches of the Regnitz River. Some consider the city's Domplatz to be one of Europe's loveliest squares, and many of the city's buildings, including the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George, are magnificent.
But Bamberg has other claims to fame. It has the highest concentration of breweries in the world and calls itself the true home of beer, a place that is "a symphony in B – baroque, bread, bridges and beer."
The first stop was Klosterbrau (3 Obere Muhlbrucke), founded in 1533 and the city's oldest brew pub. I felt as though I were stepping back into history at this atmospheric place, which had a plethora of fine beers on tap.
There were many good brew pubs in this town of 70,000 but one stood out: Schlenkerla, known for its smokebeer, a Bamberg specialty (6 Dominikanerstrasse, www.smokebeer.com). The black, dry beer tastes of smoked ham.
Matthias Trum, whose family has operated the brewery for six generations, put his business into perspective:
"We've been through the Thirty Years' War, the Great Depression, two world wars, and the brewery is still here," he said. "So when people say to me, `How do you change things?' I say, `I don't.'"
Bidding auf Wiedersehen to Bamberg, we boarded a train that took us to Bremen, a maritime city dominated by an interesting Old Town, cathedral and town hall. The special draw for us was Beck's, Germany's largest brewery.
The classic German lager is responsible for 30 per cent of all German beer exports.
We toured the plant, where we tasted the original Beck's (crisp and smooth) and some of the more unusual brews made for the domestic market: beer mixed with lemonade, green tea, Sprite and Fanta Orange.
We learned, among other things, that beer is the oldest beverage produced by man.
"We think it happened something like this," a guide said. "A woman forgot to take fresh bread back into her house, it rained and fermentation began."
An oversimplification. But I'll drink to her anyway.
Just not with a beer mixed with Fanta Orange.
Los Angeles Times
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Quote:
Global Oktoberfest celebrations
1. Hannover The second-biggest Oktoberfest in Germany. Running from Sept. 25 to Oct. 11 at Schützenplatz. There are discounts and promotions as well as fireworks and plenty of beer. Curiously, it's fun for all the family.
2. Kitchener-Waterloo The biggest Oktoberfest outside Germany. Runs from Oct. 9 to 17. Get a warm welcome from Onkel Hans while you enjoy the offerings of the 15 Festhallen.
3. Cincinnati Said to be the largest Oktoberfest in the U.S., Oktoberfest Zinzinnati takes place on Sept. 19-20. The Gemuetlichkeit Games and Third Annual Running of the Wieners will round out this year's festival.
4. Tokyo Now in its 13th year, the Oktoberfest Tokyo improves each year. This time around, the beer will be Wies'nbier and the music from a band brought in from Germany.
5. Ho Chi Minh City Held Oct. 6 to 11, an extra day is being added this year. Enjoy the all-you-can eat buffet of sausages, roast meats and specialty breads, all washed down with Krombacher and Schneider Weisse beers.
6. Brisbane Oct. 9 to 11 at the RNA Showgrounds. An Oktoberfest tent, decked out in the Bavarian state colours, with the long tables of a Munich beer hall and a German oompah band.
7. Dublin It's the home of the ``Black Stuff'' (Guinness) for the rest of the year, but for 10 days in fall, it'll go blond and fizzy. The Paulaner Oktoberfest will take place in George's Dock from Oct. 8 to 18.
8. Blumenau Brazil's top Oktoberfest takes place in the city founded by Dr. Hermann Bruno Otto Blumenau in 1850. German culture will be celebrated from Oct. 1 to 18. Watch out for the Bierwagen, the car of beer.
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http://www.thestar.com/article/693104
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