Ric, Arlo and I took a beautiful hour-long hike up a hill along a wooded path to the Andechs Monastery where monks have brewed beer since the 1500s. I guess they could only pray so much, and needed a little busy work.
Ric told me the story of how biergartens came to be. The brewers cut blocks of ice from the frozen lakes in the winter and put them in the cellars to preserve their brews. To keep the ground above the cellars cooler during the summer they planted chestnut trees. Once the trees grew and there was pleasant shade, a picnic table wasn't far behind. Once there was a picnic table, shade, and hundreds of kegs of beer under your feet, the merry makers were not far behind.
Harald, Katrin, and Chris met us in the monk's biergarten for lunch.
In addition to the beer, the place is famous for serving pig hip joints. I stuck with the giant pretzels. This was a favorite spot for Uncle Klaus who passed away last year and we all made a toast to him.
Sent from Ann's iPhone
In that first photo, Arlo looks so American: plaid short-sleeve shirt, baseball cap, khakis. His cousin looks so German: jeans and a knit, athletic looking sport shirt.
ReplyDeleteExcellent story about the biergarten.
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