Saturday, May 7, 2011

Zwei helles, bitte!

Spring can be warm in Vienna. As I was coming from a meeting, the thermometer showed more than 20 Centigrades. It was hot being on tram number 71, and I had more than an hour before my next appointment. Just before the Rennweg tram stop I saw several pubs. Obey your thirst, a commercial for a soft drink told us once upon a time. I did that. I jumped off the tram and entered the taproom advertising a beer I had not tried before. It was Hubertus.

Gasthaus Binder was a place for both a meal and some beverages. I was not hungry, so I went for the beer option. Being in Vienna, I asked the waiter for a large glass of pale lager, helles.

The helles arrived, and to my astonishment I was not given a half litre of Hubertus. Instead, a glass of Ottakringer helles was there to take care of my thirst. The Ottakringer helles is by no means a bad beer. In the glass it is a pale lager with some carbonation and a medium sized head. The aromas were fruity with a touch of grains. In the mouth I felt more fruits. Then there was a somewhat bitter finish. I liked the beer, and it was a nice pale lager for a thirsty person.

I was ready for another beer, as the Ottakringer helles went down in a few minutes. I asked for another helles from another brewery. This time a helles from the Hubertus brewery appeared. The brewery's logo is very nice. The first time I saw it I thought of the Jägermeister logo, which is alike.

In the glass the Hubertus helles was very fizzy. It was a pale lager with a large head. The nose was malty, but there was not that much taste from the beer. I felt some apples and a touch of malts before a watery finish.

My visit to Gasthaus Binder was short and enjoyable. The friendly bartender spoke an Austro-German dialect that was difficult to understand, but he did a great job serving me. There were more draught beers on sale, but I had not time to check them out. But perhaps next time in Vienna?

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