Every year, many Germans come together in celebration of Fasching, or Carnival, a vibrant festival with a long history. Bierkeller Brewing Company owner Scott Burgess says the only thing more that's plentiful during Fasching than the food and beer is fun.
Burgess, a USC alum who studied abroad in Germany, wanted to bring a piece of that tradition to Columbia.
Operating as a pop-up for several years before opening a permanent location on the riverfront at 600 Canalside St. in 2023, Burgess said that Bierkeller aims to offer authentic German experience through classic recipes and a quality atmosphere.
"What makes us unique is that we reflect the German cultural, historical, and brewing [traditions]," Burgess said.
Burgess said he maintains the atmosphere by emulating the celebratory culture of the German biergartens he fell in love with that inspired him to start his own in Columbia.
“Every season is punctuated by a specific historic and traditional event,” Burgess said. “Like any good cultural ritual, it sort of brings structure and meaning to people's lives."
Often referred to as “German Mardi Gras”, and known in the region of Bavaria as Fasching, the event marks a period of celebration directly prior to observance of Lent, which entails fasting. During Fasching, Germans let loose and party hard before the gleeful celebration of Fat Tuesday turns to Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
Bierkeller’s version will span two days, starting with Weiberfastnacht (The Night of Witches), also called Ladies Night, where female guests will enjoy discounts, party platters will be on the menu and music will be provided by Columbia local DJ Irv. The second day will be a full-on carnival, featuring several food and drink specials, live music, vendors and activities.
Business development and events manager Brittany Jacobsen said both days will be enjoyable for all ages.
“It’s really just a big fun celebration,” Jacobsen said. “We’re so family friendly, you'll see the moms dancing with their kids.”
Jacobsen singled out the costume party contests as her personal favorite feature because of the way it brings out attendees' personalities.
“It’s like Halloween,” Jacobsen said. “Sometimes, you’ll see people in these gorgeous gala dresses, then other people just get their face painted, or have fairy wings on.”
Burgess said the weekend will also feature a special brew known as Fastenbier, paying tribute to a recipe that calls for a smoky mix of light and heavy malt originally devised by German Catholic monks to avoid breaking the fasting rules of Lent.
“The rule was that if your bread is in liquid form, which beer and bread are made up of almost identical ingredients, that you’re somehow not breaking the rules of the fast,” Burgess said.
Local software engineer and regular Bierkeller customer Susanne Kappler, who’s originally from Germany and enjoys brewing her own beer at home, said the brewery brings something special to Columbia.
“I’m really a fan of the beer,” Kappler said. “It’s the best German beer I’ve had outside of Germany.”
Kappler grew up in Mainz, which she said is one of the Carnival capitals in Germany and an event that she felt Columbia residents should make a point to attend.
Kappler also said she wanted to stress the family-friendly atmosphere of Bierkeller, with her and her wife often bringing their grandkids along for dinner and events.
Jacobsen said capturing the feeling of German establishments and immersing guests was a core tenet of how they operated.
“We’re rooted in tradition. We don’t want to be the next new exciting thing, we don’t want to release experimental new beer,” Jacobsen said. “We want the people who have been in Germany to be back in Germany and the people that grew up in Germany to be like, oh my gosh, my Oma made this meal.”
Burgess said he thinks Columbia and German culture are a perfect fit, and that the results have proved it.
“We feel strongly that this German biergarten culture fits really well with our city and makes us stand out,” Burgess said. “There’s nothing like us in Greenville, there’s nothing like us in Charleston, so, you know, Columbia is cool.”
Burgess said the Fasching festivities represented a great opportunity for Columbia residents to explore the riverfront, enjoy its history and consider paying a visit to Bierkeller.
The first portion of the Fasching event, Ladies Night, will be on Friday, Feb. 21 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Carnival will take place on Saturday, Feb. 22 from noon to 7 p.m. More information on Bierkeller can be found on their website.