Visiting, But Not In, The Cellar

Any pretence of going easy on the red meat went out the window this evening, but it was enjoyable nevertheless. As I mentioned earlier, there are two beer halls close to Munich’s Hauptbahnhof, and one of these is the Augustinerkeller.

Here, there is no chance of playing Billy No Mates and getting away with it: apart from a few tables arranged in small booths, it’s long, communal tables and you just sit among the rest of the punters. It’s enjoyable, the food’s filling, and the beer is just excellent.

The quality of the beer can hardly be otherwise, of course, given that it conforms to Rheinheitsgebot, roughly translated as “pledge of purity”. The original act of 1516 lays down the iron rule for German beer: that it be brewed from malted barley, hops, water, and nothing else (the last two words make difficult reading for those brewing in much of the UK, and, indeed, much of the USA).

One concession to modernity was a large TV screen at the end of the hall, with – what else – football on offer. Otherwise, food, drink, conversation and good humour were the order of the day.

Pity about the weather, mind.