Better Drinking

We chose Helen both for its proximity to home and for financial reasons, being relatively frugal and broke, which go well together as personal characteristics. However, frugality is itself a relative term so when it comes to beer (and sometimes food), I am downright decadent and indulgent by some standards. Regular readers of this blog know that I am not averse to paying $5-7 for a 12oz bottle of beer, though those special treats are not consumed with any weekly regularity. Needless to say, going to Helen practically required having good German food and beer.

Helen, as a town/city/village, itself is nothing spectacular, being a Bavarian-looking place, while keeping the American tourist in mind for its consumers. As such, I have had friends speak of their Oktoberfest experiences in Helen whilst drinking American light beers and eating chicken wings. Not that I have anything against either one of those things, per se, but everything in its place and context. While traveling to Munich would have been preferable, the budget just did not support such an endeavor.

After doing a little research, mainly looking at food and beer selections on-line, I selected the Altstadter, not having any first-hand reviews or recommendations, not even knowing exactly where it was, though Helen is not a large place. Much to our liking, the restaurant was within walking of where we spent the night. It is a relatively small place, richly decorated, and much to our surprise, sparsely populated for a Friday evening at 6pm. There were a pair of ladies sitting up front, unabashedly raving about the beer selection, which was a great comfort to me. We sat at the very front at a small table with a view of the sidewalk and magnificent pine tree, which just happens to be the largest in the state of Georgia.

Michelle started (and finished) the evening with a Berliner Weiss, the 1809 version brewed by Weihenstephaner. This was a 16oz bottle, mistakenly advertised as a 11.2oz bottle, but was served with the obligatory raspberry syrup and proper goblet. Michelle actually prefers her Berliner without syrup, but the occasion seemed ripe for a compromise. 8oz was drank with syrup, 8oz without, both delicious. My first beer of the evening was Monchshof Schwarzbier, an excellent black beer which relies on hop content for bitterness, as opposed to English dark beers which use roasted malts to achieve similar results. As such, schwarzbiers are a dark "lighter" beer, perfect for all occasions, but especially when flavor is required without the heaviness of content.

Our food selections were the Pig Wings Plate and the house Reuben (I know - not really German), which we ended up splitting so that we could sample the whole lot between us. The Reuben was excellent, the sauerkraut well balanced between sweet and sour. A Pig Wing is a broiled pork knuckle, dark, tender meat served with two different dipping sauces, one barbeque, the other made with Gorgonzola cheese. The German potato salad was also excellent, vinegar and corn syrup giving a sweet and sour mix similar to the sauerkraut.

When finished with the 16oz of schwarzbier, I ordered the Schlenkerla Urbock Rauchbier, 16oz of rich, smoke flavored beer. The mouthfeel was full, the taste like malt and smoked meats. After the meal we sat and talked in leisurely manner, nursing our beers, reminiscing over 20 years of God's grace. We saw many pass the posted menu on the sidewalk, stopping occasionally to read the contents, but none came to eat or drink. Being in the mood for dessert, but not yet at that moment, we decided to walk through town and check out some of the shops. After meandering for a while, the mood for dessert finally overcame us and we headed back.

There was only one other couple there, and the same server seated us on the other side of the dining room. We ordered (and split) a piece of an excellent chocolate cake (Chocolate Madness Cake), and my portion was complimented by a 11.2oz bottle of Celebrator, the creme-de-la-creme of Dopplebocks, the German equivalent of a chocolate stout. Fully satiated, we walked back to the hotel.

I would highly recommend the Altstadter to anyone in the area, though you need to call to verify their hours; and I get the impression they are open for dinner only. All of the beer was bottled, as opposed to draft, but this is a minor thing and actually is a better guarantee of freshness given the lack of high traffic, especially since the appreciative drinkers (and eaters) should be well rewarded for choosing such quality. Also, kudos to our server, Sara, who answered Michelle's questions about the culinary preparations, and who spoke the language of good beer.

We had a good evening of food and drink, a great anniversary weekend, and we still serve an awesome God who gives all such gifts to the undeserving.