Why New Jersey is Awesome: Reason 8

Zeppelin Hall Biergarten

Biergarten is a German word, which translated into English means Beer Garden. Duh... or does it? Perhaps biergarten translated into English is "a tiny slice of heaven," because that's precisely what it is. A Beer Garden is a wide-open area, usually outdoors, with a plethora of long, wooden tables and benches for people to sit at. Then there are numerous large bars for said people to acquire delicious beverages from, and by delicious beverages, I of course mean beer. Lots and lots of beer. More beer than you can dream of. And it's good beer. They're not pouring Milwaukee's Best at the Beer Garden. There's also food at these establishments to help soak up the massive amounts of beer you're depositing into your stomach.

To go to one of these meccas of drinking, you used to have to go to Germany. Oktoberfest is an event we're all familiar with, and the purpose of the Beer Garden is to emulate the feelings and tradition of Oktoberfest all year long. We'll call it Awesomefest. Sorry, bad joke. Anyway, going to Germany was inconvenient and a hassle, so some genius in Queens put one in Astoria, called the Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden, which was great, and a lot of fun, but not terribly convenient for those of us in the great state of New Jersey. Then, for whatever reason, another Beer Garden was built in Queens, called Studio Square. But that is a Beer Garden fraud, as they have a full bar and serve bullshit froofy drinks. No thank you. Finally though, God himself shined down upon us and commanded a great man to build a Beer Garden in the greatest state in the union, New Jersey. It has been done, and now in wonderful Jersey City there is the Zeppelin Hall Biergarten, the greatest Beer Garden in the greatest state.



These are the things that make New Jersey's biergarten the best biergarten:

Beer
There is more beer here than you can shake a stick at, and believe me, you can shake a stick at A LOT of beer. They've got everything from wheat beers to stouts, and all kinds in between. My favorite lately has been the Spaten Oktoberfest, which I get in the gigantic 1 liter mug. The 1 liter mug is great because you have to go to the bar less, which means less walking and less effort, which always leads to more beer consumption, which then results in this:



Food
All kinds of sweet grub is available here, from the burgers and wings, to the schnitzels, to the main attractions - the brats and sausages. There are few things in this world greater than being handed a big plate of brats from a chesty German lady to go along with your huge mug of beer. Mmmmmmmm.

Weather-Proof Fun Times
Yes, the main attraction (aside from beer) of a Beer Garden is that it is outside, so you can chill in the fresh air with your homies and throw down a couple large ones. But what if it's raining or snowing and you still have a hankerin' for some big beers and schnitzel? They have a huge indoor section here as well! Problem solved.

No Annoying Music
Often if you go to a bar to have a few drinks with some friends, you have to yell and scream at each other to be able to hear over the insanely loud jukebox playing the newest Lady Gaga jam. Not here, however. When there are bands, they are often awesome, which their German themed costumes and music. Or they're playing the audio from whatever sporting event is being shone on the gigantic projector screens and TVs. No yelling necessary here.

So really if you think about it, the Jersey City Beer Garden is the perfect place to go. Beer? Check. Food? Check. Sweet bands or sports? Check. Friends? Check (unless you go alone, loser). And, as if you needed even more incentive to go, Oktoberfest is going on there starting this Friday, the 18th, all the way through Sunday the 27th. So come on down to the greatest biergarten in the US, in the greatest state in the US, and chug and huge beer while stuffing sausage down your throat. You won't regret it.