Toast to community: A bierstube offering more than beer

Young people often flock to clubs and bars for the thrill and for socializing. But within the walls of this student-run bar, the concept the of community is taken to a new high providing a vital support system and safe haven for students.

A handful of friends enter through the heavy doors and head straight to the counter where the bartender of the night pours one Helles after the other. She happily hands them to the line of expecting customers over the counter which is sprinkled with beer foam. Another coworker calls out a number over the scratchy speaker system: A traditional plate of Bavarian food with weißwurst and a pretzel is ready at the pick-up station. All around the dimly lit bar shrouded in yellow Christmas lights, vibrant pockets of life emerge. A group of people engaged in a board game shares hearty laughs in one corner, while the sound of a nearing conclusion in a table football match echoes from another. All this, regularly interrupted by the clinking of glass raised in celebratory toasts.

Die Bierstube, as it is so formally called, has been a stable in the area since 1974 which the interior with tall wooden panels and dark brown colors all around reveal. It lies in the heart of Olympia Dorf – a student village in the north of Munich. The small city within a city houses around 2000 students including many exchange students from all over the world. With that many young people, a natural demand for social facilities emerge. And Olydorf’s student-run Bierstube seems to have done just the right thing for its guests as well as for its staff.

“When I first moved to Olydorf I actually felt like it was difficult getting to know people even though I live amongst so many other young students,” reminisces the bartender, Monica, while she steals a moment to herself and sips from her a cup of red Glühwein – their traditional December addition on the menu.

“Also, I easily felt overwhelmed by all the school work so I just focused on that and locked myself away. But after I got the job here, I met a lot of people and now I see how many cool things that are actually happening in Olydorf,” Monica continues, before her attention shifts to a guest who approaches the counter ready for a refill.

Never short on ideas and events
Die Bierstube is open Monday to Sunday from 19.00 until 00.30 serving beers at the reasonable cost of 3,40 euros. And if hunger strikes, you can get a plate of schnitzel with fries which even comes in a vegan version. But apart from its daily warmth, the bar often hosts a bunch of events, ranging from the diverse tones of a Jam Session to the challenge of a Pub Quiz, from the heated competition of a table football tournament to the camaraderie of a Pub Crawl.

“One of the sweetest encounters I witnessed was when two girls who came here by themselves were approached by two other girls asking them to team up for the night’s Pub Quiz. They literally sat there all night together until we closed,” Monica says with hearts in her eyes.

Munich is full of bars and other bierstubes, but unlike many other places that primarily focus on offering drinks and entertainment, Olydorf’s bierstube prioritizes community-building initiatives, creating a down-to-earth and welcoming space for students to connect. Monica believes that because Die Bierstube is student-run means that all the decisions, events, and initiatives cater directly to the student community and have allowed them to create a safe haven.

A helping hand amidst the challenge of school
It is a welcoming offering, especially for students which is a group of society that sadly tends to show up in statistics as some of the loneliest and easily affected mentally. Transitioning into university-life often raises high expectations of bustling social circles and abundant friendships. Yet, for many students, this anticipation clashes with reality. Loneliness looms, intensified by the weight of academic pressures and a longing for the comfort of familiar faces from home. This emotional tug-of-war is a stark reality for countless students, often leaving them feeling isolated.

But amidst this landscape of uncertainty, Olydorf’s Bierstube acts as an anchor, providing students in Munich a harbor of belonging. It’s not just a bar; it’s a place where students can feel included and meet likeminded people. That’s at least how a handful of the guests explains their choice of bar for the night.

“We come here over and over again because the atmosphere is just welcoming and down to earth. What you see is what you get and I never feel like I have to act or dress a certain way for example,” says a regular guest, Lucie, and takes a sip of her almost empty glass of radler. Next to her on the chunky wooden bench sits three of Lucie’s friends who nod affirmingly as she goes on to explain how they find many bars in Munich very crowded and tense.

“I guess what we like about Die Bierstube is also the fact that there is always space even for bigger groups and you don’t feel like you spent a crazy amount money after a night here,” Lucie explains.

The guests sentiments align with the essence of Die Bierstube and what the bar wants to achieve. Through its student-driven management with welcoming arms, they lead guests into a down-to-earth setting. It’s not just about serving drinks; it’s about curating experiences, organizing events, and promoting initiatives tailored to the needs of the students.