Augustiner Keller, Munich
November 8, 2002

Pictures from Friday night at the Augustiner Keller beer hall in Munich (Arnulfstraße 52, north of the Hauptbahnhof). We were seated in the Festsaal, which is a large banquet hall. Half the hall was blocked off with a screen for a private party on the other side.

There are several other dining rooms at the Augustiner Keller, and each one is decorated differently, with a different ambiance. You can see pictures of some of the others at this site, under the "Räumlichkeiten" link. Outside there's a large beer garden, although of course it is closed for the winter now.

Bavaria has the world's highest per capita beer production and consumption. I do not know what the health statistics are for alcoholism and other alcohol-related problems, but I have noticed that public drunkenness is definitely not the norm. Although many people seem to drink heavily, it's unusual to see people acting out in public (other than during Oktoberfest, of course, when it is very common, but then I think it's mostly tourists). It really is frowned upon to act loud and crazy when you're drunk.

To say that the beer is very good here in Bavaria is an understatement. There are several different kinds: Helles ("light," but only in color) and Dunkels ("dark"), and Weissbier (which also comes in regular or dark). Pilsner is not traditionally a Bavarian type of beer; it is common farther north in Germany. If you order "ein Bier" in Bavaria, you will get a Helles. Most beer here is served in half-liter glasses, although in a beer hall or at Oktoberfest you may find that you can only order a one-liter glass (a Maß). My favorite beers here are Helles and dunkel Weiss.

There are six "official" Munich breweries -- these are the six proprietors of the tents at Oktoberfest -- and they are Spaten, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Hacker-Pschorr, and Paulaner. Each of these also has its own restaurant and beer hall in Munich.

They say that Augustiner brews the best beer in Munich (and hence, the best in the world). Its colors are blue and white, the colors of Bavaria.

The Festsaal was decorated with greenery and ribbons hanging from huge chandeliers. You see the screen across the middle of the hall here.

The ceiling of the Festsaal is vaulted, paneled, and painted.

 

There were coats of arms for different Bavarian cities on the ceiling. Here you see the blue and gold symbol of Nürnberg.

I like the light in this place. The blue and white diamonds on the table covers are typical of Bavaria; that is the design on the Bavarian flag.

Marty and I sat in one of the booths under the lattice work in this picture. He is in the center booth.

Over to the left, against the wall, was a table of very drunk British guys. Two of them were dressed in drag (you can probably see the one guy's backless dress). They had obviously been drinking awhile, and they were very rowdy and loud. They were thrown out of the place within thirty minutes of arrival.

Hops (Hopfen) are revered in Bavaria, as they are the basis for beer. During Oktoberfest, many restaurants and other businesses were decorated with real hops, the way you might decorate with flowers or greenery for a holiday.

All of the wooden latticework in the Augustiner Keller Festsaal is decorated with a carved and painted design of hops, shown above.

Marty enjoys a regular Weissbier; mine is a dunkel Weiss. Every beer has its own proper glass, and each type of glass has a specific way it is supposed to be clinked for ein Prosit. These Weissbier glasses have a thick base, and when you are drinking from them you knock the bases together (rather than the glass part up at the top).

Beer drinking is serious business in Bavaria.

 

 

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