Summer in Germany - Time for the Biergarten; and in Colorado too

July 2, 2010 - PRLog -- DENVER -- At the recent Euro-Networking event in Denver I was chatting with Rachel of Denver’s World Trade Center (Http://www.wtcdenver.org) about my role with the German American Chamber of Commerce – Colorado Chapter and our forthcoming Biergarten Festival (see http://www.gaccco.org/cultural/biergarten-party-morrison/index.html). She asked not only what is a “Biergarten” (beer garden in English) but further how did they come to be. So I shared some thoughts.

I told Rachel that in Germany the strict driving while alcohol impaired laws have created a ready niche for the neighborhood Biergarten. While traveling in Germany several years ago my friend, Dagmar, suggested several places for lodging. When I picked the Hotel-Gasthof Ochsen in Breitenholz (www.hotel-ochsen-ammerbuch.de), she said it was a great choice because “they have a Biergarten and then you don’t have to drive home.” And it was; I had a great time there and also enjoyed their cuisine. Later during the same trip, staying in Munich to see my brother-in-law, Werner, I stayed at the Alter Wirt - Ramersdorf (www.alterwirt-muenchen.de) with a generous Biergarten that included a great menu, beer of course, and typical Bavarian music.  Alter Wirt traces its history back to 1504 from what I learned. The service and the people were great. So was getting to see Werner after 10 years.

According to one authority in Munich, the Biergarten dates back to the 16th century when beer brewing was restricted to the months of October through April. The reason was that during the dry summers the fire danger was too high, according to a decree from 1539, for brewers to roast their barley, an integral part of the brewing process. At that time the predominant beer was a bottom fermented dark lager beer brewed at cool cellar temperatures. During winter the beer supply for summer was brewed with a higher alcohol content so that it could be stored longer in the beer cellars. The ideal temperature for keeping the beer ranges between  4 and 8 degrees Celsius (39 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit); however, the water table surrounding Munich is somewhat close to the surface and prevented beer cellars from being dug very deep into the subsurface. Therefore, in order to keep the beer cellars cooler in the summer, the breweries covered the ground above them with a thick layer of gravel and planted shade trees to reduce the warming from the sun’s radiant heat beating on the ground and then transmitted downward to the beer cellars. The typical trees selected for shade were and are chestnut trees with large palmated leaves creating a dense cover to keep the ground (and the ceilings of the beer cellars) cool.

Naturally Bavaria claims to be the origin of the Biergarten. It is believed that along about the 19th century the local people began coming to the breweries with their own large “Masskrug” (a one-liter beerstein originally made from clay) to pick up a supply for use at home. Eventually in the warm summer months the beer was often drunk on the spot (or on or “over” the beer cellar as was also sometimes said). This led to the breweries providing wooden plank tables and benches for their customers under the chestnut trees to become the first beer gardens that are so well known today.

The concept spread and some enterprising brewers realized that if they provided something to eat along with their beer their customers would stay longer and buy more beer as well as food. Consequently the Biergarten became a beloved day trip destination for the citizens of Munich taking them to the cooler outlying areas away from the large breweries of the inner city. After hearing complaints from the major brewers, King Ludwig I issued a decree that Biergartens would no longer be allowed to provide food to their patrons. Thus came about the tradition that visitors to Biergartens could bring their own sandwiches and other eats to enjoy with their beer. This continues today even after the law was long ago changed to allow the serving of food in Biergartens.

Biergartens are here to stay and Bavaria takes its Biergartens very seriously. Their Biergarten Decree of April 20, 1999, denotes two characteristics of a Biergarten: the garden character being outside and, secondly, the form of business, especially the opportunity for patrons to bring their own food to eat with their beer distinguishing the Biergarten from other outdoor restaurants.

The Biergarten is considered somewhat of a “protected area” open to all social classes to meet informally, all nationalities, locals and tourists, the elderly and younger folks. Another part of the Biergarten Decree asserts that Biergartens fulfill important social and communications functions and have always been a desired meeting place for broad layers of the population to meet each other and overcome social differences in a relaxed atmosphere.

So how does someone in Colorado get to experience a German Biergarten? They might consider a day trip to the German American Chamber of Commerce’s Biergarten Fest near Morrison on July 10. The Biergarten opens at 3p.m. going until 10 p.m. and includes live German music, authentic German food, dancing, Schuhplattlers, beer and, new this year, kids activities with a German flavor.

The event is popular. Last year over 500 enjoyed the Gemuetlichkeit. So, make it a date on your calendar and come out to Morrison and see what a Biergarten really is. You will like it for sure.


About the author: Fred Beisser, of Parker, Colo., is on the board of directors of the Colorado Chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce (http://www.GACCCO.org) and has spent some eight years living and working in Germany.

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The German American Chamber of Commerce - Colorado Chapter is the initial contact for German companies considering business in the Rocky Mountain region and connects German decision-makers with their U.S. counterparts. More info about the Biergartenfest is on the Web at www.gaccco.org.