By Allan Hall in Berlin
LIFE as we knew it began again in the German capital at midday on May 15 with the re-opening of cafes and restaurants shutdown by the Covid 19 pandemic some seven weeks previously.
Topers of every description poured – pardon the pun – to their watering holes for the ambrosial taste of draught beer that they had almost forgotten.
But not all pubs are created equal under German law. The lockdown relaxation applies only to premises serving food. The hole-in-the-wall kneipes across the country remain shuttered.
So do sports bars; the fear among the authorities is too much amber nectar will decrease social-distancing discipline leading to breaches of the 1.5 metre sterile zone required now in all drinking and dining emporia allowed to open.
Guests are now required to disinfect their hands before they take a seat, and sit well apart, including at bar stools. Buffets are also forbidden but the bar-restaurants can stay open from 6 am to 10 pm.
The Berlin Senate has recommended that outlets ask for contact information from dining guests in case there is a coronavirus infection but it is not mandatory. But staff have to wear face masks.
To be fair, Berlin beer is not much to write home about. The beers of Kindl and Schultheiss are insipid, industrial affairs that anyone with a palate for malted hops and barley would shun.
Luckily my local sells Tegernsee Helles, from the banks of the Tegern Lake in Bavaria, a wonderful 4.8 beer with a creamy head and splendid mouthfeel that never fails to hit the spot.
It was somewhat irritating to have to keep lifting and replacing one’s facemask to imbibe, yet a small price to pay for the pleasure of being able to exercise one’s right elbow again. Prost!