Bratwurst burgers, alcoholic root beer & liters of actual beer on the Bowery

If you didn't have a chance to visit the Paulaner Brauhaus that opened right on Bowery last November, then you totally missed it, because it's been replaced by... wait for it... the Paulaner Brauhaus.

Hailing from the Paulaner folks (along with the team behind Edi & The Wolf and the Michelin-starred Seasonal), the place has been given a massive revamp, keeping pretty much just the brewed-on-premises beer (and they even tweaked those a touch, adding a brand-new IPA exclusive to this brewery).

Paulaner Brewery NYC
Andrew Zimmer

The interior is definitely more beer hall-y than it was previously, while still maintaining the industrial brewery vibe with huge communal tables, a bar lined with innumerable deer horns, and a wall that's entirely covered in the pattern of a Bavarian flag.

Paulaner Brewery NYC
Andrew Zimmer

In a move you wish you could pull off at your next BBQ, they've worked up a bratwurst burger, which is dropped on a homemade pretzel bun and topped off with sauerkraut and spicy mustard.

Paulaner Brewery NYC
Andrew Zimmer

You knew there would be a wienerschnitzel, and here it is: a glorious hunk of veal pounded thin, fried, and served with lingonberries.

Paulaner Brewery NYC
Andrew Zimmer

Believe it or not, they've got something even bigger than that: the pork knuckle for two, which keeps the skin on to create a situation where the outside is super-crispy, chewy, and almost like a chicharrón, and the inside meat is incredibly juicy.

Paulaner Brewery NYC
Andrew Zimmer

Dessert is this cluster of sweet buns. Filled with apricot jam, they taste almost like balled up pancakes dusted with powdered sugar and served with a warm vanilla sauce to pour over.

Paulaner Brewery NYC
Andrew Zimmer

Or you can do liquid dessert with this homemade, alcoholic root beer. It's dangerously refreshing and made up of Root liquor, their dark lager, and cane syrup.

Paulaner Brewery NYC
Andrew Zimmer

They've also got a collection of rare and interesting liqueurs and schnapps, including one made with pine cones, one distilled from malted barley (essentially making it beer liquor), and a homemade beer schnapps (kept in that jug there) that's made by aging their dark lager with some grain alcohol and sugar. It comes out with serious notes of caramel and vanilla. Oh and duh, there are still liters of beer.

Andrew Zimmer is Thrilist's NYC Editor and he'll have another liter of beer please. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.