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Das
Bierhaus masterfully brews beers
July
10, 2007
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You Go |
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Name:
Das Bierhaus.
Established: Jan. 25.
Owners: Lee Quale and Marge Quale.
Braumeister: Robert Wilber.
Kitchen manager: Karen Wilber.
Address: 120 Sixth Ave. W., Menomonie.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays;
11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to
2 a.m. Sundays; closed Mondays. The kitchen is open from 11
a.m. to 1 p.m. each working day; from 4 to 8 p.m. Sundays,
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; and from 4 to 9 p.m. Fridays
and Saturdays.
Phone: (715) 231-3230.
Web site: www.dasbierhaus-wi.com.
Reservations: No.
Smoking: Yes.
Wheelchair accessible: Yes.
Parking: In an on-site lot and the streets.
Beer prices: Mini mug, $2; half-liter, $4.50; liter
$8; sampler, $6; 2-liter boot, $15.
Food: German and German-inspired appetizers and main
dishes, with a focus on sausage, ground meat dishes and bread.
Moderately priced.
Children's menu: No.
Extras: All Bierhaus beers are brewed in accordance
with the German — originally Bavarian — Purity Law
of 1516.
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Before
you try Das Bierhaus, you should understand one German word: braumeister.
Robert Wilber, the German-born brewer, is one.
Say 'brow-mice-ter.' A master brewer.
In English, this means Herr Wilber can brew. Masterfully.
But in German, the word attests to Wilber's entire education: from
learning to malt and brew at a large Bavarian brewery, Würzburger
Hofbräu; to earning an advanced degree in the world's best
brewing program at Munich's Technical University in Weihenstephan;
to garnering the endless respect of his brewing peers by passing
Weihenstephan's meisterprüfung, an arduous series of tests
in brewing theory and practice.
With these credentials — and his experience at four German
and three U.S. breweries — Wilber could be brewing his fine
unpasteurized Bavarian-style beers anywhere in the world. To say
we're lucky he's in Menomonie is a vast understatement.
Our tasters' notes:
Pilsner:
creamy, semi-sturdy head; loads of malt character; well-bittered
(especially midpalate). Less clean and crisp at onset and finish
than we'd like.
(This was probably due to Das Bierhaus's still-erratic serving
temperatures. Our trusty digital thermometer revealed that many
beers we tried were 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the Bavarian
standard.)
Hefeweizen:
light-colored wheat ale with suspended yeast; soft head (somewhat
undercarbonated for the style); properly fruity palate with the
traditional banana and clove esters; refreshing lemony finish.
Hefeweizen dunkel:
outstanding dark wheat ale with yeast; malty aroma; dense, creamy
head; a spicy, fruity middle that lasts and lasts; banana and baked-apple
esters.
Märzen:
lovely lightish rendition of the style also known as Oktoberfest.
Deeply amber- colored lager hopped with the gentlest of hands. Soft
and almost sweet, round and comforting, immensely quaffable.
Munich dunkel:
smooth, clean, dark lager with medium body and an effortless balance
of sweet malt and bittering hops. Hints of chocolate, coffee, perhaps
caramel. Superb.
Danke, Herr Braumeister! Thank you!
Main Course, the Leader-Telegram's restaurant review column,
runs the fourth Sunday of the month. Diners' Notebook, a sampling
of favorite restaurant offerings, runs the second Tuesday of the
month.
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