Sorry to hear it, did you lay off the brandy?
What makes it German?
Never got to the brandy. The biggest thing we actually did to the beef was to braise it, and put it the crock pot on low all evening with Knorr sauerbraten seasoning, mushrooms, sweet onion, fingerling potatoes, and a little extra vinegar and brown sugar. Makes the house smell good on a chilly night. You can stir in some crushed gingersnaps is you want to make the gravy thicker.