Half-A-Pig Night

The highlight of Paul and Anna’s visit was undoubtedly the night that we have dubbed “half-a-pig” night.

On a Monday night (my night off) it has become a bit of a tradition to visit one of the other venues owned by the same company as Ayers Rock Restaurant. It is a Beerhall called the Brauhaus which is part of a small old castle on the banks of the Elbe river. There are 2 reasons for the visit: firstly, to hear one of the other piano players working in Dresden this month (John Gwen), and secondly, to enjoy Haxenessen. For 7.77 Euros you can buy a half litre of beer and a meal consisting of the biggest leg of ham I’ve ever seen served to one person (covered in bacon too), Sauerkraut and Potato balls (a weird form of mashed potato that is almost jellified). As it is such a German meal and experience, it seemed like a perfect night to visit with Paul and Anna.

Before Haxenessen:

After Haxenessen:

Of course, the evening got a lot more out of control than planned. Johnny Borton (the piano player at Busmanns this month) came down as well.

John Gwen and Johnny Borton – fellow piano players:

Many more beers were consumed and lots of new friends were made. There is just something about German beer halls that makes everyone very sociable (could it be all the beer???). A heated discussion ensued later in the night about the correct ingredients of a B-52. Apparently in Germany (according to one guy we met) they are made with Captain Morgan instead of Cointreau and set alight… after convincing the barman to let us try both versions, I remain convinced that our recipe is much better. We ended up in a bar in the Neustadt with our new friends until 4am!

Who knew that half-a-pig night could get so out of control???