Getränkemarkt

I grew up in a family of beer fans. My pops has been stinking up the basement of our house regularly for the last twenty-odd years, brewing beer. My brother also made beer for a minute, but he's more of an end-consumer. His six years in Germany were mostly spent south of here, where he did extensive field research.

So to the real geniuses of the family, I have a confession: I've been in Germany almost two years and until this week I had never set foot in a proper beer store. Sure, I've gone to beer gardens and bought beer at the grocery store, which is all well and good, but I always just rode on past the Getränkemarkt when out and about in Kassel.

A few weeks ago, Jason came over to watch soccer and eat dinner, and he brought with him a backpack full of very interesting beers. He also came wide-eyed to what he'd just experienced... "Fred, you've got to go to the beer store by my house. They've got lots of different beers."

Shamed (and thirsty), this weekend, on a cold and rainy Saturday evening, with Lily off drinking her own amazing beer in München, I cranked my bike up the hill to see what was what at G'mkt Weber.



Upon arrival: it's a low-slung windowless dump, something not out of place along Hamburger Alley in Henderson, KY.

Beyond the architectural crimes, I found just what I was looking for... if you're at all squeamish, I'd stop reading here. What follows can best be described as BEERPORN.



Flensburger, from the north of the north, on the Danish border. Rumor has it, profits from this beer fund right-wing political parties, making it the Colorado Kool-Aid of the German beer set. It's also rumored to be fantastically tasty. I'll just have one.



Three little bottles of Einbecker - Ur-Bock, Dunkel, and Ur-Bock dunkel (not pictured). The Ur-Bock is fruity, malty and relatively high in alcohol content. You can taste the booze. Lily likes this.



This is some Bayerisch lager. Not sure. Will report back.



This is a little flip-top bottle of Dunkel. Super smooth. Recommended.



A couple beer-geek websites (yeah, I do research) talked about this brewery as making the best doppel-bock in the history of mankind, or something. All hyperbole aside, I had the Hell and it's positively heaven.



I'll get back to you on the Bocks.



Back to the München monk styles. Lily raved about this beer on the phone to me, and lookie here, I can find some of it in little ol' K-town.



Beer.



Unfortunately, Weber doesn't carry Augustiner's Weissbier, which is world-famous.



Fortunately, Lily came home with two half-liters in her suitcase.

What'll ya have?