Under the chestnut trees

I’m off soon on one of my periodic trips to Europe (much to my co-blogger’s chagrin), and just in the nick of time, since it’s the beginning of biergarten season.

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.

That is all well and good, but unfortunately I won’t be in Munich this time around, so anyone who knows of a good biergarten in or near Karlsruhe, let me know and I’ll check it out!

image by Chris Erb