Put a Little Swing in Your Schnitzel

I was talking to a guy the other day and he was complaining to me about the lack of German beers on tap in Albuquerque. I asked him what he expected if he only eats at Sadie's, Los Cuates, and El Pinto? And you can tell me all day how Germans brought their brewing traditions to Mexico and how Negro Modelo is a Vienna Lager, I'm not listening. No, if you want to find real German beers on tap, I told him, you have to go to the authentic Bier Garten places in town...places like Billy's Long Bar. A place where all the cool strudels hang. Mixed among what I consider the best tap list in town are a couple of Spaten offerings: Franziskaner Weissbier and Spaten Optimator. The Weissbier is a pretty refreshing hefeweizen that sounds good on a day like today, where the temperature is supposed to go over 90 degrees. The Optimator is a rich, chewy, Dopplebock. Maybe not what you first think of drinking when the weather gets hot, but listen: I ordered one of these at a bar in Oklahoma City on a 100 degree day after driving all day and having no food in my stomach. One glass of Optimator later I was actually saying how beautiful Oklahoma City was. Optimator is a hell of a drug.