Biergarten Haus

yes. yes. yes.

i was certain that this day would never come. ever. in life. but then it did. and all was right and perfect in the world and german bier poured from taps freely with fluency like they've been doing it for the past three months.

if we went through all the failed attempts that numerous buds and I have tried to make it to the bier garten, we would be here for a long time so I will spare you the details.

playing for the 3rd place game (yes, unfortunate i know), BOOF buddies Sho, Cr and L, finally made our way to and IN the biergarten haus on H street to see the Germany vs. Uruguay game. Yes. H Street. I'm just telling you to get here if you haven't already. i'll just leave it at that. although there was still a lot of people in the beer garden, it was not overwhelmingly packed; however, i arrived probably 1/2 hour before the game was slated to start and there was a long wait to sit outside so we opted not to.

i had the pleasure of attending the german beer garden with my favorite german, so i had both my personal opinions and then the opinions of my german. from the exterior of the building with its white walls, dark brown trim and german flags flying from the roof, you know exactly what you are entering in to. upon entering in the on the first floor, the biergarten is very true without with its decor theme throughout the second floor and also outside. Although I just that this was a "stereotype", it was brought to my attention, as we were being stared down with the various stuffed animals on the walls, its accuracy to the German culture that most germans do have a stuffed animal mantle piece in their home. kind of a shocker. Nevertheless, the biergarten is outfitted in dark brown tables, chairs with white washed walls and blue drapery. The light is dim and natural and the you definitely feel a large amount of warmth upon entering the establishment.

despite not sitting outdoors, the outdoor is so great. everything about the space is perfect for every season. long large dark brown wooden tables which span the length of the outdoor patio which gives the whole experience a very "communal" feel. furthermore, it has sun/rain umbrellas throughout the patio and during the world cup (probably most large events), they had a large blue tent over the entire area to protect from rain. They also had a huge projection screen set up which was a very nice touch for world cup watching. moreover, the beer garden features not one, not two but three full bars. one downstairs, one upstairs and one outside which limits the annoying inability to retrieve a drink in a quick and timely fashion.

i have never been to a beer garden so i was unsure of what to expect but i really enjoyed it. most beers ring true to german traditions by coming in a 1/2Liter or Liter mug (so big, so so big) but I also saw some "Boots" around. side note: according to my german, the "boot" is not german at all. nevertheless, drinking from it is definitely a good time and an experience, so you should probably just do it. Additionally, aside from the TWELVE beers they have on tap, one of the beers remaining true to german tradition also comes in a 0.2L glass.

with the german beginning to feel a little germany in the states, we allowed him to pick the drinks for the day, and I should have probably written them down because I don't really recall which was which (i will edit later with the names) but they were all delicious. the drink i do recall is the summer special, Radler, which is a specialty that takes a german pilsner and adds lemon lime soda. it is really delicious with the perfect balance between a nice sweet/sour/spritzy flavor with the nice hops of a beer.

we also ordered a couple of snacks and at this point, the menu was pretty simple but now they have continued to add to the the entire menu (breakfast, lunch and dinner), so they now offer a much larger variety.

we started off with the pretzels which were more like little pretzel rolls and they were ok. i wish they had a great deal of a fresh baked warmth taste rather then the cool sogginess that pretzels quickly take on.

cr also ordered wurstplatten (sausage platter with sauerkraut, pretzels and pommes). we all tasted the pommes (fries) and they were cooked really well with a nice seasoning. cr enjoyed the the bratwurst but did not feel like it was anything special. the sauerkraut was also good enough but nothing that knocks your socks off.

furthermore, aside from the twelve draft beers, there is a huge beer menu of probably upwards of 30 types of bottled german beer...just stupendous.

all in all, i FINALLY really enjoyed my trip to the beer garden and would definitely go back. a lot. they are continually making improvements with expanding their menu for all meals, to adding various events during the weeknights like trivia night on tuesday. the biggest negative was the ONE women's bathroom they had available. apparently, there were more bathrooms being constructed at that time out back on the patio, but really? one indoor bathroom? that was kinda poor planning. nevertheless, i hope to be back because this place definitely has the possibility of becoming the place to be in DC.

Grade: B+ (Beer gets an A but food gets a C+)