Roundtable #28 - The Rathskeller Kellerbar - Wo kann ich mir meine VokuHila Frisur blondieren lassen?

A sudden rescheduling meant that we had to officially cancel the Rathskeller roundtable. We had a late invite to visit Cavalier Distributing with Bob Ostrander from Indiana Beer and members of the Foam Blowers of Indiana. We're always anxious to meet the people behind the beer, so we took Bob up on the offer, thinking that we might not make it to the Rathskeller.

But we did make it to the Rathskeller, just a little bit later than our previous plans. Having never been to the Rathskeller myself, it was quite an experience. The interior is dimly lit, spacious, and just feels like a place where a person should be drunk. From where I was sitting, I could see into the adjacent room, where a group of banquet tables reminded me a bit of a VFW hall. I don't mean that as a slight - the place had a very homey, comfortable sort of feel. There are also a ton of moose heads on display in the Kellerbar - so many that I started to wonder if perhaps the Rathskeller was personally responsible for my lack of previous moose sightings.

As the night wore on and we discussed our vast knowledge of all things German (ie. I know that Moritz Volz is funny and one of my favorite Germans), I got more and more comfortable with the Kellerbar - so much so that I said and wrote a few thing in my notes that I probably normally wouldn't have. After repeatedly insulting children (in jest, but nevertheless...), I went on to note that the Rathskeller seemed to be the sort of place with 5 attractive women and 100 guys in cargo shorts and button up shirts - though I suspect that was just the biergarten on the Thursday night. As an added bonus, In my notes I wrote "Fuck off, Germany*" Of course I don't mean that - it was just that sort of night I guess - aided by the beer, which unfortunately wasn't that good.

Weihenstephaner Oktoberfest - This one appeared to have a cloudy golden color (it was pretty dark in the room, so I might be off a bit) with thin lacing. Jason and I had beer from the new keg; and the difference between kegs seemed to have some effect on the head on the beer. The beer had a sweet though very slight nose, and a slightly watery front. The taste really hit the middle of the tongue - I picked up a hint of plum, but overall this was a very light, watery, and drinkable beer. After eating a bit of pretzel with spicy mustard, I picked up some vanilla notes, which also hit right in the middle of the tongue. Everything was a bit middle about this beer - middle of the road. 2.5 Mugs.

Erdinger Hefe Weissbier Dark - The menu describes this one as follows: A refreshingly rich, smooth weissbier with a full-bodied flavor. Fine hops and dark malts contribute to its spicy flavor. Yeah.... not so much. This beer was served with an orange slice (removed immediately), which probably should have been a good indicator that it didn't have much going on. A think white head on a black/brown Guinness-like body had to be worked out of the glass by our server. A sweet, fruity Belgian-like nose gave way to the most alkaline tasting beer I've ever had. This beer basically tasted like putting your tongue on a battery. We thought that perhaps the beer just needed time to warm, but further drinking proved that it just wasn't that good. Sort of like a Belgian sour, minus the sour. 1.5 Mugs.

Despite the poor showing from the beers, I'm sure I'll be back to the Rathskeller - it's just a really comfortable, enjoyable environment. And the beer selection is pretty top notch as well. As an added bonus, I think the tax on our bill was off, which lead to me undertipping our server. I'm sure he's not a HBG reader, but I'd like to offer up my apologies anyway. I'll get you next time.


*Translated: Where can I get my mullet highlighted?

*Added Note: Give us back our bicycles