What are the 3 best German beers and best food to go with it?
As a tour guide I will take you to the best Beer Gardens
and most famous Beer Halls in Munich, Germany.
German Beer purity law was first introduced more than 500 years ago right here in Bavaria. It
allows beer brewing with only four ingredients and still German brewers managed to create a whooping
5,000 different beers out of it, more than any other country in the world.
For the best beer festival in the world, Oktoberfest, almost every brewery in Munich
makes their own special beer. But all beers still have to comply with famous Beer Purity Law
that spread from Bavaria and was later adopted by all German states.
Here beer is officially classified as food and the signature drink of Bavarian beer culture is
Weissbier or wheat beer. It must be brewed with at least 50% wheat malt.
These beers are fermented with yeast strains that provide typical clove,
banana, smoke and even bubble gum aroma. As wheat beer is top fermenting
it is brewed at warmer temperatures, unlike bottom fermenting beers that require cooler temperatures.
That is why before the invention of refrigeration technology in the 18th century,
wheat beer was the only one allowed to be brewed in the summer months. No wonder it was the most
popular beer for more than 200 years. With the invention of technology
for keeping fermenting and maturing beer cool, summer brewing restrictions were eliminated.
Brown beer became fashionable and wheat beer rapidly decreased in popularity. In
the last decades wheat beer is experiencing a big revival and the one to try is Schneider Weisse.
It is made by Schneider Brauhaus, Germany’s most popular wheat beer brewery. Their traditional
brewery tavern is in the middle of the old town and offers great Bavarian atmosphere.
Brewery taverns are a popular place for a traditional meal and one of the must
try dishes is a traditional sausage called Bratwurst, large, grilled pork sausage with
sauerkraut. The Bratwurst is first poached and then always pan-fried or grilled. This is the
most popular German sausage as it’s perfect pub food and original German fast food. Bratwurst
was a means of survival during the winter months, as nothing was wasted and precious
meat scraps ended up in this sausage. Next popular type of beer is Helles,
which simply translates to bright beer. Helles is a traditional German Lager produced around Munich.
When Czech started to produce light golden-yellow lager called pilsner,
it became a big hit in Europe. At the time Bavarian brewers had traditionally made strong,
dark lagers. In response to Czech pilsner Bavarians developed their own variety of
bright lager that was lighter and less bitter than pilsner but much maltier. New crystal clear,
easy-drinking and fresh beer was called Helles. There are many good Helles around Munich, but the
one to try is brewed by a brewery with over 650 years of heritage, Augustiner-Bräu. AAA! Wondeful!
Augustiner-Keller is known for its large beer garden where they also offer great traditional
food. The most famous one is Pork Knuckles or Schweinshaxe as it is called in Bavaria.
Pork knuckles are a staple in traditional German cuisine and depending on the region
and a slightly different preparation process they come with various names. Bavarian Schweinshaxe
refers to a whole pork knuckle that is marinated for days and then slow roasted for hours
until it is thoroughly cooked and the skin becomes golden brown and crispy. Having a
giant pork knuckle on a plate, or half of it in my case, is definitely a unique experience.
But besides traditional beer and traditional food this place also has a traditional ambience
as this is one of the most popular beer gardens in Munich. Beer gardens were born here and
this is the story of how it all started? The reason for beer gardens can be found
in Bavarian Brewing Law of 1539. The law only allowed the brewing of beer between autumn and
spring as fermentation in hot weather could spoil the beer. To get around the problem,
one brewer came up with the idea of digging a huge underground beer cellar where the beer
would stay cool and fresh throughout the summer. To provide shade for the soil, chestnut trees were
planted over the cellar. With their flat roots, the trees didn’t damage the vaults and grew
quickly and thus created nice shady gardens above the cellar. Beer gardens were born and have become
an important part of Bavarian beer culture. Part of the beer culture is also a huge beer mug
called Mass. Mass is actually a regulated serving unit that contains exactly 1 litre. But let me
tell you, this beer mug is a real workout as a full Mass weighs 2,3 kilo. So a big respect to
all waitresses inside the Oktoberfest tents that often carry 15 or even more of these.
Munich has over 60 beer gardens, but the largest one has an impressive 8.000 seats.
It is called Hirschgarten as it is located in the park that bears the same name.
Another famous beer garden is in the biggest city park in Europe, the English Garden Park.
This is another huge beer garden as it is the second largest in Munich with about 7,000 seats.
It is called the Chinese Tower beer garden as it spreads under the famous pagoda-like wooden tower.
But the most central beer garden in Munich is just a few steps away from
the main square. Viktualienmarkt beer garden is located in Munich's central food market,
nestled between market stalls. In the middle of the food market
rises a Maypole, a decorated tree trunk that carries figurettes displaying trades and
crafts from this part of Munich. This city beer garden attracts many tourists, since the popular
Glockenspiel is just around the corner. A unique feature of this beer garden is
an alternating selection of Munich beer types. Every six weeks a different beer from one of
Munich's famous breweries is served from the tap and the most famous one is just around the corner.
It is called Hofbräuhaus and is probably the most famous beer cellar in the world.
According to the legend, the Duke of Bavaria found the beer in Munich so bad
that he commissioned his own state brewery. The Hofbräuhaus brewery was built to produce beer
exclusively for Bavarian royalty. 300 years later the brewery was finally opened to the public.
The building was remodeled and the brewery was moved to the suburbs, while the building became
a famous beer hall that quickly became the centre of Munich’s public and political life.
The first beer brewed in this brewery was Dunkel, traditional strong, dark lager.
Dunkel predates all other types of beer and is considered as the original type of Bavarian beer.
This dark beer is still produced only in Munich although its color can range from copper to dark
brown. Beer has a typical caramel-like, spicy and toasty character. But besides traditional beer
they also serve traditional Bavarian specialty, a weird looking white sausage called Weisswurst.
The story of white sausage dates to the 1800s when a butcher of the restaurant on the main square
ran out of sheep intestines for the traditional bratwursts. Instead he used thin pork casings and
filled them with the sausage mixture. As he was worried that the sausage would burst open during
the frying process, he put them in hot water for 10 minutes. After serving the cooked sausages
the new dish was praised and Weisswurst was born. Bavarians prefer to eat their famous White Sausage
with a special sweet mustard called Weisswurstsenf and with a pretzel known as Breze in Munich. These
pretzels are soft, light and fluffy. Their crust is thin, dark brown and shiny,
and has a cracked surface after baking. Pretzels are available in different versions and sizes,
usually topped with coarse salt. They go well with any sausage or beer so no
wonder that they can be found in beer gardens and on almost every corner around the city.
Besides unique beer culture and delicious food, Bavarian capital is also packed with
amazing attractions. You can check them out in my video in the top right corner. Also take
a look in the description below where you will find my favourite Munich tours and experiences.
My name is Rok, Super Thanks for the thumbs up and for watching and see you next time.