Pretzels & beer

Hot Chocolate's pretzels

Photos:

What’s better than the classic German beer-hall combo of a pretzel and beer? The growing number of new spots and old favorites around town with soft pretzels on their menus, that's what. Paired with tasty dips and beer, we can’t think of a better way to keep the Oktoberfest spirit going.

Sweetwater
The goods: This just-opened Michigan Avenue tavern, a sibling of the Boundary in Wicker Park, serves a pair of two jumbo pretzels ($9.95): roasted garlic and jalapeno.
The twist: The doughy duo is served in a cute metal carrier with a crock of kicky Oaxacan cheese dip.
Pair it with: Hoffbrau, a smooth, drinkable lager from Munich ($7) with the garlic pretzel; Dos Equis ($5.50) with the jalapeno pretzel.

Old Oak Tap
The goods: Bagel-size, house-made soft pretzels ($9) come three to an order at this sophisticated West Town pub.
The twist: A dipping duo—warm cheddar-stout fondue and zingy horseradish mustard sauce—appeases both indecisive eaters and opposing dip factions (the cheese saucers vs. the mustard lovers).
Pair it with: Ayinger Brau-Weisse ($6), classic German wheat beer with spicy banana-clove notes.

Hot Chocolate
The goods: At Mindy Segal’s Bucktown dessert-and-dinner mecca, two large soft pretzels arrive with ample house-made, whole-grain mustard butter for spreading ($11).
The twist: Before they’re cooked, the traditionally shaped twists are poached in Schlenkerla Helles, a Bavarian lager with a smoky flavor that comes from exposing the malt to burning beech logs before fermentation.
Pair it with: A 22-ounce bottle of Three Floyds Munsterfest, traditional Bavarian-style Oktoberfest lager made from German noble hops ($12).

The Rocking Horse
The goods: Dig into a basket of these three doughy twists from local pretzel purveyors Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels ($8): a traditional Bavarian, a “grilled cheese” pretzel stuffed (and topped) with cheddar cheese and a jalapeno cheddar–stuffed pretzel. Order early; co-owner Ryan McDonough says they “fly out of here.”
The twist: The trio is served with house-made spicy brown mustard that pairs perfectly with the plain Bavarian pretzel. (Go dip-less with the jalapeno-cheddar twist. Jalapeno plus mustard is a flavor fail.)
Pair it with: A pint of toasty, amber-hued Bell’s Octoberfest ($4.50).

The Publican
The goods: Hit Sunday brunch at this contemporary beer hall to indulge in a dish of weisswurst, mild white sausage made from a mixture of veal and pork, served with an organic, locally made Hannah’s Bretzel pretzel ($10).
The twist: Sweet Bavarian mustard serves as the dipping sauce for your pretzel—and your sausage (hey, why not?). 
Pair it with: Kulmbacher brewery’s Kapuziner Weisse (white) beer ($8). It’s the classic breakfast pairing in Bavaria, explains Publican beverage director Michael McAvena. “Every brewery that has a restaurant or hotel serves weisswurst with helles (pale) weissbier.”

Loft Six Ten
The goods: Head to this swank Wicker Park lounge for a shareable appetizer of warm soft pretzel nuggets ($9).
The twist: Mild cheddar cheese dip with a generous dose of Guinness blended in brings to mind Oktoberfest … in Dublin.
Pair it with: What else? A pint of Guinness ($5) to bring out the malty stout notes in the cheese sauce.

Heidi Moore is a Metromix special contributor.  metromix@tribune.com