Hahndorf, SA

Wilkommen!

Hahndorf, Australia's oldest German town. Now the historic, questioning mind of mine is asking, how did they get here? Were they free to emigrate? Or were they from convict decent on a pardon? Not likely it's since they were mostly English. Did they think they would come in to the new 'European settlement' like immigrants did to the US, looking for the free land, frontier start?

Questions remain unanswered but what I can tell you is, a group of Lutheran migrants came to settle here in 1838 from aboard the 'Zebra' from a town in Prussia.

The streets coming in to Hahndorf are lined with trees and then you happen upon a quaint little village, full of old buildings and on the outskirts of town lies farming and wineries.

Our first stop along the footpath we found 'The Farm Shed', a craft beer tasting room that used to be the first Lutheran school building in SA 1842-1917.

There we enjoyed our first appetisers.

Beer tasting pallet consisted of the Pikes Pilsener Lager first, Swell Golden Ale next (think this was my favourite) the Prancing Pony Pale Ale then last but not least a pleasant IPA from Smiling Samoyed.

The cheese platter consisted of seasoned roasted nuts, coffee cheddar cheese, small crackers and beetroot relish.

Moving along, we ventured in and out of small shops, antiques, lolly shop etc.

The German Village Shop was in 1866 the Boms Monumental Marble Works.

Bamfurlong Fine Crafts was once a mortuary in the early 1860's and was one of the first stone buildings erected in Hahndorf.

There's Ophelia Cottage which was once home to Johann Willemer, a carpenter, is a cottage of “fachwerk”, built 1847 and is one of Hahndorf's last remaining examples of the German construction.

Next at Bistro 25 is a beautiful example of a stone building. Heinrich Martin had it built in 1885. Next up the Chocolate and Fudge shop was the shoemakers residence.

There was also the blacksmiths shop, the various inn's, the institute, the two storey old shop (watchmaker, dressmaker, a sweet shop and later a cafe), Habich's Cottage, etc.

The Hahndorf inn was the next stop for the next tasting platter.

My choice, going from zero to hero! lol! I started with the Arcobrau Urfass Alkoholfrei, Urfass Premium Hell – spiced taste and as its name suggests alcohol free 0.05%, next on the scale was Arcobrau Festbier at 5.2% – evokes dancing on tables and summer nights apparently, last but not least the Arcobrau Coronator, a dark extra strong brew 7.2% – made for the beer connoisseur with a specific gravity of over 18 percent. Not being a connoisseur of such I will have to look up what that exactly means.

Jack returns, no full on strength, so I have to have the next darkest Arcobrau Schloss Dunkel 4.6% – dark lager developed in special underground cellars in Bavarian microbrewery tradition.

Jacks choices, the Arcobrau Schloss Dunkel, Arcobrau Weissbier Hell 5.3% – wheat beer, fruity and mild, next up Arcobrau Zwicklbeer 5.2% – unfiltered lager, brewed since 1567, a natural beer with a smooth effect.

(Note above beer descriptions are taken from the Hahndorf Inn Beer menu, I'm not that good in describing a beer. If it's bloody good, it's bloody good in my opinion!)

We had German breads and Obatzda, a Bavarian dip, little bit spicy like chorizo with cheese, quite thick in texture. Yum!

Jack says “next stop, sausage shop!” He is after a decent Bavarian sausage, just sausage, nothing else. like a decent German hot dog.

So the last stop, must be the German Arms, for an experience of 'The Arms Giant Hotdog' – we will be sharing!

Beer selection here is a Lager – the Spaten Munchner Hell, a pale lager with caramel tones and you can definitely taste the caramel. The second is a Weissbier – Franziskaner Hefe Weissbier Hell, pale wheat beer tasting of cloves, banana and vanilla. If we had smell-o-vision you would actually be able to smell the banana!