Beer and asparagus, perfect together

Yesterday I wrote about Vogelbräu, a brewpub in Karlsruhe Germany. I had neglected to mention that, not only was it an evening with perfect biergarten weather it was asparagus season, as you can see from the above photo.

Now, for those of us who grew up with green asparagus, those funny looking white things in the picture above are in fact white asparagus. I’m not sure how it’s grown, although I’ve heard something about it requiring darkness, but there’s a very short season in June when the stuff is fresh and available, and it’s really quite tasty. The traditional accompaniment is Hollandaise sauce, although there are many alternatives to that.

Of course, a good beer is the best accompaniment I can think of, here Vogelbräu’s unique unfiltered Pils (in the wrong glass, I know, I’ve gotten over it).

N.B. – if you want to know the difference between white and green asparagus, check this out. Frankly, I enjoy both.

photo by Chris Erb