The Biggest Bier In Brooklyn

© Gabrielle Sierra / RumBum.com

Radegast Hall may only be a few blocks from the hustle and bustle of the L train stop and Bedford Avenue, but once you step inside, it transports you much further away. Carved from an old factory, this spot boasts heavy wooden tables, tapestries, Eastern European music and food, and, of course, an intimidatingly large menu of local and imported beers on tap, served to patrons in comically giant beer steins. Hit it up on the right night and you may stumble upon ladies in costume or a moustache growing contest; Radegast Hall is every inch the ultimate celebration of the Austro-Hungarian fun we have come to know and love.

The Biergarten area of Radegast Hall is actually enclosed by a glass rooftop, or more specifically, a series of glass slats. In the instance of rain patrons would be mostly covered, subject only to sideways spray or many angled mist. While this ceiling covering does in fact take away a bit of the feel of a traditional beer garden, the outdoor feeling is still achieved by the large amount of sunlight that streams through the glass roof. Large windows carved deep into the stone walls remain consistently open to the street, bringing a nice cross breeze. Long wooden tables run length-wise along the walls, allowing large parties to sit side by side, and at the far end of the biergarten area is the food stall and grill.

One of the best parts about Radegast Hall is the music. Live performers and bands frequently play sets in the hall, ranging in genre and volume. If a live set isn’t booked, a DJ will be spinning tunes to accompany your beer consumption. The music is mainly Middle Eastern techno-type jams (Balkin Beatbox, Gogol Bordello) and is loud enough to dance, but not so loud that it drowns out the ability to hold a conversation across tables.

After a few hours of day drinking, nothing looks as appealing as the Biergarten grill. Without straying far from your group you are able to order up bratwurst, assorted sausages, pork chops, burgers and kielbasa. Each grilled item is served with a side of sauerkraut and your choice of bread or french-fries, so get ready for those mooch friends of yours to stick their hands in. If the grill is too greasy for you, head inside to the bar for some more high class snacks like trout salad or chicken and rabbit liver pate. If you are really in the mood for a meal Radegast also has a full kitchen that churns out Austrian entrees like Pork Tenderloin with prunes and dunkel beer sauce, or veal schnitzel with German potato salad and a sour pickle. Clearly the grill is the more popular choice, but hey, maybe you are feeling adventurous.

The crowd at Radegast Hall varies depending on the hour, band performance, and drink special. (During certain happy hours your beer stein comes with a free kielbasa.) Daytime brings in families along side the younger crowd, which means little kids on tables and toddlers roaming freely around the room. As the sun goes down the younger crowd holds dominance (and Ids are checked), but the people themselves still tend to vary, ranging from the local hipsters to the Easter European tourists on holiday.