Hofbrauhaus, Newport, KY

This is a branch of the world-famous Hofbrauhaus, the Munich beer hall, beer garden and brewery. I was at the original last December and so feel I can compare the local version accurately. I had the chance to visit this past Saturday, after my day in Maysville.

I am not exaggerating in saying it was exactly like in Germany. The beers tasted identical to me. All are brewed onsite under close supervision from Munich (even online computer monitoring is used I understand), and it shows. The Dunkel (dark lager) was outstanding, with a complex interlocked malt and hop taste. The blonde lager was very well made with a strong keynote taste of German hops, Hallertau I think. That taste in my experience can sometimes be very penetrating, it can be earthy and almost onion-like, and is not my preferred style but it was a faultless copy of the Munich original. The wheat beer was very good too. Not all German lagers have that taste by the way, it probably depends on the specific hop used of the four or five typically employed for blonde or dark lager. I couldn't detect it in even in the HB Dunkel for example.

The food was great - just like Germany again, I had "hendl" (roast chicken) - and the music and vibe also very authentic. You don't often see Americans dancing on tables!

It's remarkable how they have duplicated the experience, I was really impressed. The Germans don't make the best beer in the world, but theirs is amongst the best and when you can taste it in its original form as here it makes a strong impression. I know all the beer fans in SB would love it.

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Originally Posted by Gillman

The Germans don't make the best beer in the world

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They do in my opinion.
Joe :usflag:

Joe, how was your trip? Was it for Oktoberfest? You were missed in Bardstown. Doug had to hear me talk for two of you. :)

Maybe we can meet at Newport's Hofbrauhaus before Sampler in Spring '12 to talk beer more!

Gary

Was just there as well for a friend's 30th birthday party. Had a blast. I also had a few Dunkels. Great stuff! Really enjoyed the band and dancing on the benches! The beer garden outside was also neat with a great view of Cincy. It was a nice, cool evening with German beer.....coulda spent all night out there. :-)


Josh

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I've been twice, and had a blast the first visit. Beer and food are great; the atmosphere is so much different from the more "blast top 40 and act inappropriately with a bunch of strangers" bars. German folk bands, leiderhosen (sp?), and foot-stomping table dancing are beer entertainment at its finest. If drinking can ever be called wholesome, this is surely it.

I'm mystified at people's love for both Hb and even more so Germany's atrocious, ear-bleed-inducing folk music! I think there's only value in it to see it once in a very long while as a package. But in terms of beer, you can do much better than Hb.

I shouldn't talk, though -- I lived in Germany for 3 years and never once made it to Bamberg in Franken (northern Bavaria, no it's not its own state), allegedly the real beer country of Germany. But I can say, if you're in Munich, take a car and drive out to Kloster (monastery) Andechs. It's only about 20-30 minutes away and there you'll get truly fine beer and food. And all in a beautiful medieval monastery! The Benedictine monks there are very friendly as well -- no Trappist assholes there.

Well, there is plenty of very good beers in Germany no one knows about, even the natives.

My experience: For foreigners or tourists it usually comes down to the stuff from Bavaria, which is, in my opinion, highly overrated. For me, the stuff HB (Hofbrauhaus) does is almost as flavourless as water and for that quality just too expensive. Same goes for Oktoberfest...expensive, and the beer is really a joke. Okay, when you like the tradional stuff (which i absoluteley HATE!) it is probably the closest you can get, but as for beer...

Some beer you could try when in Germany, to get a glimpse of the more traditional breweries and stuff:

Hövels: Dark and bitter, amber-coloured, rich taste. From Dortmund, the "Ruhrpott". Goes great along meat and traditional food.

Malzmühlen Kölsch: It is a light and pretty mellow beer brewed just in Cologne. The best ist to visit the brewery and have some traditional food. Served in 0.2 liter glasses, always neat and fresh to sip.

Flensburger Pils: Very strong and dry taste. Brewed in the high north of Germany. At first, it may be a bit heavy on the tongue, but the taste is priceless, a real beer. Served in 0.33 liter bottles.

Radeberger Pils: The beast from the east. One of the oldest breweries in Germany. This beer is a classic: Very smooth taste, but still strong. They know how to do it in saxon!

Köstritzer Schwarzbier: Black and strong, this is quite an experience. Personally i love the black beers, but it's not for everyone. Delicious with wild meat.


Hopefully this was at least a bit helpful.

Kostritzer is 4.5 % alcohol or so, which in America would be the lightest beer on the menu, excepting the light beer swill. I love it, but it's not exactly strong.

Well, what i meant was the taste. I would consider Köstritzer has a strong taste, in my opinion, doesn't it? I just can't compare it to american beers, because in Germany the only one's you can get are Miller, Blue Ribbon, and Anheuser-Busch, from what i know.

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Originally Posted by stiffchainey

Well, what i meant was the taste. I would consider Köstritzer has a strong taste, in my opinion, doesn't it? I just can't compare it to american beers, because in Germany the only one's you can get are Miller, Blue Ribbon, and Anheuser-Busch, from what i know.

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You're right, it does have a good roasted flavor - it's served at a simulation of a bier garden near me and I get it every time I'm there. My German friend is a bit skeptical of their food but was impressed that they made their own landjaeger. Anyway, black beers are not common in America, either, but we do have some amazing dark, roasty beers - do you have somewhere you can order a good selection, even online?