#173: Munich, Part 2

I kept telling myself that I would not, under any circumstances, be lured into the Hofbräuhaus. This sentiment was enforced on our first night there, where we said we'd pop our heads in just to see the famous beer hall. The wall of heat and sweat was just awful. Still, one afternoon it seemed pretty empty, so I just had to. Inside, I had a Maß of the Hofbräu Dunkel, which was very nice indeed. Thick and chewy and slightly smoky, like a more drinkable doppelbock. Great stuff...

...though not nearly as great as the Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel. More malts, more toffee, more raisins, more syrup and more cola. Absolutely beautiful, and one of my beery highlights of the entire trip. 

Augustiner am Platzl is another nice place to sit for some time, even if their Helles does play like a Spaten - nice and drinkable but pretty much forgettable. Much nicer is their Dunkel, which is also effortlessly drinkable, and though it occupies the same dark fruit and toffee spectrum as the Ayinger version, it's nowhere near as richly flavoured. Pick of the Augustiner bunch was their Weissbier, which was thick and fluffy with loads of citrus, banana, clove and pepper, and was excellent drinking on such a hot day.

We couldn't stay away from the Weisses Bräuhaus for long, and when I went back I tried something unusual. As the beer drinker and driver of the couple, I'm always on the lookout for a good non-alcoholic beer. The last time I was in the Franciscan Well I remember them listing this one amongst their bottles, so I said I'd try it here, to give myself a break. Schneider's Tap 3 Mein Alkoholfreies is a pretty good beer for what it is - better than the Paulaner and Erdinger versions so common back home, anyway.

And now, the dregs of the notebook. The Ratskeller is in the courtyard of the Rathaus, and as such should be avoided by seekers of good value and service, but for the tourist it's a pleasant place to sit and look around. Unfortunately, the Löwenbräu Helles they served was one of the least memorable beers of the trip. Back at the hotel, I discovered a vending machine selling bottles of Franziskaner and Augustiner Edelstoff, and I had to try the latter. It's very refreshing and oh-so-easy to drink, and tastes pretty good too. On our last day in Munich, I finally got to have weisswurst for breakfast, and accompanied it with Tap 7 - Unser Original. It was, of course, perfect.

Munich is great, and the beer is great. You don't need me to tell you that. I have to say though, one great disappointment was the service and reception. Twice, in the Hofbräuhaus and Weisses Bräuhaus respectively, we had orders confused and ended up paying for things we didn't want. The only explanation or excuse we were offered on either occasion was a shrug of the shoulders. I mean really. The most shocking moment of all was when the HB server from one of the above incidents went away pulling a face and shaking her head dramatically when she saw no tip. Insulting is the word for that, I think. Other than that, service was mixed, with Ayinger people being disinterested one day and enthusiastic and helpful the next, and HB and Schneider servers only sweetening up when they've seen a tip. The hotel service was excellent and incredibly friendly, and I recommend LetoMotel in Moosach to any Munich bound travellers out there. Either way, I was both sad and glad to leave the place - sad because I expected much more warmth from the people of Munich, a place I was so prepared to fall in love with, yet glad because the overnight train would have me waking up in (well, near) the much friendlier Amsterdam, by now my home away from home. 

#43: Schneider Weisse, Macardle's Wrong

I would apologize for the terrible pun in the title, but in truth, I regret nothing.

A strange duo, this. Of course, I didn't drink these two in a single sitting, just catching up on more notes. Significantly, I'm finally getting around to trying Schneider Weisse, a beer that should have been one of the first on my list to try when I became interested in craft beer, but I just never got around to trying it, seeing as my hefeweizen needs were already being catered to so well by Paulaner. Before long, Belgian beer took precedence over the Bavarian nectar in my beery explorations. As for the Macardles, this is just a bottle I saw for the first time in an off-licence in Kinsale. It was Irish, and it came in the rare proper pint bottle, so I gave it a try. Of course, as soon as I bought it, every alcohol-selling shop I came across was selling it too. Oh well... Also worth noting is that yes, I am depressed with the shocking display that Ireland just offered up against Spain, and I'm really considering opening up a Westvleteren 12 to ease the pain... Either way, I'll soldier on and offer the same consolation I did against the Croats - at least our beer is better. More Euro 2012 to come next week.

The Schneider Weisse Tap 7 pours like a Paulaner - cloudy, massive foamy head and closer to a dark orange than to a pale amber. On the nose it's typical hefe, with sharp citrus notes and sweet yeasty bread taking the front seat, with banana and clove riding in the back. Honestly, there's a chance these banana and clove notes may only be here because you expect them to be. Malty caramel and bread, grassy hops and light candy notes are all very subtle but nonetheless crucial to the beer's complexity and balance. The first big sip is bloody refreshing - it's light and fruity enough to be truly thirst quenching and quaffable, but flavourful and well, full enough to be a very interesting drink in it's own right. I would say that it lacks the body of other hefes, but only in a small way towards the end. Citrus and banana up front, with fresh grassy hops and a muted candy-sweet finish. It's better than the Weihenstephaner Hefe-weissbier in my opinion, but maybe not as intense as I'd like from this style. I know it's supposed to be relatively light and easy-going compared to, say, a Tripel or something, but it just feels a bit too understated. Regardless, it's a good beer, and I'll be hoping to try more from Schneider Weisse.

Macardle's Traditional Irish Ale, then, is a decidedly average beer. Let's just get that out of the way. It's a standard ale all-round, and that's pretty much better than I was expecting. Clear copper in colour, malty and biscuity on the nose, and exactly the same on the tongue. The toffee and chocolate malts that are announced solidly in the aroma are late to get involved in the taste, and when they finally arrive at the end of your gulp, they're muted and elbowed out of the way by what must be that common hop variety, Regulation English Ale Bittering Hops. 

This nondescript ale cost me €3. That's 10c more expensive than a bottle of St Bernardus Abt 12. Think about that.