April 23rd was "Tag des Biers"

[Stahlsturm]

And to commemorate this august date the city of Regensburg closed down traffic on one of the major squares of the old city and turned it into a giant beergarden complete with blasmusik and almost all breweries of Regensburg and Regensburg count present.

The wife and me had a blast there :) Best thing was that I walked (staggered) home with a lout of 6 beer mugs. 1 each of Spital, Kneitinger, Bischofshof, Mayringer, Prösselbräu and Eichhofener. They only asked for 2 EUR deposit per glass so I figured that was a very decent price for a brewery mug, hehehe. Too bad the (also) present Plank Bräu and Brauerei Schierling didn't have that kind of mugs with them but I shall get them at another occasion.

[steveh]

What was the occassion? Just because? Which, of course, is good enough for me!

S.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by steveh
What was the occassion? Just because? Which, of course, is good enough for me!

S.

"Tag des Biers" = "Beerday"
On April 24th 1516 the Reinheitsgebot was officially made law in Bavaria. Like we needed any reason for turning our cities into beergardens to begin with, hehehe. But that was the official excuse :)

[steveh]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
"Tag des Biers" = "Beerday"

That's a translation, not an occassion - alltäglich ist Tag des Bier! Nicht wahr? ;)

On April 24th 1516 the Reinheitsgebot was officially made law in Bavaria.

That makes more sense!

Like we needed any reason for turning our cities into beergardens to begin with, hehehe.

No, but it's good to have a fall-back - just in case! ;-)

S.

I hope there were no reporters there...

[chazwicke]

Damn! If I had known, I would have supped a Bavarian beer myself that day.

Next up May 1??

[steveh]

Originally posted by chazwicke
Damn! If I had known, I would have supped a Bavarian beer myself that day.

I'm sure I did! ;)

Next up May 1??

Isn't that more of a Russian holiday? Shoot for these next 2 weeks, Frühlingsfest has started in Munich and will run through the second weekend in May. Maibock anyone?

S.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by steveh
Maibock anyone?

Prösselbräu had "Palmator" on tab :D

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by steveh
I hope there were no reporters there...

Why is that ? *wonders* There was no report in todays local newspaper though.

[chazwicke]

All I can say is I was at a May Day celebration several years ago in Bad Reichenhal (sp) and the Mayer came and Smashed a tap into a keg and then the festivities began. I think the brewer might have been called Unser. I have mentioned before that I had "Suffocator." I think it was from this brewery.

[chazwicke]

Steveh, You would be proud of me. I'm having an online discussion of beers with some old friends and I have been defending lagers. And defending beer to one buddy who just took a job at a local winery. You know I love ales, especially Cask conditioned, but I will not tolerate anyone dissing any catagory just off hand. I have been explaining the virtues of lagers and all it's incarnations. Some folks think Pilsner is the only lager style. Sheesh!

[steveh]

Originally posted by Stahlsturm
Why is that ? *wonders* There was no report in todays local newspaper though.

Check this thread (http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7073) Sturm, it's what I was referencing.

Chaz, I just received some EKU-28 in my beer-of-the-month selection, haven't tried it in a long time and had a half-bottle last night - wowsers, throw that at anyone who thinks Pilsners are the only lagers!

S.

[chazwicke]

This from DCBeer:

The following is from the Distinguished Brands monthly newsletter:

GERMANY -As of the end of 2004, there were 629 breweries in Bavaria, nearly
one-half of all the breweries located in the country. The total figure of
1,274 German Breweries is comprised of 50 large breweries (an output of more
than 500,000 hectoliters, 428 medium breweries (5,000 - 500,000 hectoliters)
and 796 micros (an output of up to 5,000 hectoliters.) The figures were
released a day before the 491st anniversary of Bavarian Duke Wilhelm IV's
famous beer brewing "purity edict" which says in part that the "only
ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water" and
that transgressions shall be punished by "the Court authorities confiscating
such barrels of beer, without fail".
..........................

My recollection is that these are virtually the same brewery numbers
(probably much different volumes) for Bavaria and Germany as when Napoleon
conquered Germany in the very early 1800s and forced the sale of the
monastery breweries, leading to today's private breweries.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by chazwicke
My recollection is that these are virtually the same brewery numbers (probably much different volumes) for Bavaria and Germany as when Napoleon conquered Germany in the very early 1800s and forced the sale of the monastery breweries, leading to today's private breweries.

Wrong. In the City of Regensburg alone 5 breweries closed since the end of WW II. A century ago we had 14 breweries here and today we have 3 and a brewpub (and another one coming). The figures for Regensburg county are similar.

[chazwicke]

Let me clarify that those were not MY recollections but those of the poster on DCbeer. Thanks for the clarification.

[Stahlsturm]

Originally posted by chazwicke
Let me clarify that those were not MY recollections but those of the poster on DCbeer. Thanks for the clarification.

I wish the guy was right :) Can you ever have too many breweries ? But in these days Bavaria is one of the last pockets of resistance against the horrors of Interbrew.