Now, ever since I got back from Munich, I’ve been missing German beer halls. And I totally missed out on the Christmas markets when I was over there, too. So when I found out about Loreley, this funky joint a block from the Bowery, serving up German beers in “Eine Maß bier” amounts, you KNOW I had to check it out, bro — plus, they still had their Christmas decorations up last weekend, so that was an added bonus!
We’re starting off with a litre of Kostrilitzer Schwarzbier, a nice, dark lager from Deutschland. Nice, rich, caramel/chocolate taste, but easily crushable at 4.8%.
Not only are they still celebrating Christmas at Loreley, but they’re still celebrating Oktoberfest, too. This Hofbrau Oktoberfest is a nice, malty lager, a lot like the ones I slammed in Germany, but a bit stronger at 5.8%. Nothing wrong with that at all!
When I heard they had soft pretzels, I had to get one of those, too. I haven’t had a proper pretzel since I got back from Munich… but I gotta say, this is just like I remembered. Soft, fresh and chewy — even better than some of the ones across the pond!
And because it still feels like Christmas, I’m having a Delirium Noel. They don’t serve this one in litres at Loreley — and that’s probably a good thing, since it’s pretty strong at 8%. Not quite as strong as Delirium Tremens, but it’s still a heavy dark ale with rich flavours, halfway between prune juice and chocolate. Worth trying once, anyways.
Burgers, Bacon & Beer 