14 September 2007

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

11 comments:

  1. I love the Rathskeller Biergarten! I'm not sure if I go there more for the beer or the atmosphere. Hey, that could be your new poll!

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  2. Your review of the Rathskeller crowd is spot-on! I laughed out loud at the cargo shorts comment.

    Have the Beer Knights made it to Shallos in Greenwood? The beer selection is huge, and the crowd even more entertaining (and mullet-y) and less collegiate.

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  3. I love the Rathskeller, the atmosphere is awesome. Even though it can attract some annoying patrons, it's still great to be able to get giant mugs of beer... especially Spaten Optimator, which will forever be the official beer of the Rathskeller to me. Also the official beer of getting drunk way faster than I had planned on.

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  4. It's at the end of the post, Jim (Where can I get my mullet highlighted?) - taken directly from Moritz Volz's handy useful German phrases (about halfway down this page).

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  5. Nicole (or Kristy?) - I just read your blog post about driving at Putnam - is that some sort of course that's available to the general public?

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  6. Ahhh. Funny. I like this one too:

    Wo kann ich die neue David Hasselhoff CD kaufen?

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  7. Which proves my point. German's love David Hasselhoff!

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  8. Mike-

    Not sure if your site allows links in comments, and this is way off topic, but here's the information!

    Putna m Park Road Course is available through auto clubs like PCA for driver's ed; races are also held there. A typical DE course is two days of classroom work and track time with a qualified instructor.

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  9. Thanks for the info. Now all I need is the Porsche... I don't think the Miata club has done anything like that yet.

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  10. You would be surprised- and pleased!- by the number of Miatas at the track. They do very well!

    C'mon, drive like you mean it for a weekend!

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