62 The Queens Courier • buzz • JUNE 25, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Photo by Kelly Marie Mancuso Beer lovers can enjoy hops from around the world at Ridgewood’s Bierleichen. A modern beer hall in Ridgewood by KELLY MARIE MANCUSO While German restaurants and beer halls have long been a staple of Ridgewood and Glendale, few have dared to serve up their knockwurst with a side of hard rock. Enter Bierleichen, the new heavy metal hofbrau located at 582 Seneca Ave., off the Seneca Avenue M train station, in Ridgewood. Bierleichen is the brainchild of Adam Collison, owner of Brooklyn restaurant The Bounty and Greening watering hole The Drink. The Baltimore native was inspired to create a German beer hall after delving into his own Teutonic heritage. “I think I’m more German than anything else,” he said. “I realized I was embracing my Irish heritage, but was only thinking about my German background for special events, like parties or eating sauerbraten. It was one of the first foods I remember eating.” Bierleichen, which literally translates to “beer corpses,” is a term used by Germans to describe revelers passed out in streets and fields at Oktoberfest. Ridgewood revelers kicked off summer with Bierleichen’s official grand opening party on June 21. The celebration included musical sets by The Netherlands and hearty servings of Baltimore pit beef, a recipe from Collison’s hometown. Collison’s idea for a traditional German beer hall with a twist involved forgoing the lederhosen and Alpine paneled walls in favor of a heady mix of heavy metal and Hefeweizen. Unlike traditional beer halls, Bierleichen’s cavernous interior blends inky black and charcoal walls with soaring skylights and a long, black subway tiled bar. Collison, who left a career as an artist and painter, created the German flag and skull mural which acts as the hall’s focal point. Bierleichen’s large, black iron front doors, reclaimed and repurposed Bierleichen 582 Seneca Avenue Ridgewood 718-366-5381 from a local church, are reminiscent of the Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe. Beer worshipers are truly in luck, as Bierleichen boasts a large selection of draft and bottled brews. From Dunkels to Pilsners, German beer is well represented at Bierleichen. Queens breweries Finback and Singlecut also made the roster of taps with a hearty Double Session and a hoppy IPA. For beer hall grub with a twist, Bierleichen offers German bratwurst and knackwurst served on pretzel rolls with pickles, mustard and sauerkraut ($9). Large hot pretzels are served with a side of spicy mustard ($5) or Obatzda, a special beer and cheese dip, for $2 extra. Meatless revelers can enjoy gluten-free Yeah Dawg Vegan Sausages ($9). “Everything is delivered festival style,” says Collison of the savory handheld fare. Patrons can dine at a long, family-style reclaimed wooden table, or in Bierleichen’s backyard beer garden. While Collison points out that they’re not specifically a performance space, he does hope to host special events and bands in the future, including old-timey music, a burlesque night and a Bagdad heavy metal band that tours the country raising money for refugees. For more information, follow Bierleichen on Twitter at @bierleichennyc. dining out View Over 200 Reviews at queenscourier.com
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