Today, we went to Weingarten in Southern Baden-Württemberg to visit the “largest Baroque Church north of the Alps.”  This place was quite impressive.  I hope to have a post on it and the other interesting places I’ve visited on my other blog — stumblingpiper.wordpress.com.   Here are just a couple of representative pictures … wow!

Right down below the Basilica, we found a nice “pub” to enjoy a refreshing beer.  We chose the Leibinger … especially because it is a local-owned brewery … and the beer looked good.  I enjoyed a refreshing Pils.

Enjoy!

Beer Mentor

This is pretty interesting, but I continue to see giant redwood trees everywhere I go in Germany.  I did an internet search, and there is a Mammutbaum (German word for Giant Trees) Forum.  In their December 2009 report, they say there are 8,393 locations with 26,610 trees.  Wow!

Well, I was out riding my bike today and saw another one in a small forest.  Here are a couple of photos of it.

This discovery deserved a “Spezial” beer … so I chose the Alpirsbacher Kosterbrau Spezial … and it hit the spot.  Another nice lager with which to finish a nice ride.

Beer mentor

Well, I went back to its beer in my fridge.  LOL

Yes, I pulled out a Weihenstephaner Kristall Weizen to enjoy … and did I enjoy it!  It had that nice crystal clear color you expect and that sweet, clean taste you get with a Weizen.  It really hit the spot!  Wow.  Yum.

Beer Mentor

I went back to my Irseer Brauerei stash today and found that all I had left was their Klosterstarkbier.  Well, well, well … it hit the spot … clean and unfiltered, it had nice character and it went down smooth.  Yummy!

Beer Mentor

I took a spin down through the Schwarzwald today … no, not on my bike this time.  I drove through a few villages just for the experience.  The first village I stopped in (really a small city) was Freudenstadt.  This was a lovely town with a nice little brew house.  I sampled both of their beers … an unfiltered Pilsener and a Hefeweizen.  Both very nice brews (I had the small ones in case you are wondering … still had a little ways to drive).  The brewery was the Turm Brau.  Here a are a couple of photos of the brewery.

Yep … their Pilsener was my new beer for the day!

I then drove down through Alpirsbach … and visited a more well-known Kloster brewery.  I actually saw the old brew house, but I took the tour of the Kloster.  I will try to post more pictures of it later, but here’s a couple of the old brew house and the Kloster’s new Pipe Organ.  It was beautiful…

Oh, here’s what I bought while down there.  (Don’t worry honey, I’m drinking it all here and not bringing any more home!)

Beer Mentor

Of course, I heard it in a country song that there’s no such thing as too much fun.

Bobby, don’t read this …  Ok, go ahead.  Today I took another nice spin along the Neckar River…  I rode through some woods, a little single-track, up over a couple of hills, then back down to the river.  I followed one river to where it connects with the Neckar and stopped and had a piece of cake (kaese-sahne-kuchen) and a nice Weizen Radler.

This Weißbier came from the Pforzheim Brauhaus. Man, did it taste nice after the first half of my ride.  The weather was a little cool temperature, but not so bad I couldn’t sit outside and enjoy it.  That mix of beer and lemon-lime soda in a Radler really hits the spot!  All I can say Bobby is I wish you were here enjoying it with me!  Prost!

Beer Mentor

I finally got some singletrack work in today … it took some searching on Garmin Connect to find a ride close to me that had some singletrack … I’m still looking for other opportunities, but this one was very nice: Naturpark Schwaebisch-Fraenkischer Wald.  Here are a couple of pics of the trail …

Here’s two views of one section I didn’t ride … it’s about a 30 foot drop with about a 6 – 10 foot vertical face section at the first …

I got skills … but not that level of skills … so my bike and I took the stairs …

What better way to follow up a nice mountain bike experience but with a good, cold beer!  Today’s choice came from the Irsee Kloster again: Kloster UrTrunk.  This is a very nice export, obviously unfiltered … it is one of those easy-drinking lagers that has a nice flavor, good mouthfeel … it’s well-balanced.

Recommended!

Beer Mentor