Two nights ago in a pub in Edinburgh's new town, while sitting with three friends, the topic of world wide beers came up, (as is often the case when you are sitting around a table full of local beer with an American, a Scot, an Englishman and an Australian.) And, as is also often the case, eventually the subject turned to beers of Germany. The conversation ranged as it usually does, from imported beers, to the ones we all remembered from our time there and whether or not it lived up to the hype. But for me, the beer I remember from Germany is all wrapped up into one big experience, and that experience was the Hofbrauhaus.

Several of the people I made this particular trip to Germany with were still not legal to drink in the United States, which lent the idea of arriving in Germany a certain amount of excitement before the beer was even tasted, but even so the night spent (or actually, the several nights) at the Hofbrauhaus shaped forever the way I would think of a good night out. If you’re looking for good solid German beer, and the uproarious atmosphere to go with it, then you need look no further.

The Hofbrauhaus was founded in 1589 and it still retains much of the same style and integrity to remind you of when it was founded. Not only it is now a world famous bar and restaurant experience, but is also one of Munich’s greatest tourist attractions. This place isn't just good, it's fantastic. We came into the duskily lit, but open plan space of the 'haus and sat at a large picnic style table in the back across from a large and very loud group of German footballers, an equally large and loud group of Australians, and a thoroughly and happily inebriated table of monks. You can not beat the atmosphere here, and the beer is something really special, too. The flavour is deeply rich and is unlike any beer I've ever had anywhere else.

It’s well situated, just behind the Marienplatz and looks the part as well. The waitresses are all in traditional German attire, happily bringing you giant, over-sized beer. They serve traditional food as well which makes for an over all fantastic experience.

My friends and I spent our last night in Germany, all having an large beer or two amongst other fun loving travellers and Germans and I remember that night as one of the very best moments of my entire time in Europe. Of all the things to do in Munich, this is one that should really not be missed. Be sure to stop in if at all possible.

Perhaps I was the victim of my own expectations, but the Hofbräuhaus was a disappointment. After all, I’m from Milwaukee, the ex-beer capitol of the Untied States. I made extensive use of one of their famous mugs throughout my beer-drenched college years at the University of Wisconsin, which had the only on-campus beer hall in the US. I had visited beer halls from the US to Asia to other cities in Germany, like Düsseldorf and Frankfurt. I had heard such great stories about the place that Tom and I made a point of visiting it as soon as we could unpack our bags and find our way to Marienplatz, behind which this perhaps most famous beer hall in the world is located.

It was founded in 1589, when Wilhelm V., Duke of Bavaria, was dissatisfied with the beer brewed in Munich. Some of his councilors approached him with an idea: why not build their own brewery? Wilhelm welcomed the plan, and on that same day, he recruited the master brewer of a famous monastery to plan, develop, and brew good brown ale. This brown ale is still available, though the lighter lager, the so-called Hofbrau Original, is preferred by most of the patrons. I believe the place is now run by the Sperger family, who’ve had it for over 100 years.

History aside, the place was packed and noisy, partially because of the oompah band that was playing in the main dining room. Customers can volunteer as guest conductors, and a number of them did while we were there. The first downer was finding a place to sit, which we finally were able to do by cajoling some folks to let us squeeze in at their table.

We were served by a surly, unresponsive, scowling waiter, for whom I eventually left an overly generous 0.10 Euro tip. We couldn’t get his attention, and when we did, it took forever for the beer to be delivered. We ordered another immediately to ensure a continuous flow, and the waiter was not happy when we told him why we doing so. The ladies selling pretzels were a little friendlier when we bought one of the 3 Euro monsters.

Later we noticed that a couple tables of customers were singing and enjoying themselves when the manager asked them to stop because they were too loud. We were stupefied. What the hell happened to gemütlichkeit? Having been in a number of German beer halls where singing is encouraged, I still have trouble believing what I saw. After our second beer, we were so turned off, we left.

I found out later that there is a banquet hall in the Hofbräuhaus-owned Platzl Hotel next door that does have singing and dancing, along with a buffet, but it’s all organized and reportedly not very spontaneous. As the review in the Beer Drinkers Guide said, "Hofbräuhaus is getting just a little too big for its leather britches." I concur.

Everyone goes to the Hofbrauhaus. It's legendary. And fun. Sure, there are a lot of tourists, but it's still great. You drink giant one-liter mugs of beer -- I think I had three. Whoa. The best part was trying (in German) to coax the band to play songs for me. . . wow, my German "improves" with every liter. The only thing is that it closes early, which causes you to end up at Kunstpark Ost. . . what a place.

The Hofbrauhaus is a shining example of German culture: boisterous, grand, and loud. It is a must see for anyone visiting the area. Even if you're not a beer drinker, just step inside for a few moments to soak up the atmosphere. It's an experience you're not likely to repeat often.

Huge! The building covered half a city block I think. I don't remember much of the decor - it really isn't that kind of a place. It's kind of like a huge indoor picnic pavilion with rows of long tables filling the main room and siderooms. Live music is a pretty regular event - when we were there it was a German "Oompah" band.

I liked the outdoor garden area best, but in all honesty I did not like the Hofbrauhaus. It was loud and the service was not very good. We had dinner there one evening and after moving twice to accomodate a large group it seemed our waiter lost us. We waited and waited for him to bring our dinner and then waited another etenity for him to bring the check. The food was only so-so - but then I didn't care for German food that much. It is fun to see the waiters carry 5 huge mugs of beer in each hand, though.

Most people go to the Hofbrauhaus for the drinking so if that's your thing then make sure you stop by - it's world famous and the beer, I'm told, is excellent. the giant pretzels being hawked by the waitresses looked good too.