A couple of years ago, Mrs. Commissioner and I traveled to Austria and Bavaria, the Motherland of Beer.  During our visit to Austria, we happened across what is, to date, the best place I have ever had a beer.

We were in the fortress city of Kufstein, which sits on the Inn River, right in the heart of the Austrian Alps.  The town is literally right out of the Sound of Music.  We went to a hotel/restaurant called Auracher-Loechl.  The building that housed this place was probably about 500 or so years old, and beyond electricity and modern plumbing, I'm guessing not much has changed in 500 years.

The waitresses/waiters wore drundels and spoke German. Fortunately the Commissioner speaks enough German to be dangerous, and we were with some friends, who introduced us to the place.  I'm pretty sure the restaurant brewed their own beer.  When you ordered, you didn't order by brand, you ordered by quantity.  Apparently my German is nicht so gut, because apparently the waiter thought I had ordered the "I don't want to remember my vacation" size mug. 

After receiving my life-time supply of beer mug, the waiter took our order.  I ordered a dinner salad, which they called a farmer salad, and Mrs. Commissioner and I decided to get a grill plate for 2.  Mrs. Commissioner also ordered a bowl of pumpkin soup. Our friend's laughed when we ordered, and looked at us like two stupid tourists who had already had way too much beer.

I figured out why they named the salad a farmer's salad.  Apparently, they got every farmer in Europe to put something in it.  This salad would have fed every Vegan in Southern California and most of those children Sally Struthers is always talking about.

Then they bring us the grill plate for 2.  This was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life.  I think by this time I was on beer 2 or 3, but I'm not kidding when I tell you, this grill plate had enough food to feed the entire 3rd Army during World War II.  This plate had about 2 lbs. of bacon, 4 hot dogs, 4 bratwurts, about 6 porks chops, a whole chicken, a couple of steaks, as well as about 5 pounds of french fries, and about a garden's worth of broccoli and carrots. 

So, now I'm drunk, Mrs. Commissioner is drunk, our friends are drunk, and I'm stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey.  I really believe I had found God.  I truly had just had one of the best meals of my life, with great friends.  I was starting to stare at my beer mug, and then I heard angels.  I was thinking to myself, my God this Austrian beer is strong stuff.  Mrs. Commissioner noted, she heard angels too.  However, it turns out, it wasn't angels, but apparently some local church had decided to hold choir practice in the restaurant.  It really was quite beautiful.  We never did see the people, but we heard them.  I had never had beer while listening to church hymns being sung in German, but I would recommend it.

Somewhere, I'm not sure the sequence of events anymore, but our friend had asked the waiter for the Schnapps-Wagon.  I know what you are thinking.....the Schnapps-Wagon?  Please tell me our Beer Commissioner was drinking Schnapps.  My friends, I had Schnapps.  However, this isn't the peppermint schnapps you find in a Grasshopper.  No, this Schnapps, is Austrian Schnapps.  I'm not really sure how to describe this stuff, but I'm pretty sure NASA could use the stuff as a substitute for rocket fuel.  If you are really pissed at your esophagus, and you just want to feel agonizing pain every time you swallow for like a month, drink Schnapps.  I don't really remember too much more about the evening after the Schnapps-wagon, but I do remember, if you ever get to Kufstein, Austria, and you want an amazing beer drinking experience, go to Auracher-Loechl.  Tell them the Beer Commissioner sent you!