My pleasant bicycle ride to the St Astra im Feld brewery made me wish for more, and after leaving the Seefranzl brewery, I set out first towards the south and then eastwards. First along a busy road between fields and meadows, then on a small road through the forest with hardly any traffic. Flat and easy going, it took less than an hour.
The Bartewirt is located at the village Kreuzstrasse, literally meaning Crossroads, where several country roads have met for a very long time. A splendid place for an inn, then and now. It is not directly on the Autobahn, but there is lots of traffic here between Munich – half an hour to the north – and the Alps and lakes to the south.
The Bartewirt means The Landlord with the Mustache, which, according to the chatty menu set up as a newspaper, was a historical person.
The Bartewirt belongs to the Graf Arco family brewery, which, in one form or another, have been in the business since 1630. They used to brew at several facilities, including the nearby even smaller village of Valley. That is history, but at least they have kept the inn. Lots of details at their web site, if you are interested.
Rustic wooden interior plus a beer garden in the courtyard. Not a massive set up, but you still have the choice between the self-serve benches or table service. I arrive before the evening trade picks up. Pleasantly quiet, except for the rather busy road, which, on the other hand, is the reason the place is there. Chestnut trees.
Bikers, working men in their overalls enjoying their Scweinehaxe, families. Nor Dirndl, no tourists, no menu in English. The menu is printed as a newspaper, but there are a dozen dishes of the day, too. There is even some fish if you have reached your quota of meatfor the week. I limited myself to some pressed and pickled pork, seved with a lovely Austrian pumpkin seed oil.
The Helles Kellerbier has bread crust, discreet yeast and a little sting of hops. A bit too soft, perhaps, but a very honest session beer.
The Birnbacher Schwartzbier is even better. Cola color. Not of the sticky sweet kind. Plenty of malt, sure, but enough roasted grain to add elements of coffee and make a balance between the sweet and dry.
As I only have to push my bike some meters to the railway station, I decide to try their Doppelbock, too, the Arcator. Deep dark red, beige fluffy head. Full malty kick. Roasted malt, aromatic hops. Pleasant, if not stellar. Time to find my way back to Munich.
Draco? Arco!
Oops!
Oh man, haven’t had pumpkin seed oil for years. Now craving it and I don’t have the faintest idea where to get some.
I bought a bottle at an Austrian stall at Munich’s Vitalienmarkt. Seems it is an Austrian speciality. Try a web shop, perhaps?
[…] of the line. Walk up the hill. Watch out as you cross the busy street. Have a beer or two at the Bartewirt. Return to the railway station. As this is the final stop, the train is most likely waiting at the […]