At
the Hessen Haus German beer hall in downtown Des Moines, everything
is big.
According to co-owners
Jeff Bruning and Andy Massoth, who spent four days in Munich, Germany,
gathering ideas for their newest bar, “big” is one key
to making a German beer hall, or “bierhall,” authentic.
The bar, which is hand-built
from wood planks, is long – running from front to back of
the building. The menu, which boasts more than 50 options of German
cuisine, is plentiful. The building, which endows high ceilings,
large tables and an outdoor patio, is spacious. The portions, especially
the Grosse Platte, a sampler of the entire menu, are overwhelming.
All are reminiscent of beirhalls in Germany.
But most importantly,
the beer selection, which includes 17 German beers on tap and over
20 more in bottles, is broad – to say the least.
And because of a concept
embraced by Bruning and Massoth, the Hessen Haus is unique to the
city.
“There wasn’t
a German beer hall in Des Moines,” Bruning said of their incentive
to open the establishment. “No one thinks it’s a good
idea to open something different. Everybody wants to beat their
heads against the wall and open up the same things.
“There are a lot
of sports bars, a lot of dance clubs in Des Moines,” he added.
“We wanted to come up with something new. That’s kind
of our niche.”
Yet Bruning insists
that it takes more than beer and bratwurst to call your establishment
a German beer hall. The atmosphere is important, he said, and people
with German heritage are quick to judge that aspect. After nine
months in business, Bruning said it’s just about right.
“It’s happy,
it’s loud, it’s friendly,” said Hessen Haus bartender
Vivette Perry of the atmosphere. “You can go and sit at a
big table with a bunch of people and be social and drink beer you
can’t find anywhere else.”
Groups of people can
choose to drink a beer of their choice out of a large glass boot.
Group members take turns drinking from “Das Boot,” which
holds two liters of beer. (No less than four people per boot and
only two boots are allowed per group in an evening.)
Employees at the Hessen
Haus are required to be knowledgeable of German beer and food. “A
lot of people don’t know the beer and food,” Perry said,
acknowledging the long names and awkward pronunciations. “We
get quizzed by everybody that comes in. I usually ask them what
kind of beer they like and get them a German beer that is similar
in taste.”
The food, despite the
different German names, is somewhat similar to American food, Bruning
said. “Everyone’s had a pork tenderloin,” he said.
“But maybe they haven’t had a jeagerschnitzel. The truth
is that they are pretty much the same thing.”
Whatever you call it,
according to people with German heritage, it’s pretty good.
Hessen Haus Manager Tom Morris said the beer hall has received several
compliments from people who know what a real German bierhall is
like.
“A lot of the old
Germans that come in here say this is pretty authentic,” Morris
said. “A lot of people that came over from Germany are glad
this is here because it reminds them of home.”
|
