Stuttgart, Baden-Wuttemberg, Germany

Stuttgart is the home to Bosch, Porsche and Daimler and therefore very modern by European standards. Founded in 950 as a stud farm for the local nobility, it only became an actual town in the 11th century. It is not a pretty city, history over the years having ravaging its charm, but someone should have asked the city planners in the modern era, what the hell were thinking. It is a hodge-podge of baffling streets, a confusing subway system and a general population that is not helpful. Street numbers bare no relation to those on the opposite side, and some even have the same name, though they go off in perpendicular directions. The countryside surrounding the city is actually beautifully manicured into terraced vineyards, for this is a famous wine growing region. It is also home to Germany's second largest 'Volkfest' and beer festival, but after my experience in Munich, I decline to visit the fair grounds and instead searched out pubs and restaurants in the city in order to get a real taste of Stuutgart. Dinkelacker–Schwaben AG and Stuttgarter Hofbrau are the major players here, but there are also a few pubs that brew their own.
My first stop was the Hacienda Tu 8, a very dark, large basement bar/restaurant below an ice cream store, featuring a Mexican menu and three beers from the Stuttgarter Hofbrau. They had a Helles and a Schwarzebier, but I opted for the Keller Pils. Just so happened I was there at happy hour, so two glasses arrived in front of me, which was a good thing, as I was thirty from my walkabout finding a hotel for the night. It was tasty with a fresh nose, moussy white head, that produced great lacing and was a slightly hazy straw colour. It was nicely balanced with a few citric notes, light in body, sparkling on the palate with a refreshing finish. I would have stayed for another, but I had my heart (and stomach) set on the Brauerei Gaststatte Dinkelacker. They had 6 beers on tap, plus their special ‘Volksfestbier’, as well as 9 bottles. I started with the Cluss Keller Pils. I'm really getting to like these naturally carbonated and aged cellar brews, and I was not disappointed. It exhibited an herbal nose with some buried fruitiness, hazy pale yellow colour and loose lacing from the porous white head. A velvety mouthfeel lead to a good balanced palate with a slightly sweet malt presence and a light finish. This went very well with the three course Volksfest meal I ordered, starting with a delicious mushroom soup and the odd bacon and peppercorn laced expresso cup of grease (presumably to spread on the bread provided). Next came the Schawben Brau das Schwarze. It was almost black with some burgundy hues and served in a beautiful tall stemmed glass, with a tan coloured head, fresh aroma and a surprisingly light flavour for such a deep, dark brew. It has a well balanced, malt accented palate, with some roastiness prevalent, tones of black malt bitterness in the finish, but not overpowering. This went very well with the onion and gravy smothered ‘wurst’ course, served with a lovely vinegar tinged side of cold potatoes and cucumbers. Yummy! By now I was hoping for some hops, so finished my meal there with what might be considered their flagship beer, Dinkelacker CD – Pils. Big, rocky, frothy head with some hop notes (at last!), clear pale gold colour with an initial crisp bite that mellows into an understated bitterness balanced against a smooth malty character finishing pleasantly dry. I do recommend this place, and it just so happened to be the tap room for the giant brewery in behind. As I left the restaurant, the wonderful aroma of the brewers art filled the air. The musty smell of malt mashing was everywhere in the city centre. Losing my way back to the hotel, I stumbled upon Sophie’s Brauhaus, and followed the art deco themed art work up a set of stairs to this second floor brewpub. There I found a large, rambling room with a number of small copper tanks in one corner. OK, time for a night cap. I choose their Schwarzbier, very black with a creamy tan head, with not much in the way of aroma, but with a brightness on the tongue that trickles down to a very smooth palate, notes of black malt with enough hop to dry out the finish nicely.
Thank goodness the places I visited were not full of drunken tourists. That experience was for those who wandered out to the fair grounds and into the big beer tents. I enjoyed walking through the quiet of the after-hours city centre, with its pedestrian walkways surrounded by modern glass and steel shopping malls and tall office buildings. It was a nice change, but I think I’m ready for more cobblestone and tiny, winding alleys.

The Real Munich

Munich was founded in 1158 on the banks of the Isar river, in what is now Bavaria. By 1487, it had established its own Beer Purity Law almost 30 years ahead of King Ludwig's Reinheitsgebot. Such was the start of a grand brewing tradition. The styles most popular and prevalent in Munich are Pils, Helles, Weizen and Export, with a few specialties and seasonals thrown in here and there for good measure. By 1860 there were 18 breweries in Munich producing 800,000 hectoliters a year. By 2001, 9 bigger players produced more than 5,500,000 hectoliters, though there still are approximately 18 breweries in the general vicinity of the city. Like anywhere these days, bigger fish gobble up the small fish, but the beer still flows.
There are some tasty beers to be found in Munich's many large and small beerhalls and brewpubs. One just needs to seek out these places outside of the time frame of Oktoberfest in order to appreciate them properly, or at least start earlier in the day, before the crowds descend. One such place is Ayingers Speis und Trank, a much more civilized pub than its neighbour, the Hofbräuhaus, just across the square. They boast six beers on tap, plus their special Oktoberfest, all made in Aying, in the north part of the city. Their Pils is excellent - light, clean and refreshing, with a nice hop nose, pale gold colour, a balanced hop bitter palate, very effervescant, strong legs and a crisp, dry finish. Also excellent is the Kellerbier, an unfiltered, naturally carbonated and cellar-aged treat. A hazy, pale yellow colour, with a malt accented nose and palate, fully flavourful and well balanced, with some hints of hop and fruitiness. Their Altbier Dunkel is also very tasty. It has creamy head that leaves good lacing. It is full bodied with a malty aroma, velvety smooth mouthfeel, well rounded fruity palate with notes of roasted malt and is clear, but auburn brown in colour. We lunched on the local sausages and sauerkraut, watching a team of dray horses pull a wagon of wooden beer barrels through the square.
The other great pub we visited was Der Pschorr, a lovely and large wood floored room near the Viktualien Markt. Here they served Hacker-Pschorr Edelhell, a special lager aged and served in oak barrels on ice. Beautifully clean and clear straw yellow in colour, brilliant white head and loose lacing with a bright mouthfeel, especially on the tip of your tongue. Well balanced with subtle hints of apple and wood and a long, lovingly dry finish. The Export Dunkel offered up some tinges of sourness in its aroma, that translated into a malty palate hinting of dried fruit with some caramel and roasted malt tones that spread over your entire tongue. Deep, clear brown with ruby hues and a white head that leaves little to no lacing, but remains on the beers surface to the bottom of the glass. This medium bodied brew has some sweetness in its long,lingering finish. I do wish there was more time (and less crowds) to visit many of the other fine establishments in this great beer city. Next time...

Down from the mountains and into the fray - Oktoberfest in Munich

The train out of Innsbruck was, of course, on time as I shuttled through the mountains in the pouring rain and fog towards Bavaria. It was quiet, only myself and one older gentlemen with his feet up gently snoring a few rows back. But as soon as we crossed into Germany, stop by stop, the train filled up with liederhosen and dirndl wearing party-goers, each with a beer or two in hand, the sound of caps popping and bottles clinking 'prost'! By the time we hit Munich’s main train station, there was a sea of slightly inebriated, happy Oktoberfesters splilling out and onto the streets. I would like to thank my Four Canadian Sirens of Oktoberfest - Jess, Jenn, Leslie and KJ for convincing me to come, for meeting me at the Metro station and then whisking me off directly to the fair grounds. The rain was a light sprinkle by then, but the grounds were easy to find, just follow the throngs of traditionally dressed party goers! The first thing we saw was some poor young woman, barefoot and very drunk, puking her guts out at the front entrance gate. It was 11 am! Welcome to Oktoberfest! Much like any fall fair, there are rides, fast food, souvenir trinkets and an atmosphere of celebration, but most people are here for the beer. Six giant breweries of Munich dominate this festival: Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrau, Spaten, Augustiner, Lowenbrau, Paulaner - and each has several huge tents situated around the fair grounds, where one can wait for hours in order to gain admission. Once inside, however, the party begins. Beers are served only in one liter ceramic or glass steins at 9 Euros a pop, with the wait staff generally tipping themselves a Euro if you hand them a ten without asking. The beer tends to be the special Oktoberfest varieties made for the event. After one of these it is not hard to join right in with the singing, dancing, music, eating and generally merriment of the exuberant and tipsy participants. After two or three though, well, you are on your own! In reality, Oktoberfest is a beer soaked spectacle of surreal proportions. The crowds on the grounds are thick and drunk - this is especially true on the weekends. I understand the weekdays are a little more civilized. Still, for a festival of this magnitude, there were surprisingly few garbage cans on the grounds, never mind recycling bins. Many people bring their own bought beers too, so along with the puke and debris strewn everywhere, there are broken beer bottles and shards of glass from attempted stolen steins. The party spills out into the city centre when the tents close at 10 pm. Last Saturday there was a near riot, as police stormed the grounds to break up fights, cart off passed out revelers on stretchers and clear the grounds. Meanwhile, if you did not have reservations or tickets to the many events at the many beerhalls, then you were on the streets drinking or in the metro with the singing, inebriated throngs of foreigners and locals who carried on partying regardless. Unable to gain entrance to any of the popular places, Leslie, Jenn and I, with two other Calgarians in tow, Sandra and Cody, managed to slip down a side alley and up a few flights of stairs to find a local haunt virtually unknown to tourists. Though busy, the service was friendly, the food great, the music cool and the Austrian Blau Zweigelt red wine was just the thing to top off our night.