Beer bash at Oktoberfest, beer pairing at Brotzeit

It's that time of year when drinkers' thoughts turn to beer, so when the invite from Sofitel for a night of German food with unlimited quantities of the brew landed in our inbox, there was no thinking twice.

 

At the entrance to the Harbor Garden Tent, each reveler was handed a hefty beer mug—the better to quaff pint after pint of that pilsen, perhaps? As it turned out, using the brand-covered souvenir was optional, as glass mugs encircled the three-liter containers that served as the table centerpiece.

 

And what long tables they were! Row after row of tables and benches lined the cavernous tent, its air-conditioning a bit too chilly for comfort. Each table could seat 20 people and, as the guests streamed in, the 2,000-capacity tent was soon buzzing with chatter and boisterous laughter right to its sloping edges.

 

My beer buddies and I took turns at the buffet tables, piling our plates with sausages and mouth-watering chunks of roasted meat. There were mounds of traditional sauerkraut—fermented and finely chopped cabbage, along with red cabbage salad. Crusty bread, soft rolls, and pretty pretzels hanging from wooden pegs presented themselves as carbo options. But for the most part, the spread was a meat lover's dream and a vegetarian's nightmare.

 

We were told this is the 75th anniversary of Oktoberfest organized by the German Club in the Philippines, which was founded in 1906. Wow, who knew they've been here that long? Whispers around the table drifted a while to their war activities, but there's no raining on the German beer parade, so when the band leader asked everyone to stand up for the customary Oktoberfest song, we gamely joined in.

 

"The Fliegerlied" song, Sofitel PR director Yasmine Hidalgo emailed later, “is about someone who is having such a nice day that he feels he can fly like an airplane, is strong like a tiger, and tall like a giraffe!” And indeed, after several mugs of beer and hearty food, we were sufficiently satisfied to leave with bellies full and ears ringing with last song syndrome. Just as well, since the tent was getting more and more polluted with cigarette smoke as the night wore on.

 

Lager and wheat beer

 

There's no need to wait for October or make a trip to Germany when the beer bug hits you though, as there's Brotzeit at Shangri-la mall to satisfy drinkers with a more discriminating taste looking for a break from the usual 5 + 1 buckets.

 

A few months ago, the new watering hole invited GMA News Online to sample their selection of draft beers paired with some of their best-selling dishes. Brotzeit prides itself on serving Paulaner beer that's 100 per cent natural and made with pure spring water, all imported from Germany.

 

We began with lager beer and light dishes, careful to drink small quantities, and share the food among our group of three writers. 

 

First on the tasting menu was the Original Münchner Lager, a crisp and light beer that went well with the feta salad, preparing our palates for more sumptuous offerings. Next came the Original Münchner Dunkel Lager, a dark beer with ruby brown hues from caramel malts. Its more robust flavor was the perfect partner for the spicy pizza with its generous toppings of bacon, leg ham, mozzarella, bell peppers, tomato sauce, onions, and mushrooms.

 

Appetites stirred, we moved on to wheat beer and meat dishes. The fruity Hefe Weissbier blended beautifully with the pork curry sausage, chili sauce, and potato wedges. Rounding up the food and beer pairing experience was the full-bodied Dunkel Hefe made with roasted wheat malt, which complemented the traditional braised veal shank in paprika sauce (photo below). The last dish came with buttered spatzle, handmade pasta that has become a hit among kids and grown-ups, we were told.

 

Earlier in the evening, chef Ivan Maminta told us he had spent months perfecting the chocolate dessert so we just had to try it. The moist cake seemed a strange meal ender to all that beer, but it still served to satisfy those with a sweet tooth in the party.

 

Brotzeit managing director Malvin Ang told us about the upscale bar chain's origins from Singapore, and how the beer is shipped all the way from Germany. Naturally, their quest for genuine taste doesn't come cheap – the smallest glass of 300 ml draft beer costs P165 during happy hour, and is priced regularly at P200 after 6 pm.

 

Most of the dishes are also quite steep, P430 for one piece of curry sausage, for instance, so this isn't likely to become a typical destination for the nightly barkada hangout. For payday weekends and special celebrations, however, it's very much worth it; we noticed several tables ordering the Brotzeit platter with pork knuckle and sausage selection worth P2,400 during our Saturday session. When I went there a few weeks later with a friend, on a weekday, the place had lots of tables filled up, which means the place seems to be picking up.

 

Several months after it opened last April, Brotzeit has become one of the favored destinations of German expats hankering for a taste of home, Ang says. As we wrapped up the evening, he recommended a glass of Bayrischer Longdrink, a concoction of Original Munchner Lager with vodka and lime juice, for the road.

 

German beer is supposed to be unique in not giving you a katzenjammer, or hangover, and it seems true: despite the mix of beers and a more potent mixed drink with vodka, the next day was not a foggy-headed one at all. – KDM, GMA News

Oktoberfest photos courtesy of Sofitel