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

Post from: EveryJoe

Beer and asparagus, perfect together

The pils at Vogelbräu, in contrast, is not filtered, and the hops are challenged for supremacy by a strong malt taste. It’s a good beer, although I can’t say as I would necessarily order it if I were really in the mood for a pils. The most comparable beer I can think of is Victory’s Hop Devil, a fine ale, but hardly a classic pilsner.

I also tried the weissbier, although I generally refrain from drinking pils and weissbier in the same sitting. Karlsruhe is in Baden, where the term weizenbier is preferred to the Bavarian weissbier, but Baden and Swabia probably have an equal claim to good wheat beers. In this case, unfiltered is the rule rather than the exception, and the wheat beer was largely conventional, if unconventionally served. The Vogelbräu weizen was definitely more bitter than most Bavarian weissbiers, but very tasty. Both the pils and the weizen were served in a mug which, at least in Munich, would only have been used for a Helles.

Overall, the beers were good, the beergarden very pleasant, and I can definitely recommend Vogelbräu for the beer lover who finds him or herself in Karlsruhe. Better yet, many of the beergarden tables are framed by a vine-overgrown trellis, which hides a large awning. The result? Beer garden comfort even in the rain, not a bad thing in Germany.

And my favorite touch? On the bottom of the glass, written so you can read it, is printed the words “Oins geht noch,” loosely translated as “You can handle one more.” They were right.

Post from: EveryJoe

A bird’s eye on Karlsruhe beers

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

Post from: EveryJoe

Under the chestnut trees