HAVE GERMAN WILL TRAVEL Biergarten

WO KANN MAN IN M0NCHEN ESSEN UND TRINKEN?

garden: der Biergarten, die Biergarten

VIENNA HAS ITS COFFEE-HOCSES, England its . ,, .~,A I - ~ . ... ~ - , and its beer­ ~ gardens. In the warmer South, "below" the river Main, Germans like to spend the early But one ca emutlichkeit" canno old-fashion::n~ it in summery /;J~ ~ e trardnslated. evening drinking out of doors. There are wmehouses and trad/. lJJB ;,ns. beer-gardens in the southern part of Hesse, in Baden-Wiirttemberg, and most especially in . A beer-garden is a place in which to relax thoughtfully under the shadow of the chestnut trees, to be part of the peaceful scene made famous by painters like Lieber­ mann and Menzel. There are more than 100 beer-gardens in alone. The biggest, with about 7,000 seats, is the Hirschgarten, near the Nymphen­ burg Castle. This garden can serve 18,000 litres of the highly-regarded Augustiner in a single evening. The same also owns the Atigustinerkeller, which seats 5,000 people. Keller merely signifies that the beer is kept in a cellar, not that the actual drinking is in some sort of basement. Imitation bierke!Iers in other countries are really modelled on a quite different institu­ tion, the beer-hall. While the beer-garden is notable for its quietude, the beer-hall is notable for its noise. Once again, drinkers can be accommodated by the thousand, but there is also room for brass-bands, singing and swaying. Just as each Munich brewery has its biergarten, so each has its bierhalle. The Augustiner and Pschorr bier­ hallm are good examples, but the Mathaser Bierstadt is said to be the biggest. This hall, in Bayerscrasse, serves Lowenbriiu beer.

durchgehend all day I Just a drink

Wherever meals and snacksare served hot and cold drinks (including alcohol) are available. If you don't feel like eating, it's possible in many to order a drink only. For a place specialising in beer look for Biergarten, an open-air offering good plain food as well as other drinks, or Bierkeller, a plainly furnished hall geared to serving beer in huge quantities.