Bavarian Bier

When in Rome! Ok, Bavaria, you do as the locals do. And for us, it was to drink Bier.

Not a great hardship, mind you, other than our slightly bloated bellies.

But come on. When surrounded by some of the best Bier in the world, it was easy to indulge.

It started when we were welcomed by fields and fields of lush green hops growing on the outskirts of Munich.

I sent a text of a picture to my brother, who brews his own bier, which is fantastic, and who has been know to grow these log vines himself.

He confirmed it was hops. We were close to the heart of the Land der Brauerei.

Over the next week and a half, we had Bier at restaurants.

We had Bier at our AirBnB host‘s house while watching England sadly beat Germany in the EUFA match. (Definitely a „back door“ experience Rick Steves would applaud.)

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Dave and I left the boys one day and spent part of it at a Ettaler Kloster Brauerei Gasthaus enjoying their centuries old brew.

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One evening, while at our favorite restaurant of the trip (Hotel Gasthof Brauerei Post in Nesselwang), we enjoyed a sample of four of their brews.

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And when we spent our last night back in Munich, we met an old friend at Höfbrauhaus for a 1 liter Dunkel!

It was a treat. And there is good reason which goes back over five hundred years to the Bavarian Purity Order.

Written by Bavarian noblemen in the year 1516, the law says only water, barley and hops may be used to brew beer.

Yeast was added to the list, known as the beer purity law or Reinheitsgebot, when scientists discovered the fermenting agent centuries later. … Currently, some 5,000 different beers carry its seal.

One could taste and see the pride in the craft of this liquid gold. And we were fortunate enough to be able to enjoy it.

So consider a Bavarian brew the next time you are visiting your favorite watering hole or package store. Our favorite are the Hefeweizen und Dunkel. But don’t take my word for it.