Currywurst and pils

What on earth do you drink with currywurst? Last week I was in Berlin so had the perfect opportunity to find out.

Currywurst, in case you’re wondering, is basically a large frankfurter-type sausage served with a spicy tomato sauce although many stands and restaurants have their own version. At Curry 66 in Friedrichshain they had a menu of 9 sauces, 3 of which were house sauces and the rest for for hard-core chilli sauce addicts. (I opted for the no. 3 but tried a tiny dab of the comparatively tame no. 5 which practically blew my head off). The wurst was served with an extra sprinkling of curry powder and chips with mayo and more ketchup - much nicer than it sounds, I promise!

The fresh crisp Berliner Pilsner that was on offer in the drinks fridge proved the ideal match for the sweet-spicy-salty combination. Even if I could have chosen a wine (an off-dry riesling, maybe?) I wouldn’t have been tempted - and nor would any self-respecting Berliner I’d guess.

(You can buy Berliner Pilsner in the UK from beersofeurope.co.uk. You might have to go to Berlin for the currywurst ...)