On the other side of town my wife and I have found the best German food outside of her native Alsace, a place called Max’s Allegheny Tavern where we enjoy Schnitzel Lichtenstein and rabbit or a sausage plate for me. WIthout exception, over the thick German sauces we choose a fine black lager, or schwarzbier, from Kostritzer, served from the tap in mason jars. How do you describe a black lager? It looks like a stout but comes across more like a light ale, with a dry bitterness that complements thick sauce on a schnitzel perfectly.
Historically schwarzbier constitutes one of the happy discoveries that occurred when the west and east finally reconciled their differences over the broken pieces of the Berlin Wall. Like a barely-remembered and believed-extinct species Black Lager survived communism and has only begun to penetrate the west. Michael Jackson (the other Michael Jackson) has this brief travelogue from schwartzbier country:
While in Leipzig, I was very taken with the Schwarzes Bier as rendered by the city’s small (35,000-hectolitre) Bauer Brewery.
This beer has a purply colour so dark as to be almost slatey; a malty aroma; and solid flavours reminiscent of liquorice toffee. Despite its bigness, it slipped down easily. Its original gravity is 1046-7 and alcohol 4.8.
The Bauer Brewery was established in 1881, and its founder’s great-great grandson continued to work there during Communist rule. In 1990, the family regained control, and the following year the black beer was introduced as a speciality, in a range that also includes a Helles (pale lager), a hoppier Pils and a Bock. This year, Bauer hopes to open a brewery tap.
My nose hasn’t yet developed to the point where I can offer a credible review, aside from heartily recommending a good schwarzbier with German cuisine or dessert, but you don’t need me when you can peruse dozens of informed reviews at the Beer Advocate. The upshot: recommended.
***
Today’s non-beer alternative is McEwan’s Scotch Ale, an excellent example of the full-bodied variety made by those francophiles at the northern end of the British Isles.
A wee dram won’t do it
But, you say, McEwan’s is beer. Piffle. McEwan’s tastes like they made it in scotch barrels from which they forgot to take the scotch out first. A great six-pack, if pricey, which I regret that I haven’t yet found here in PA.
The Disenfranchised Voter
Eat, Drink and Be Merry!
Cheers!
DougJ
Hey, had McEwan’s last night at my Drinking Liberally meeting. Great stuff!
Mean Gene
Max’s is good eats, it struck me that I haven’t been there in a long time even though I don’t work far from there. Last time I dined there I had the Wurst platter…I just love saying that.
I don’t know if you’ve ever eaten at the Penn Brewery up on Troy Hill (a stone’s throw from Max’s) but they have good German food as well and brew the excellent Penn Pilsner (and others) on site. I don’t know that the cuisine or the beer is as authentic or refined as at Max’s, but it’s pretty doggone good.
demimondian
McEwan’s is my favorite off all favorites among bottled beers. There’s a local brew pub in Bellevue which has a Scotch Ale which is better, but that may be because it’s freshly pulled.
Ben
me and one of my boys used to put away a mini-keg of kostritzer a couple times a semester. very good stuff. even better, the mini-kegs are badass looking, with a rembrandt-esque cavalier dude on the side. i should probably make a lamp out of one.
stickler
There’s no “t” in Schwarz.
But otherwise an excellent choice. I hadn’t realized that Köstritzer was widely available. It is an awesome beer.
Now that you’ve gone over to the dark side (heh), do make sure you try a nice Baltic Porter or two. Similar interesting effects: dark beer, but brewed with lager yeast. Mmmm.
DougJ
Eight percent alcohol on the McEwan’s? No wonder I’m so hung over today.
Perry Como
Schneider Weiss Hefeweizen tonight. Mmmm.
Perry Como
What would a manimal drink?
Tim F.
stickler,
oops. Thanks for the correction.
Bruce in Alta California
My actual favorite beer is Merlot in a box. After several glasses of such it occurred to me that this year, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union Address fell on the same day. It is an ironic juxtaposition: one involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to a creature of little intelligence for prognostication, and the other involves a groundhog.
Okay, alright, this didn’t actually occur to me, I received it in an email
stickler
No problem. It was, literally, the least I could do.
Plus, the memories of Köstritzer are all pleasant and I am indebted to you for bringing them back to the fore. Mmmm.
Like the time I had one at a Cajun-style restaurant in Prenzlauer Berg (Berlin). With a huge skillet full of some kind of sausage-rice kind of dish. Restaurant was owned by a Kraut and his Cajun wife; the place was in a very old, 1870s building, wide floorboards, Nawlins decorations, awesome food.
And Köstritzer on tap. Mmmm.
Gray
“Max’s Allegheny Tavern”? This doesn’t sound very german to me. And imho Schnitzel really is Austrian food. Here in Germany, genuine specialities are “Kassler mit Grünkohl”, “Kohlroulade”, “Eisbein”, “Rindsroulade”, “Erbsensuppe”, “Saumagen” (favourite dish of former Chancellor Kohl), “Currywurst” (favourite fast food of former Chancellor Schröder), “Frikadellen” a.k.a. “Bulletten”, “Kartoffelsalat”, “Spätzle”, “Matjesheringe”, “Labskaus”, “Schillerlocken”, “Leipziger Allerlei” and many many more. Of course, “Nürnberger Rostbratwürstchen mit Sauerkraut” are genuine, too. I really wonder if americans ever experienced that german cuisine is as manifoild as the italian one. Your wife should have told you, every “Elsässer Flammkuchen” is way better than an ordinary Schnitzel.
So pls don’t mention those f***ing Schnitzels anymore. It’s as though I’d say that the most famous american food is Pizza.
t. jasper parnell
Mr. Gray,
As an american who has experience a “german cuisine . . . as manifold as the italian one,” what ever that might mean, I ask: What on earth is wrong with Schnitzel? I have had it in the old East, in Berlin, in Koeln, Kiel, and so on. Uniformly tasty, I make a variety of schnitzels at home, whether here or in germany. Plus and also, Bismarck Herring is by far the best form, although eel is always preferable. While you are correct about Eisbein and all Haxen, you are just plain wrong about Schnitzel, which is not only authenitically german but extraordinarily good.
Claiming currywurst as a famous german food is identical to claiming, I don’t know, A&W Hotdogs as the best american fast food. Or, in terms of ubiguity, making some claim about the greatness of the Doenner Kababob, which although universally available in germanyn does not express a german culinary aesthetic and thus might indicate some failure to appreciate the manifold goodness of german food, but the Schnitzel is, to repeat, just plain great.
I will also say That Koestritzer is my least german beer, I always found it far too sweet. Hefe, in any of its three instantiations, is far supperior and, what is more, adds delight to all meals plus and in addition, it comes in those super large and very attractive glasses. Although Thurn und Taxis is a great alternative. Finally, no meal, that is german meal, is complete without a nice glass of iced corn.
Gray
Hehe, thx for the nice response, Mr. Jasper. No, there’s nothing really wrong with Schnitzel, only that it’s an Austrian invention afaik. It’s as popular in Germany as Pizza is in the US and comes in many different, confusing formulas. One of the most popular is “Jägerschnitzel”, but don’t be afraid, it isn’t made of hunters. Maybe Schnitzel is just to common so that it’s not recognized as a great food anymore and german star chiefs tend to ignore it.
I’m not a big fan of fish dishes, but I know “Schillerlocke”, and that’s smoked eel. And I didn’t want to say that Currywurst is a great fast food, only that it’s a german invention and genuine in the meaning that you won’t likely get it in other countries.
I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of Schwarzbier, either. I prefer Pils and usually order Krombacher, Radeberger, or one of the many local brews. During summertime, I like to have an Erdinger Kristallbier (with a slice of lemon) in one of our Biergärten. Though I’m a patriot, I have to admit the best beer of all is still Pilsener Urquell from Pilsen, Czechia.
Interesting that you’ve been in Kiel, too. I grew up there, maybe we have seen us in one of the discos at Bergstrasse :)
t. jasper parnell
Sehr verehrte Herr Gray,
Man, can one obtain superfine eel in Kiel.
C.B.
Can anyone tell me some places to get authentic german recepies, and perhaps a company that I can import though? There are some places in southern Indiana, but I am told the best German food outside of Germany is in PA.