Hey all! This week's entry will be instructional. A survival guide, really, on how to get by in Germany. It all boils down to this, you have to know how to pour a beer. And not just any beer. A Hefeweizen.
Surprisingly, there are a lot of things you have to know about a Hefeweizen before you can drink it properly. Unlike beer in the US, you can't simply buy the beer and then consume it. There is a ritual that must be respected otherwise you will be arrested and shipped off to the Netherlands. Sad but true. Therefore, I feel it is my duty to explain to you the appropriate procedure that Brenda and I have learned, through much practice, from our German friends.
Here are the things you need to know. First, Hefeweizen is a German word that can be roughly translated as 'Oh man, this is tasty beer but it's making me full.' Second, Hefeweizen has to be served in a specific type of glass (pictured below). If it were any other kind of beer the glass wouldn't matter as much but, with Hefeweizen, it matters. To illustrate my point, I will recount a short story. Brenda and I were out with some friends at a restaurant last June and I ordered a Hefeweizen. When the waiter came back with my beer it was in a glass that, to my eye, looked like a pint glass in the US. The waiter apologized for the glass and told me how embarrassing it was to serve a Hefeweizen in a such a way. We found out later that the waiter was apprehended by the German government and was deported for his mistake. They take their beer seriously here.
Third, and most importantly, pouring the beer. I decided that pictures would explain the technique better than I ever could so, with the help of my lovely assistant, I took a few photos of the process.
Pour most of the beer into the (special) glass.
Then take the small amount of beer that is left and swish it around in whatever manner you see fit. In this picture, Brenda is using the 'roll the bottle on the table' method.
Pour the rest of the beer into the glass.
Finally, find a friend and, while staring them in the eye, click the bottoms of the glasses together and say "prost". Now you can drink your delicious Hefeweizen. (*Editor's note: Brenda was very disappointed with the way the beer's head turned out. In fact, she is quite ashamed.)
I know what you're thinking, it's a lot to do to drink a beer. It's worth it, though, trust me. Better yet, come to Germany and visit us and we'll buy you one.
Well, its getting late and apparently some guy is coming tomorrow morning to check our chimney. At least that's what our landlady said. We don't actually have a chimney so I'm kind of curious to see what he's going to check. Other than that, our lives seem to be progressing as usual. Brenda is in rehearsals for Orlando Furioso and so she is often at rehearsal in the mornings and in the evenings. I start rehearsals for Parsifal in a month and until then I am working on my role and taking German classes. We had a really nice time playing poker Saturday night at Florian and Marlar's place. We played Texas Hold-em, drank a fair bit of scotch and ate some delicious home-made pizza. It was a really great night.
Until next time, I hope you have a great week!
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