Suppenkuche

There is nothing better in the world than a cold beer, especially in a three foot tall glass mug shaped like a giant boot.  My interest in the BOOT was piqued by a wonderfully creative and funny movie called Beerfest, about an annual drinking competition held during Oktoberfest in Germany. At the pivotal point in the movie the main characters have a chug-off -- a beer drinking contest organized like a relay race. Both teams are drinking out of an enormous boot. There is just something about watching people drink beer out of a glass boot that made me want to try it.

I began to prowl the streets of San Francisco looking for a bar that served beer in a boot.  I looked through Yelp; I searched Google. Finally, a friend told me about  a wonderful German restaurant/beer-hall called Suppenkuche in Hayes Valley. So I decided to give it a try with some friends on a cold Friday afternoon. The first thing I noticed when we entered this wonderful beer hall is that this place is all about keeping to tradition! The beer hall itself is small and crammed together-- the bar is tiny, the tables are arranged picnic table style, many of the dishes and drinks are German favorites. But I wasn't concerned about tradition; I was concerned about the boot! 

After a quick wait, we got our seats. We sat with another party who came in from the Marina district in San Francisco to try the boot as well. After settling in, we had to decide on a type of beer -- a decision that isn't a problem with the crowd I hang out with.  But the task was more challenging than expected. The beer list was long and every beer sounded delicious--- Suppenkuche has a variety of Lagers, Hefeweizen, Pilzners, Hellas,  Ales, Festbier and more. I finally decided to try Weltenberger Wintertram, a Festbier that looked amazing and felt like the right choice for the boot. 

So after ordering our drinks and putting down a deposit on our boots (40 dollars), we turned our attention to the munchies. Suppenkuche has a variety of traditional German comfort food that are not for the faint of heart ---hearty meat dishes, a variety of potatoes dishes, grilled vegetables, traditional soups. Being that this was a table full of 20 something males, we didn't have trouble navigating through the salivating selections on the menu. I ordered the Kassler von Grill, a cured pork chop with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. But you can't go wrong with anything on the menu.

Our boots soon arrived after ordering our food and the drinking began. The beers we chose were cold, crisp, and more importantly strong. We tried each others beers and I couldn't find a flaw in any of them. Something about drinking out of a three foot tall boot makes any beer exceptional. 

The food soon showed up during one of our Prost (German for Cheers). The plates were immaculate and surprisingly huge. The potatoes and the meat were spectacular, one of the best German foods I've ever eaten! My food soon vanished and my friends were not far behind. I struggled to breath and sit up stright after going on such an epic food voyage. I was in a coma that I wish I could mimic daily. We ordered another boot and sat around talking to the people sitting with us, trying to digest enough to gain the courage to walk. 

All in all I would say that my boot expedition was a success! My friends and I enjoyed a wonderful night full of beer and amazing food. We met a lot of people and enjoyed some traditional German music. So the next time you're looking for a fun date, expedition, or just a huge beer after a midterm, head over to Hayes Valley and get a boot and some comfort muchies!