Rheinblick German Restaurant

Now I know that this is not strictly beer related, but there have been many a beer drank in this establishment and this restaurant deserves to have many a post about it. This has been long overdue but I wanted to sing the praises of mine and L Bird’s favorite restaurant, Rheinblick German Restaurant in Canandaigua, NY. We try to eat there a lot, but with our busy schedules it normally ends up just being on special occasions which is not as much as we would like. So we end up hitting it up for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions.


Rheinblick German Restaurant sits right on Main St. in Canandaigua and is owned by Gudrun and Gary Klemens who are both originally from Germany. The restaurant is smaller and holds roughly 20 – 25 tables, but it gives it both a “homey” and exclusive feel to the restaurant because it books fast with reservations. In the summer, the enclosed alleyway where the main entrance is doubles as a biergarten (outdoor tables for food and beer, mostly beer though lol). The food is traditional German and Austrian dishes. The food is simply fantastic, plus they have an entire section of the menu dedicated to schnitzel. I am slowly making my way through the schnitzel menu. You can find the menu, here.

In addition to the gloriously wonderful food they have a fantastic beer & wine selection. You can view the beer selection here. Also, as you can see below I am really partial to the Sprecher draft.

All in all this is one of the best restaurants I’ve been to and my favorite. So if you find yourself in Canandaigua, NY please take time to find Rheinblick German Restaurant . It will be well worth it. For more information , other than my small review you can find a link to their page here.

Keep ‘em tippin’!

Patience & Pride

Well, this is just an update on my Maibock. A couple of days ago I had to go down in the cellar to check on the sump pump, so while I was down there I took a peak at my Maibock. It appears the lagering phase is going well, it is definitely settling out nicely and every couple of minutes or so a nice big bubble comes through the airlock.

It has been down in the cellar for just over a month and has another month to go. I’ll bring it out and bottle it around April 9th. Now I have some patience but I don’t have a ton of it, so this has been a long month and I know it’s only going to get longer.

As I was down in the cellar admiring the beer and wishing it was ready, I started to think about the patience that goes into craftsmanship. I like to think that making beer is like making a beautiful piece of furniture, you start out looking for the finest materials that will make the perfect piece. Then there is a lot of hard work in turning each piece, assembling the pieces, sanding, and finally staining the piece. This process can take days, weeks, or even years for some furniture makers to perfect the piece they are working on.

Making beer is the same process, you start out looking for the finest malt and hops, then you spend a lot of time boiling the wort and preparing your yeast culture, and finally assembling the fermenter. Then there is a period of time where you can sit back and wait, then finally you can bottle or keg the beer. Through this whole process the beer is being hand crafted, just like with woodworking. The beer takes on a life of it’s own just like a fine oak table or chair. Also, if you rush or take shortcuts, it will show in the final product whether it’s a scratched/marred piece of wood or a skunky off aroma/tasting beer. Both are processes are a labor of love that take time and patience to produce the highest quality finished piece.

But anyway I have rambled on enough about the ethereal side of making beer without actually making the point I was trying to make, but what the hell right? At least I got some thoughts out.

Keep ‘em tippin’!!!