Brauhaus Schmitz Celebrates 3 Years Open Tonight

Brauhaus Schmitz celebrates their third birthday tonight with cheap booze, free snacks, and a sledgehammer. Owners Doug Hager and Kelly Schmitz opened their German beer hall to a few raised eyebrows awhile back, because of their concept and location. The only German restaurant that had any kind of support, Ludwig's, closed down just prior to Brauhaus' opening, and South Street wasn't seen as an area that could support such a big restaurant with fairly high overhead.

Fast forward to today, where Hager and Schmitz seem to have gotten the last laugh, as Brauhaus Schmitz has been packed since day one, and they're about to expand into the building next door, as well as opening a full-service space at The Reading Terminal Market called Wursthaus Schmitz.

A big part of the success has been chef Jeremy Nolen's fantastic food, which blends old school, real-deal Teutonic classics with new world techniques and ingredients. Tonight's festivities include $3 drafts from 5-7 p.m., $3 glasses of super-rare beers Traunstein Pils and Arcobrauh Dunkel all night, and free snack foods.

UPDATE: Doug Hager will have a sledgehammer, but he's not breaking through any walls tonight. If we all buy him enough drinks, though, we might be able to convince him to give it a good shot, though. Or, at least go after the PPA.

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