Beerlin
.Berlin is awesome! I have to admit that I certainly did not like the city when I visited it for the first time some 11 years ago, and I could not understand why everyone who went there loved it so much. Yes, I was biased from only one afternoon that I spent there, completely exhausted after a month of backpacking through Europe. Anyways, that was years ago and it was about time that the city deserved a second chance. And, damn I was impressed. I still don't think that Berlin is very beautiful place, but it defintely is a city to experience. Berlin is a truly vibrating city. I didn’t do much sightseeing there, but mostly just strolled around, hung out at coffee places, ate amazing food, talked to people and drank lots of beer. Berlin is Europe’s craft beer Mecca. I have no idea how appropriate the word Mecca is when used to describe something connected to alcohol, but, hey, I like it, so let’s stick with it! I have been to so many fantastic craft beer places, tap rooms and breweries during my stay. Some of these pubs were the best places that I have ever set foot in and I cannot wait to return in a few days. It was also in one of those bars where I had Russian craft beer for the first time in my life – those babies are strong, but so damn good. I spent most of my time in East Berlin (Friedrichshain and Mitte), in Kreuzberg and Neukölln and even in these areas I have gotten nowhere close to having covered all the places, not to mention the whole city. Berlin is pretty huge :). It was also in Berlin that I experienced like nowhere else before, how much the craft beer scene is in fact a scene. Competition does not seem to exist and it feels like a big community. Just to give you an example, in a bar in Neukölln I recognized staff from Brewdog, Mikkeller and Stone drinking together and the guy in another bar knew them all, as well. In any bar that you go to, you would always learn about other places to check out. I really liked that and it proved my theory of craft beer drinking being the ultimate social event. Berlin simply rocks. As mentioned before, I will be back in December, so stay tuned for more recommendations to appear on here.
PROTOKOLL
Protokoll is pure craft beer rock n roll. I am going to spoil and say that it is one the best bars that I have been drinking at. Protokoll just opened its doors last summer and is so to say the new kid on the block. Although it is located in the booming Friedrichshain neighborhood in East Berlin, the street that it can be found on is anything but up-and-coming. Apart from a cheesy copy of the MacLaren’s pub, which will ring a bell to anyone who has watched just one episode of How I Met Your Mother, there is not much happening on Boxhagener Straße. But then, there’s Protokoll. The beer selection that they offer is absolutely outstanding. They have some of the most creative and weirdest brews in their pipes or cans that I know, such as a Broccoli or a Cabbage DIPA by the phenomenal Other Half Brewing Co from Brooklyn, NY. Until today, it is the only place that I know that is serving Russian crafties. The Russian microbrewing scene is huge and steadily growing. After the fall of the iron curtain, Russia started importing all the big commercial Western beers, such as Heineken, Carlsberg, Bud, etc. However, when the Rubel strongly declined in the past years, it the prices for these imported beers skyrocketed, which led many Russians to start brewing themselves. By now, the Russians are experiencing some kind of beer-revolution. Breweries like Zagovor (the Russian word for conspiracy – you will never see the people without masks and also their last names are a mystery), Panzer Brewery, Anti-Factory Brew, Victory Art Brew or Labeerint have become stars in Russia and are well-known names to any Russian beer freak. However, Russia has not really exported many of their beers. The demand for Russian craft beer is already higher than the supply on the domestic market anyways. Slowly, they have started to go open up internationally as well. Especially Zagovor is a pioneer here. Apart from producing their completely own beers, they have started to engage in collaborations with foreign breweries such as Other Half and quite a few German breweries. This leads me straight back to Protokoll. JAYSIS, that whisky barrel-aged imperial stout Egor by just this Zagovor brewery was so damn good. With its 10% it is a very strong beer and you certainly taste that there is a lot of alcohol in it, yet it went down super easy while the flavors developed more and more after every sip. Protokoll offered also some of the above mentioned Zagovor x international collaborations on tap, such as the fruit and citrus dominating German Movies NEIPA with local Fuerst Wiacek , which was another highlight there (I have been really crazy about NEIPAs lately) or the Apricot Uprising w/ the Hamburg Ratsherrn Brauerei. Since I am not particularly into Sour Ales, I passed on that one. Protokoll’s owner is Russian or has at least Russian roots and as far as I know established the connection to the Russian Beers through his contacts that he obviously still has to Russia. The operating manager / bartender Ben – originally from Austin, TX – is the second of the three faces of Protokoll and in my opinion a living legend. He is a fantastic chat and I learned that he had just moved to Berlin to be part of that Protokoll adventure. Years ago, he opened a place called Craft Pride, just a few blocks away from Congress Bridge in his hometown that is serving mostly Texan brews. I am still kicking my own ass that I missed out on that bar, when I visited Austin a few years back. After having lived in Denver, Co for a while, he made his move to Berlin to take up this opportunity. The pub consists of two rooms. The main room is made up by the bar, a couple of high tables and a few seats by the window. A very old door is placed so wonderfully oddly in one corner that it makes one feel as if you’d enter a place from a former time, if you opened and walked through it. The second room is in on the left hand side of the front room and consists of regular-height tables and chairs instead of barstools. The big windows make the bar bright and friendly during daytime hours and thus provide a great contrast to the dark wooden furniture. When I got there, I knew that I would not be leaving Protokoll for some time. There weren’t many people there, when I ordered my first beer (it was 5 on a summer Monday afternoon after all), but the longer the evening went, the more people came and I had the feeling that Protokoll had quickly made its name in the craft beer scene. Protokoll has 24 different beers on tap, each of them carefully selected, displayed with chalk on boards behind the bar. I think Ben changed taps to different and fresh beers two to three times while I was there and I am sure that you will always find something new to taste there, even if you become a regular. Apart from the Russian products, Protokoll is concentrating very much on American and German beers. I got to know, to taste and to really like the New Yorker Finback Brewery and their Fold NEIPA and Caviar Triple IPA. Another beer that I need to mention was the Kings County Brewers Collectives’ and Gun Hill’s collab called Walkie Talkie, a very nice IIPA which was somewhat sweet and fruity at the same time. Have a look at the pictures of the tap menu. They also have true treasures in refigerators as well, such as the Stone the Crows IPA, a Scandinavian collaboration of the Swedish Brewski and the Danish Alefarm brewery or a Brunch of Nuts by Mikkeller SD. Especially the latter one easily made it to one of my favorites. This Imperial Stout that is brewed with coconuts and macademia nuts is extremely rare to find. I had the pleasure the share it with Ben and I was amazed how great it was and how the beer brought out the flavor of both kind of nuts. It was very smooth and did not taste like a 10.9% beer at all. I had a fantastic evening at Protokoll and I seriously cannot wait to come back there. This will be the bar to go to on my first night out.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. They are changing the taps so regularly, that I am sure that a lot of the following beers will not be available now. However, go for the Russian stuff, especially Zagovor. And just taste yourself through the menu. You will find something that you love. Anyways, those are some of the beers I really liked, when I was at Protokoll.
Zagovor – Egor, Zagovor x Fuerst Wiacek – German Movies, Finback Fold NEIPA, Brewski – Stone the Crowds, Mikkeller – Brunch of Nuts, Night Watch – Velka Morava, KCBC x Gun Hill – Walkie Talkie DIPA.
FOOD. I did not eat there and I do not think that much food was served, when I was there. I believe that by now, they have established quite a nice food menu as well.
OPENING HOURS. Sun – Thu: 4pm – midnight. Fri and Sat: 4pm – 2am.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U5 Frankfurter Tor, U5 Samariterstraße, U1 Warschauer Straße
ADDRESS. Boxhagener Str. 110, 10245 Berlin
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HEIDENPETERS
Heidenpeters is not particularly a pub, but it still has to make it on my list. Johannes Heidenpeters is the magician behind the beers that are brewed in the basement of the legendary Markthalle IX in Kreuzberg. In one of the corners of this market hall, he has a little stand/bar, where his creations are freshly tapped. Markthalle IX itself should be on the bucket list for everyone who is visiting Berlin. They have awesome food selections ranging from Latin American cuisine to fantastic burgers at Kumpel & Keule and also vegans will find fantastic dishes there. Heidenpeters of course cannot be missed out when being there. I had read about this place and that his Pale Ale was supposed to be one the best ones to be brewed in Germany – and I thus was very curious to check it out and came there with very high expectations. Six different draught beers of all kind of styles were announced on a blackboard. When I ordered my beer, I had to smile at the geniality of how this blackboard turned out to be a little cupboard with the 0.3l glasses stored on shelves in a hole in the wall. I really love these little small things that contribute so much to the whole picture of a place. I decided that my very first beer in Berlin would be the Black IPA and damn that was a good choice. I took the first sip and had this special Oh my God effect that I am looking for on my quest for the holy beer. It was smooth and had a slight, yet distinctive smoky taste. In front of the taps, the bottled versions were displayed. The labels all follow the same design, with the Heidenpeters logo on the bottom and the name of the beer on it. Almost all the beers are called after their style such as IPA, Helles, Pilz, NEIPA or Session IPA and are determined by a different color. The only beer standing out in the sense of having a name was the Thirsty Lady, a Blonde Ale. The next beers I went for were two different IPAs, the Session IPA and the American IPA (both tapped) and again I was blown away by the taste and their flavors. Directly next to the bar, there is a door in the red brick wall that leads down to the basement where the brewery is and Mr Heidenpeters was working on a new creation. At some point that door opened and he came up and I had the chance to talk to the genius very briefly. Even though he was very busy, he took his time for a quick chat. He is an extremely friendly person and I am very happy to have met him. I have no idea how he is doing it, but I did not have a single beer there that I did not like. Altogether, I was at Heidenpeters three times during my stay in Berlin and I was amazed every time again at how phenomenal his brews were. I eventually managed to not leave the city without having tried every single tap beer and every single bottle at least once. At the end of the day the BIPA and the NEIPA were my two top favorites. Unfortunately, they didn’t have that legendary Pale Ale on tap. I had it bottled and it indeed was fantastic and I would have loved to try the tapped version of it. There still is a big difference between bottled/canned and draught beers. However, I am not too disappointed. I will be back in Berlin later this year anyways, and I already have something amazing to look forward to. I also hope that the NEIPA will be on tap then. And still the BIPA. And the Session IPA. And maybe a new creation that I haven’t had yet. And, and, and….
BEERS I RECOMMEND. BIPA, IPA, Session IPA, American IPA, Pale Ale, NEIPA
FOOD. No food there. But plenty and plenty of choices at Markthalle IX. For a deposit, you can take the beer with you and explore the whole market hall.
OPENING HOURS. Tue: 2pm – 8pm, Thu: 5pm – 10pm, Fri: 2pm – 8pm, Sat: 12pm – 8pm
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U1 Schlesisches Tor, U1 Görlitzer Bahnhof
ADDRESS. Eisenbahnstraße 42-43, 10997 Berlin
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MUTED HORN
Muted Horn is located deep inside ethnic melting pot of the up-and-coming and formerly rough neighborhood of Neukölln (which I like to call the Bronx of Berlin) and it is everything that a craft beer lover can wish for. The owners are from Vancouver, Canada and they have strong focus on North American and specifically Canadian beers. When approaching the bar, you will walk down a driveway and it feels like the pub would consequently be the garage. The selection of draught beers is outstanding. Tap after tap with long wooden handles are installed into the red brick wall making up a list of 22 different beers waiting to be pumped. 2 of these 22 taps are always reserved for nitro beers. On two huge vintage groove panels above the taps, plug in letters tell you which beers are currently available. I started with the Millionaire Stout by Wild Beer Co., which I do like a lot. However, I was very much in the need of a bite and since they do not serve food at Muted Horn (yet, they are cool with you bringing your own or somewhere else purchased food to the bar and consume it there), I decided to find something to eat and return later. Luckily, Neukölln isn’t short of any food. It is one of the most multicultural districts in Berlin and in line with this is the diversity of food choices you can make. If anyone’s interested I found a great Somalian place and their peanut sauce was just heaven. Anyways, I felt prepared to come back to Muted Horn for a couple more beers. On the driveway, there are many tables with benches and the candles are made up of empty beer cans with wax filled into them. These place looked so chill and inviting that I couldn’t resist occupying one of them, leaning back against the wall and enjoying and few ones there, while it was slowly getting dark. They fixed some sort of metal fence to a wall inside, onto which they clipped books that you can take and read, which I did not say no to. I started my second round with one of the nitro beers. The Don’t Be Bitter Oscar, by the German Vagabund Brewery was an Extra Special Bitter and damn hell, that one was good. Besides being a craft beer place, Muted Horn is also some kind of ludothèque with a big selection of board games that people can choose from. The pub seems to be a hot spot for the craft beer scene in Berlin, where all different people from that community come together. I spotted the guy from Mikkeller, one from the Brew Dog staff and another one from Stone sitting at a table over a few beers. I later moved inside to take a seat at the bar and to order a few more beers. I really liked the Norwegian/Danish collaboration called Socks n Sandals by Lervig and Warpigs. It was a very fruity and refreshing APA that went down very easily and still was very rich in flavor. I especially had to laugh quite a bit at the name, because I made it my goal this summer to make crocs and tennis socks fashionable (don’t think it worked out well, though J). I talked a lot to the bartender there, but it took us almost until closing hours until I found out that he wasn’t Canadian, but from Berlin and that we spoke the same mother tongue. Muted Horn also offers beer flights of four different 0.15l tasters, which I very much appreciated. I went for the Imperial Doughnut Break, a sweet and heavy Imperial Porter by Evil Twin from Brooklyn, which actually did taste like a liquid vanilla donut and the Telepathy by the British brewery Magic Rock, which was a fruity and juicy bomb of an NEIPA. The other two tasters were made up of the Armored Fist BIPA, a US collaboration of Boneyard and Three Floyds and the hybrid of a multigrain Blanche and a Saison by the Canadian Brasserie Dunham called Propolis. Muted Horn was definitely one of my highlights of my Berlin trip. I will definitely drink again there, next time I’ll be in town.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. Lervig x Warpigs – Socks n Sandals APA, Vagabund – Don’t Be Bitter, Oscar ESB (nitro), Great Divide – Hercules IIPA, Boneyard x Three Floyds – Armored Fist Black IPA, Beavertown – Neck Oil Session IPA, Evil Twin – Imperial Doughnut Break (Porter), Magic Rock – Telepathy New England IPA, Wild Beer Co. – Millionaire Salted Caramel and Milk Stout, BBN – 45/01 Belgian IPA, Motel – Lago Dorado Coffee Golden Ale (Nitro).
FOOD. Only some bar snacks. You can bring your own food though.
OPENING HOURS. Mon-Thu: 5pm – 2am. Fri 5pm – 3am. Sat. 3pm – 3am. Sun: 3pm – 2am
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U8 Boddinstraße, U7 Rathaus-Neukölln
ADDRESS. Flughafenstraße 49, 12053 Berlin
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HOPFENREICH
This used to be the craft beer pub that was closest to the hostel that I stayed at. Hopfenreich is in the trendy Kreuzberg neighborhood in an area of huge culinary diversity. The choices of eateries, coffee places, take-aways and bars are endless there. Of all these locations, Hopfenreich stood out to me, probably because it serves excellent beer. It is corner pub, as so many can be found in Berlin, and belongs to Attila Kiss, the man that became famous for his Szimpla Kert ruin bar in Budapest, which has become an institution in the Hungarian capital. It was a Friday night, when I went to Hopfenreich for the first time. The place was really full, but I was lucky to find a free seat at the bar. The bar is really cool and unique. The whole tap system consisted of old craftsmanship or industrial instruments that were put into a modern use. Old water and steam pipes, jaw vises and valves were repurposed to pour amazingly fresh and delicious independent beer. The whole interior design of the pub is awesomely retro and it is obvious that a lot of thought was put into it. The main element is wood. The floor is creaking and cracking beneath someone’s steps, the light balls of the lamps that are hanging down from the ceilings are covered by empty beer bottles and the wax is travelling down the bottles that the candles are stuck into. The white walls are mostly blank, apart from a painting that is drawn directly onto the paper in the very back of the bar, a beer map that is showing all the different beer styles and how they are related to each other and a blackboard showing the bottled and canned beers that are offered. The draught menu looks like the surface of an old park bench or a wooden fence and onto each of those timber bars is dedicated to one beer. Altogether, Hopfenreich has 20 different beers on tap. Most of them are from Germany and many of them from Berlin, such as Fuerst Wiacek, Berliner Berg, Schoppe Bräu, Motel or Brewbaker. The concentration of micro-breweries is really high in Berlin and there were many producers on the list – as for example the above mentioned – that I never heard of before (I was to get to know many of them during my shenanigans through Berlin’s craft beer scene). The Spent Brewers Collective was another one of such a Berlin based brewery that I had not known and their Red Oat Ale became my first choice at Hopfenreich. It tasted very interestingly, kind of like an Amber with the bitterness of a West Coast-style IPA. They even offered a Canadian beer. Leo’s Early Breakfast IPA, by La Brasserie Dunham from Quebec is a refreshing citrus IPA that is brewed with notes of earl grey tea and fit perfectly to that rainy evening outside. The Backbone Splitter by Hanscraft Co. was probably one of the best IPAs I know. The crowd at Hopfenreich is in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties and you’ll run into Germans and expats equally. I don’t think that there were many tourists in the pub; it seems to be more of a place for locals. I had a good time talking to the guests and received some really great tips on what to do in Berlin. The music was really good, as well, but then again, any bar that plays Tom Waits and Dylan is in my good books. It was during one of my other visits at Hopfenreich, when I had the one beer that was the best that I had in this city and still is ranked up very high in my Beers I Never Forget list. I have mentioned Berliner Bierfabrik in my Stone review. The Rich Women was already mind blowing, but the Maple Walnut Stout which I had here, is still on another level. I have had nut beers before, but never a walnut one. The walnut taste dominates first, but then later the maple that kicks in all the way. While writing these lines, all these dances and explosions of flavors come back to my head and I actually taste them on my tongue. This beer will definitely stay one of my all-time favorites. On my last evening, I came back to Hopfenreich to have one more of this bad boy and it was the perfect way to end my Berlin trip.
BEERS I RECÓMMEND. Berliner Bierfabrik – Maple Walnut Stout, Spent Collective – Red Oat Ale, Hanscraft – Backbone Splitter, Dunham – Leo’s Early Breakfast IPA, Buddleship – Great Escape IPA, Motel – Shady Pines IPA.
FOOD. They don’t serve any food. You might get some snacks just as chips or salted pretzels.
OPENING HOURS. Sun-Thu: 4pm – 2am. Fri and Sat: 4pm-3am.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U1 Schlesisches Tor
ADDRESS. Sorauer Straße 31, 10997 Berlin
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BREWDOG BERLIN
Berlin also has a Brewdog bar. I had already been drinking at their bar in SoHo in London and after having missed the one in Barcelona, I had to pay the one in Berlin a visit. Brewdog Berlin is located in Mitte and very easy to reach from the subway stop Rosenthaler Platz. It can be said without any doubt that Brewdog is a true beer temple. The place is huge and the list of beers never ending. 30 draught beers are offered. About half of them are Brewdogs, and the rest consists of either Brewdog collaborations with other breweries such as Berliner Berg or other guest brews. I think that The Kernel Brewery from England had a tap takeover when I was there, since they had many Kernel brews on tap. The taproom looks like a big hall, with table rows next to each other and some booths on one side. In the basement, on the way to the restrooms, empty Brewdog branded barrels are stapled on top of each other. At the end of the pub, a big glass door leads to a beer garden with tables and benches on pebble stone ground. It took me while to decide on the first beer. I was too overwhelmed by the choices and had to let the list sink in first. In the end, I went for the Jet Black Heart, since it is one of my favorite Brewdogs and I never had it on tap before and the Electric India, which I took with me to consume in the beer garden. I really enjoyed the calm and peaceful atmosphere there. Some other people were drinking and chatting outside. I always went for small beers (0.2 – 0.25l sizes) and ordered two beers at the same time to be able to taste myself a bit more through the menu. One of my favorites was the Zeigeist, a Schwarzbier, which is an ode to the classical Czech dark lager and was spiced up with American hops giving it a slight smoky and chocolaty taste. I very much loved that one. Another fantastic creation is the Pump Action Poet, an IPA full of fruity and tropical aromas. I cannot recall having seen that one in Vienna before. The bartenders are very helpful and guide you through the menu as well. If you have questions about a beer, they pour little sips to taste them before deciding whether to order them. On a wall next to the very long bar, there are polaroids of the staff displayed. I took a picture with my Instax of one of the guys there and gave it to him to put on the wall. In return, I received a beer on the house. Not a bad deal J. The beer that I got was the legendary Elvis Juice. It is the favorite beer of one of a friend of mine and I just had to make him jealous by sending him a picture of a freshly tapped Elvis Juice. From the guest beers, I loved The Kernel Export Stout 1890, which is a classic roasty English stout, with flavors of vanilla and dried fruit. Before leaving the pub to head on, I went strong with another Kernel brew, the Imperial Brown Stout 1856 with 9.9% and I couldn’t resist having the crown jewel of the bar, either. That was the Tokyo* Horizon, which is a special collaboration of Brewdog, Nøgne Ø and Mikkeller. It is an Imperial Stout that only has 15% and is basically a mixture of the three breweries’ flagship stouts. That beer was really, really good and a perfect bridge for my next stop, the Mikkeller bar.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. Zeitgeist, Jet Black Heart, Pump Action Poet, everything by The Kernel Brewery, Tokyo Horizon.
FOOD. Huge list of bar food / American food. Burgers, fries, wings, ribs, everything you want. I did not eat there, but everything looked really delish.
OPENING HOURS. Sun-Thu: 12pm – 12am, Fri and Sat: 12pm – 2am.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U8 Rosenthaler Platz
ADDRESS. Ackerstraße 29, 10115 Berlin
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MIKKELLER BERLIN
Yes, there is also a Mikkeller Bar in Berlin. Over the past years bars operated by the Danish gypsy brewers Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and Kristian Klarup Keller (which makes Mikkeller) have really taken off. New Mikkeller taprooms have opened in cities all over the world and the Berlin branch is one of the newer ones with an opening on March 18, 2017 (Kudos, to anyone who made it there, after St. Patricks’s Day J). I do feel like I have a special bond with Mikkeller, as is explained more detailed in the Lund and Copenhagen section. I really, really like their beer and it would be a dream come true, should they open a bar in Vienna. I still remember how overwhelmed I was during my first visit at the original Mikkeller & Friends bar in Nørrebro, Copenhagen and I have also been drinking in their Barcelona pub and Berlin was my third “Mikkeller city” to tick off my list. The interior of the bar is characterized by the typical Mikkeller design of green-blueish floors, light wooden colored bar stools and their post-modern cartoons on the walls. If you have ever heard of the Danish lifestyle “hyggelig”, then this bar can be described like that. Nobody needs to be in a rush and you feel like you instantly relax and can lay back when you enter the bar. Mikkeller is located in the heart of Mitte, a few minutes away from Brew Dog’s Berlin taproom, which I paid a visit before. I was so happy when I saw that they were pouring the Kaffe Stout, which is a favorite Mikkeller beer of mine and I had to start with both that one and the Cali Rare, a very refreshing California Common. The amount of tap beers is huge. The list is made up by roughly 50% Mikkeller brews and 50% guest beers (a lot of those were from Warpigs, who are also from Denmark), which seems to be standard in their pubs. The bartender, another American from Austin, TX, told me about regular tap takeovers by different breweries from around the world and apparently I had just missed the one by the Barcelonian geniuses from Garage Beer Co. (my review on them can be read in the Barcelona section). I genuinely love how this craft beer community is such a big family and how you discover relationships and links by randomly talking to a bartender about a great brewery from another country and then learn that this exact brewery has been at this exact bar just a couple of days earlier. Luckily, they still had two cans of Garage left (Fulcrum IPA and Middle Child IPA), which I more than happily purchased….I haven’t had these when I was in Barcelona and man, these beers were great and it proved me right that when I count Garage to one of my favorite breweries. Mikkeller must have created a beer especially for that bar, the Mitte Brown, which is a very delicious and full bodied brown ale. Other fantastic brew was the Stick It In The Ear IPA and the Citra Session IPAs. From the guest brews, I couldn’t get my hands off the Warpigs Double Mad Hands NEIPA and the Basqueland Imparable IPA again. One of my highlights, was the collab of Mikkeller SD and again Warpigs called Locomotive Breath, which is a smoked barley wine. It is quite strong (11.2%) and tastes like barrel aged bacon ata a bondfire. My goodness, that was good! I don’t remember how many hours I spent at the tables outside the bar, slurping away on my 0.2 cl beers while watching the pedestrians pass by and talking to people that sat down on my table. At one point, the bartender carried out boxes filled with bottles and cans, which he set up on my table to take pictures for an upcoming event at the bar. Mikkeller should definitely be on your list and as said before, it is great to combine it with Brewdog.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. Cali Rare, Kaffe Stout, Mitte Brown, Stick It in The Ear, Warpigs Double Mad Hands, Basqueland – Imparable IPA, Mikkeller SD x Warpigs – Locomotive Breath
FOOD. I did not eat there and did not look at the menu. But I presume that they will serve some snacks.
OPENING HOURS. Sun – Thu. 3pm – midnight. Fri and Sat. 1pm – 2am.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U8 Rosenthaler Platz
ADDRESS. Torstraße 102, 10119 Berlin
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HOPS & BARLEY
The Friedrichshain neighborhood is a hot spot for craft beer in Germany’s capital. There is a high concentration of craft beer places and most of them can be reached by foot within 10-15 minutes. Hops & Barley definitely needs to be mentioned, when talking about the Friedrichshain pubs. It is one of the oldest brew pubs in Berlin and opened its door almost 10 years ago. What I like about this place is that it does not try to be anything fancy or super hip. The beers are brewed directly on the premises of this little bar. Hops & Barley has 7 different beers on tap. The standard beers such as the Pils, Weizen or Dunkles are a stable on the menu, while they are brewing and pouring new and special creations such as an IPA, a Mandarin Pale Ale or a Black IPA on a regular basis. I was there on a Saturday evening and Hops & Barley is completely full. People were sitting on a few tables and benches against the wall at the outside of the pub and the inside area of Hops was also very crowded. The interior design reminded me of a hybrid of an English pub and a German Kneipe. The walls are covered by tiles, there are a few tables inside that were all occupied by people having vivid conversations and the beer tanks let the visitor know that the beers are actually brewed there. Although there were so many people there, I never had to wait long for my order and despite the staff being very busy, they were really friendly and took their time to help people make their choices. My favorite beer at Hops was the Dunkel, which was a very traditional Czech –style dark beer, quite malty and a bit sweet. It was really, really good. I was also very positively surprised by their IPA, which was a very standard India Pale Ale, with not much fuzz made around. I think that also kind of represents what I liked so much about Hops. It seems like everything is very real in there. They stick to the point and that is making great beer and serving them in a just chilled and laid back living room-like atmosphere. Definitely check out this place when strolling through Friedrichshain. It will be worth it.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. Dunkel, Pils, IPA.
FOOD. They don’t serve much food, rather snacks. But these are very typical German snacks. Sausages, spreads, bread, pickles and the like.
OPENING HOURS. Sun – Fri: 5pm – 2am. Sat: 3pm – 4am.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U1 Warschauer Straße
ADDRESS. Wühlischstraße 22/23, 10245 Berlin
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STONE BREWING WORLD BISTRO AND GARDENS
The Californian institution Stone Brewing opened its Berlin branch in summer 2016 in order to deliver the European market. I have gotten to know Stone during my first California visit back in 2011, when a friend of mine took me on a brewery tour and pints at their HQ in Escondido in the San Diego County. Ever since then, I really love their beers and a visit to their bar was a must during my stay in Berlin. Their premises are a quite a bit in the southern outskirts of Berlin, but it is worth making the trip down there. The brewery moved into a former gaswork facility that was built in the first decade of the 20th century. The whole ground there is basically a 3,200 sqm campus that consists of the main building with the brewery, the bar and restaurant and a merchandising shop and in front of and around the main hall there is the Garden of Eden. The garden is huge and I was worried that people might get lost in there. There are endless possibilities to chillax in corners, beneath birch trees or other plants, at a little biotope or to sit on tables or garden furniture. The green element is dominating in the garden, trees donate plenty of shade and the cobble stoned paths would lead you to the main entrance. When entering the bistro a giant hall with tables, tree trunks and bicycles on the walls welcomes you. The main attraction for me however, was the bar. Two rows of pumps provided no less than 50 different tapped beers, which are changed on a daily basis. Twenty-one of these beers are devoted to the Stone World – both from San Diego and from Berlin, while the other 28 are from their friends from around the world, with a strong focus on Germany and Berlin. This enormous list of choices made me go for 0.15l sizes, since I believe it is the best to option, if you want to taste many different beers. They also offer sizes of 0.3l and (if the ABV is beneath 8%) 0.5l. It is very convenient that you can hand the bartenders your credit card and open a tap in order to not have to pay straight away every time you get a new brew. I started with two Stones and carried them back outside to the garden. The Stone Ripper (a San Diego-style Pale Ale) and the small brother of their phenomenal Arrogant Brewing series, the Little Bastard Ale (an American Amber) were my first choices. I already knew the first one, but the Little Bastard was new to me. Both beers are exceptionally good and it proved once again, what a great brewery Stone is. Since it is a bit of a broader way back to the bar (relatively, of course), I decided to go for three beers next. The Stone Tangerine Express IPA, the Arrogant Bastard Ale (the big brother J) and the Clear Alcohols Are For Rich Women On Diets Smoked Ale by the wonderful Berliner Bierfabrik. The Tangerine – a fruity and juicy, yet quite bitter IPA of 7.4% - was probably my favorite Stone. I had another one of this baby later that afternoon. The taste of a tangerine was definitely alive in my mouth. I don’t think I have to write much about the Arrogant Bastard Ale. It still is one of Stone’s flagship brews and very smooth to drink despite its 7.2% ABV. The Smoked Ale was a dream. It had a beautiful light brown color and it felt like I was sipping steak with black stripes from coming straight off the grill. I would come to try more beers from BBF at other places and there was one that even topped the Rich Women, but more about that later. Berliner Bierfabrik is definitely a brewery to keep in mind and I am planning on visiting them next time I am in town. I really enjoyed my afternoon at Stone. The atmosphere in the garden is absolutely laid back. I am sure it will be awesome to go there with friends. But even on my own, I loved it. You can chill in the sun and enjoy some amazing beers. You hear the sound of the birds and every now and then the nearby S-Bahn is rumbling by on the nearby tracks. There were quite a few people there on this Sunday afternoon, but since the garden is that huge, it never seemed crowded. You will also always find some interesting people to talk to. You can easily spend a couple hours there. And for the way back you can buy some beers in the merchandising store to take with you. The Coffee Milk Stout was a loyal companion on my walk to the subway.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. Stone Ripper, Little Bastard, Arrogant Bastard, Tangerine Express, Coffee Milk Stout, Berliner Bierfabrik – Clear Alcohols Are For Rich Women On Diets.
FOOD. Typical pub food. Burgers, wings, ribs, sandwiches etc.
OPENING HOURS. Mon – Sat: 12pm – midnight. Sun 10am – 10pm
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U6 Alt-Marienhof, S2 Attilastraße
ADDRESS. Im Marienpark 23, 12107 Berlin
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STRASSENBRÄU
Before having one more good-bye Maple Waltnut Stout at Hopfenreich, my last stop in Berlin was this fantastic brewpub. Straßenbräu is another treasure in Friedrichshain, only a few steps away from the Ostkreuz. It has the reputation of serving some of the best beers in town and I don’t want to spoil, but it certainly lives up to that reputation. They brew their beers directly at their premises, which contributes to making them be completely fresh. When you approach Straßenbräu during the summer months (which was when I was there), you are welcomed by a few rows of high tables and benches, which are very inviting to drink your beers there. Upon entering the place, the huge blackboard behind the bar immediately sticks out. I don’t remember having seen such a detailed menu anywhere else. Not only are the names, styles and ABVs of the beers displayed. The tap list also describes their aromas and even the kinds of hops that were used in the brewing process. Straßenbräu offers 11 own-brewed beers on tap, while one of these pumps is reserved exclusively for nitro brews. When I was there, they had a milk stout on this nitro tap. Milchstraße, as it was called, was really creamy and chocolaty stout that was not too strong and went down very smoothly. Highly recommendable and I was also quite happy that it was not too strong. It was a long night after all, I had just been to Protokoll before and there was definitely something in my blood already. The interior design looks what you imagine a brew pub to be. It is full of tanks in which the beers are fermented and beer barrels are stapled on top of each other. A few tables and other sitting possibilies round the whole thing beautifully up. At Straßenbräu you really have the feeling of being in a brewery, much more than in just a pub. As it is common practice in most craft beer places, Straßenbräu also offers the possibility to order beer flights. For a price of 8 € you can order 4 different 0.1l draught beers of your choice. Since I am a big fan of such tasters, I had to seize this opportunity. I ordered the Sonnenal(l)e(e) Pale Ale, the NB 30 IPA (NB 30 stands for the address of Straßenbräu – Neue Bahnhofstraße 30), the Europfen IPA and the Hommelsap, a Belgian Wheat IPA. Of these four, my favorite probably was the NB30. It was very hoppy with citrus and grapefruit flavors and with an ABV of 6.4% not too strong, basically just the way I like an IPA to be. But also the other beers from my flight were extremely delish. Another beer on the menu, I very much enjoyed was the Ampelrot, a light and easy drinkable red ale, with notes of smoky chocolate. I would have loved to stay at Straßenbräu a bit longer, but as said before, it was basically my last stop after a 5 days beer-tasting trip to Berlin and I was really tired. I will be back to Berlin soon though and I certainly plan on staying at Straßenbräu longer then. I also really hope that they will still (or again) have the Sauving Blanc on their menu. It is a Barrel Aged Double IPA and unfortunately I did not get a chance to taste that one. It sounded extremely interesting after all.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. If available. Milchstraße (Nitro Milk Stout), NB 30 IPA, Beerenallee (Berry Ale), Europfen IPA, Ampelrot Red Ale, Sonnenal(l)e(e), Hommelsap.
FOOD. They don’t serve any food. But it is no problem to order food and have it delivered to the pub.
OPENING HOURS. Sun – Thu: 5pm – 2am. Fri and Sat: 5pm – open end.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U1 Warschauer Straße, S3, S5, S7 Ostkreuz.
ADDRESS. Neue Bahnhofstraße 30, 10245 Berlingoo.gl/maps/ZNuGMj8LgaL2
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SHOPS
DRINK DRUNK
What shall I say? A craft beer shop that is opened 24/7. I loved that little place. It is located directly opposite of the red brick building of the subway stop Schlesisches Tor and from the outside it seems to be like just one more of those hundreds of “Spätis” you can find in Berlin. Inside, it is completely different, though. I walked by this place every day, but it wasn’t until the third day when I actually realized what I would find in it. Funny thing is, that it was in fact a van parked outside on a nearby street that belonged to Drink Drunk and that was advertising the craft beer selection that can be purchased at the shop that drew my attention to it. When I set foot inside I was overwhelmed by what I would see in there. They had the finest selection of German craft beers and also some really good international stuff all cooled in rows of fridges. One of these international choices was the crazy, crazy Original Ice Cream Pale Ale by the Swedish Omnipollo brewery. It was the first time that I saw this beer again, after my first experience of tasting it on tap at Biercab in Barcelona. And damn, it was still as good as I remembered it. Outside of Drink Drunk there are two small tables and benches, which are crafted from used, wooden pallets and which invite the customer to consume some of the beers directly there. I really enjoyed sitting there, sipping on some of the brews I bought while some Turkish pop music was on the speakers (I was in Kreuzberg, after all) and the trains of the U1 rattled by on the overground rail tracks.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U1 Schlesisches Tor
OPENING HOURS. 24/7
ADDRESS. Schlesische Straße 1, 10997 Berlin
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PROTOKOLL
Protokoll is pure craft beer rock n roll. I am going to spoil and say that it is one the best bars that I have been drinking at. Protokoll just opened its doors last summer and is so to say the new kid on the block. Although it is located in the booming Friedrichshain neighborhood in East Berlin, the street that it can be found on is anything but up-and-coming. Apart from a cheesy copy of the MacLaren’s pub, which will ring a bell to anyone who has watched just one episode of How I Met Your Mother, there is not much happening on Boxhagener Straße. But then, there’s Protokoll. The beer selection that they offer is absolutely outstanding. They have some of the most creative and weirdest brews in their pipes or cans that I know, such as a Broccoli or a Cabbage DIPA by the phenomenal Other Half Brewing Co from Brooklyn, NY. Until today, it is the only place that I know that is serving Russian crafties. The Russian microbrewing scene is huge and steadily growing. After the fall of the iron curtain, Russia started importing all the big commercial Western beers, such as Heineken, Carlsberg, Bud, etc. However, when the Rubel strongly declined in the past years, it the prices for these imported beers skyrocketed, which led many Russians to start brewing themselves. By now, the Russians are experiencing some kind of beer-revolution. Breweries like Zagovor (the Russian word for conspiracy – you will never see the people without masks and also their last names are a mystery), Panzer Brewery, Anti-Factory Brew, Victory Art Brew or Labeerint have become stars in Russia and are well-known names to any Russian beer freak. However, Russia has not really exported many of their beers. The demand for Russian craft beer is already higher than the supply on the domestic market anyways. Slowly, they have started to go open up internationally as well. Especially Zagovor is a pioneer here. Apart from producing their completely own beers, they have started to engage in collaborations with foreign breweries such as Other Half and quite a few German breweries. This leads me straight back to Protokoll. JAYSIS, that whisky barrel-aged imperial stout Egor by just this Zagovor brewery was so damn good. With its 10% it is a very strong beer and you certainly taste that there is a lot of alcohol in it, yet it went down super easy while the flavors developed more and more after every sip. Protokoll offered also some of the above mentioned Zagovor x international collaborations on tap, such as the fruit and citrus dominating German Movies NEIPA with local Fuerst Wiacek , which was another highlight there (I have been really crazy about NEIPAs lately) or the Apricot Uprising w/ the Hamburg Ratsherrn Brauerei. Since I am not particularly into Sour Ales, I passed on that one. Protokoll’s owner is Russian or has at least Russian roots and as far as I know established the connection to the Russian Beers through his contacts that he obviously still has to Russia. The operating manager / bartender Ben – originally from Austin, TX – is the second of the three faces of Protokoll and in my opinion a living legend. He is a fantastic chat and I learned that he had just moved to Berlin to be part of that Protokoll adventure. Years ago, he opened a place called Craft Pride, just a few blocks away from Congress Bridge in his hometown that is serving mostly Texan brews. I am still kicking my own ass that I missed out on that bar, when I visited Austin a few years back. After having lived in Denver, Co for a while, he made his move to Berlin to take up this opportunity. The pub consists of two rooms. The main room is made up by the bar, a couple of high tables and a few seats by the window. A very old door is placed so wonderfully oddly in one corner that it makes one feel as if you’d enter a place from a former time, if you opened and walked through it. The second room is in on the left hand side of the front room and consists of regular-height tables and chairs instead of barstools. The big windows make the bar bright and friendly during daytime hours and thus provide a great contrast to the dark wooden furniture. When I got there, I knew that I would not be leaving Protokoll for some time. There weren’t many people there, when I ordered my first beer (it was 5 on a summer Monday afternoon after all), but the longer the evening went, the more people came and I had the feeling that Protokoll had quickly made its name in the craft beer scene. Protokoll has 24 different beers on tap, each of them carefully selected, displayed with chalk on boards behind the bar. I think Ben changed taps to different and fresh beers two to three times while I was there and I am sure that you will always find something new to taste there, even if you become a regular. Apart from the Russian products, Protokoll is concentrating very much on American and German beers. I got to know, to taste and to really like the New Yorker Finback Brewery and their Fold NEIPA and Caviar Triple IPA. Another beer that I need to mention was the Kings County Brewers Collectives’ and Gun Hill’s collab called Walkie Talkie, a very nice IIPA which was somewhat sweet and fruity at the same time. Have a look at the pictures of the tap menu. They also have true treasures in refigerators as well, such as the Stone the Crows IPA, a Scandinavian collaboration of the Swedish Brewski and the Danish Alefarm brewery or a Brunch of Nuts by Mikkeller SD. Especially the latter one easily made it to one of my favorites. This Imperial Stout that is brewed with coconuts and macademia nuts is extremely rare to find. I had the pleasure the share it with Ben and I was amazed how great it was and how the beer brought out the flavor of both kind of nuts. It was very smooth and did not taste like a 10.9% beer at all. I had a fantastic evening at Protokoll and I seriously cannot wait to come back there. This will be the bar to go to on my first night out.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. They are changing the taps so regularly, that I am sure that a lot of the following beers will not be available now. However, go for the Russian stuff, especially Zagovor. And just taste yourself through the menu. You will find something that you love. Anyways, those are some of the beers I really liked, when I was at Protokoll.
Zagovor – Egor, Zagovor x Fuerst Wiacek – German Movies, Finback Fold NEIPA, Brewski – Stone the Crowds, Mikkeller – Brunch of Nuts, Night Watch – Velka Morava, KCBC x Gun Hill – Walkie Talkie DIPA.
FOOD. I did not eat there and I do not think that much food was served, when I was there. I believe that by now, they have established quite a nice food menu as well.
OPENING HOURS. Sun – Thu: 4pm – midnight. Fri and Sat: 4pm – 2am.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U5 Frankfurter Tor, U5 Samariterstraße, U1 Warschauer Straße
ADDRESS. Boxhagener Str. 110, 10245 Berlin
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HEIDENPETERS
Heidenpeters is not particularly a pub, but it still has to make it on my list. Johannes Heidenpeters is the magician behind the beers that are brewed in the basement of the legendary Markthalle IX in Kreuzberg. In one of the corners of this market hall, he has a little stand/bar, where his creations are freshly tapped. Markthalle IX itself should be on the bucket list for everyone who is visiting Berlin. They have awesome food selections ranging from Latin American cuisine to fantastic burgers at Kumpel & Keule and also vegans will find fantastic dishes there. Heidenpeters of course cannot be missed out when being there. I had read about this place and that his Pale Ale was supposed to be one the best ones to be brewed in Germany – and I thus was very curious to check it out and came there with very high expectations. Six different draught beers of all kind of styles were announced on a blackboard. When I ordered my beer, I had to smile at the geniality of how this blackboard turned out to be a little cupboard with the 0.3l glasses stored on shelves in a hole in the wall. I really love these little small things that contribute so much to the whole picture of a place. I decided that my very first beer in Berlin would be the Black IPA and damn that was a good choice. I took the first sip and had this special Oh my God effect that I am looking for on my quest for the holy beer. It was smooth and had a slight, yet distinctive smoky taste. In front of the taps, the bottled versions were displayed. The labels all follow the same design, with the Heidenpeters logo on the bottom and the name of the beer on it. Almost all the beers are called after their style such as IPA, Helles, Pilz, NEIPA or Session IPA and are determined by a different color. The only beer standing out in the sense of having a name was the Thirsty Lady, a Blonde Ale. The next beers I went for were two different IPAs, the Session IPA and the American IPA (both tapped) and again I was blown away by the taste and their flavors. Directly next to the bar, there is a door in the red brick wall that leads down to the basement where the brewery is and Mr Heidenpeters was working on a new creation. At some point that door opened and he came up and I had the chance to talk to the genius very briefly. Even though he was very busy, he took his time for a quick chat. He is an extremely friendly person and I am very happy to have met him. I have no idea how he is doing it, but I did not have a single beer there that I did not like. Altogether, I was at Heidenpeters three times during my stay in Berlin and I was amazed every time again at how phenomenal his brews were. I eventually managed to not leave the city without having tried every single tap beer and every single bottle at least once. At the end of the day the BIPA and the NEIPA were my two top favorites. Unfortunately, they didn’t have that legendary Pale Ale on tap. I had it bottled and it indeed was fantastic and I would have loved to try the tapped version of it. There still is a big difference between bottled/canned and draught beers. However, I am not too disappointed. I will be back in Berlin later this year anyways, and I already have something amazing to look forward to. I also hope that the NEIPA will be on tap then. And still the BIPA. And the Session IPA. And maybe a new creation that I haven’t had yet. And, and, and….
BEERS I RECOMMEND. BIPA, IPA, Session IPA, American IPA, Pale Ale, NEIPA
FOOD. No food there. But plenty and plenty of choices at Markthalle IX. For a deposit, you can take the beer with you and explore the whole market hall.
OPENING HOURS. Tue: 2pm – 8pm, Thu: 5pm – 10pm, Fri: 2pm – 8pm, Sat: 12pm – 8pm
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U1 Schlesisches Tor, U1 Görlitzer Bahnhof
ADDRESS. Eisenbahnstraße 42-43, 10997 Berlin
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MUTED HORN
Muted Horn is located deep inside ethnic melting pot of the up-and-coming and formerly rough neighborhood of Neukölln (which I like to call the Bronx of Berlin) and it is everything that a craft beer lover can wish for. The owners are from Vancouver, Canada and they have strong focus on North American and specifically Canadian beers. When approaching the bar, you will walk down a driveway and it feels like the pub would consequently be the garage. The selection of draught beers is outstanding. Tap after tap with long wooden handles are installed into the red brick wall making up a list of 22 different beers waiting to be pumped. 2 of these 22 taps are always reserved for nitro beers. On two huge vintage groove panels above the taps, plug in letters tell you which beers are currently available. I started with the Millionaire Stout by Wild Beer Co., which I do like a lot. However, I was very much in the need of a bite and since they do not serve food at Muted Horn (yet, they are cool with you bringing your own or somewhere else purchased food to the bar and consume it there), I decided to find something to eat and return later. Luckily, Neukölln isn’t short of any food. It is one of the most multicultural districts in Berlin and in line with this is the diversity of food choices you can make. If anyone’s interested I found a great Somalian place and their peanut sauce was just heaven. Anyways, I felt prepared to come back to Muted Horn for a couple more beers. On the driveway, there are many tables with benches and the candles are made up of empty beer cans with wax filled into them. These place looked so chill and inviting that I couldn’t resist occupying one of them, leaning back against the wall and enjoying and few ones there, while it was slowly getting dark. They fixed some sort of metal fence to a wall inside, onto which they clipped books that you can take and read, which I did not say no to. I started my second round with one of the nitro beers. The Don’t Be Bitter Oscar, by the German Vagabund Brewery was an Extra Special Bitter and damn hell, that one was good. Besides being a craft beer place, Muted Horn is also some kind of ludothèque with a big selection of board games that people can choose from. The pub seems to be a hot spot for the craft beer scene in Berlin, where all different people from that community come together. I spotted the guy from Mikkeller, one from the Brew Dog staff and another one from Stone sitting at a table over a few beers. I later moved inside to take a seat at the bar and to order a few more beers. I really liked the Norwegian/Danish collaboration called Socks n Sandals by Lervig and Warpigs. It was a very fruity and refreshing APA that went down very easily and still was very rich in flavor. I especially had to laugh quite a bit at the name, because I made it my goal this summer to make crocs and tennis socks fashionable (don’t think it worked out well, though J). I talked a lot to the bartender there, but it took us almost until closing hours until I found out that he wasn’t Canadian, but from Berlin and that we spoke the same mother tongue. Muted Horn also offers beer flights of four different 0.15l tasters, which I very much appreciated. I went for the Imperial Doughnut Break, a sweet and heavy Imperial Porter by Evil Twin from Brooklyn, which actually did taste like a liquid vanilla donut and the Telepathy by the British brewery Magic Rock, which was a fruity and juicy bomb of an NEIPA. The other two tasters were made up of the Armored Fist BIPA, a US collaboration of Boneyard and Three Floyds and the hybrid of a multigrain Blanche and a Saison by the Canadian Brasserie Dunham called Propolis. Muted Horn was definitely one of my highlights of my Berlin trip. I will definitely drink again there, next time I’ll be in town.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. Lervig x Warpigs – Socks n Sandals APA, Vagabund – Don’t Be Bitter, Oscar ESB (nitro), Great Divide – Hercules IIPA, Boneyard x Three Floyds – Armored Fist Black IPA, Beavertown – Neck Oil Session IPA, Evil Twin – Imperial Doughnut Break (Porter), Magic Rock – Telepathy New England IPA, Wild Beer Co. – Millionaire Salted Caramel and Milk Stout, BBN – 45/01 Belgian IPA, Motel – Lago Dorado Coffee Golden Ale (Nitro).
FOOD. Only some bar snacks. You can bring your own food though.
OPENING HOURS. Mon-Thu: 5pm – 2am. Fri 5pm – 3am. Sat. 3pm – 3am. Sun: 3pm – 2am
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U8 Boddinstraße, U7 Rathaus-Neukölln
ADDRESS. Flughafenstraße 49, 12053 Berlin
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HOPFENREICH
This used to be the craft beer pub that was closest to the hostel that I stayed at. Hopfenreich is in the trendy Kreuzberg neighborhood in an area of huge culinary diversity. The choices of eateries, coffee places, take-aways and bars are endless there. Of all these locations, Hopfenreich stood out to me, probably because it serves excellent beer. It is corner pub, as so many can be found in Berlin, and belongs to Attila Kiss, the man that became famous for his Szimpla Kert ruin bar in Budapest, which has become an institution in the Hungarian capital. It was a Friday night, when I went to Hopfenreich for the first time. The place was really full, but I was lucky to find a free seat at the bar. The bar is really cool and unique. The whole tap system consisted of old craftsmanship or industrial instruments that were put into a modern use. Old water and steam pipes, jaw vises and valves were repurposed to pour amazingly fresh and delicious independent beer. The whole interior design of the pub is awesomely retro and it is obvious that a lot of thought was put into it. The main element is wood. The floor is creaking and cracking beneath someone’s steps, the light balls of the lamps that are hanging down from the ceilings are covered by empty beer bottles and the wax is travelling down the bottles that the candles are stuck into. The white walls are mostly blank, apart from a painting that is drawn directly onto the paper in the very back of the bar, a beer map that is showing all the different beer styles and how they are related to each other and a blackboard showing the bottled and canned beers that are offered. The draught menu looks like the surface of an old park bench or a wooden fence and onto each of those timber bars is dedicated to one beer. Altogether, Hopfenreich has 20 different beers on tap. Most of them are from Germany and many of them from Berlin, such as Fuerst Wiacek, Berliner Berg, Schoppe Bräu, Motel or Brewbaker. The concentration of micro-breweries is really high in Berlin and there were many producers on the list – as for example the above mentioned – that I never heard of before (I was to get to know many of them during my shenanigans through Berlin’s craft beer scene). The Spent Brewers Collective was another one of such a Berlin based brewery that I had not known and their Red Oat Ale became my first choice at Hopfenreich. It tasted very interestingly, kind of like an Amber with the bitterness of a West Coast-style IPA. They even offered a Canadian beer. Leo’s Early Breakfast IPA, by La Brasserie Dunham from Quebec is a refreshing citrus IPA that is brewed with notes of earl grey tea and fit perfectly to that rainy evening outside. The Backbone Splitter by Hanscraft Co. was probably one of the best IPAs I know. The crowd at Hopfenreich is in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties and you’ll run into Germans and expats equally. I don’t think that there were many tourists in the pub; it seems to be more of a place for locals. I had a good time talking to the guests and received some really great tips on what to do in Berlin. The music was really good, as well, but then again, any bar that plays Tom Waits and Dylan is in my good books. It was during one of my other visits at Hopfenreich, when I had the one beer that was the best that I had in this city and still is ranked up very high in my Beers I Never Forget list. I have mentioned Berliner Bierfabrik in my Stone review. The Rich Women was already mind blowing, but the Maple Walnut Stout which I had here, is still on another level. I have had nut beers before, but never a walnut one. The walnut taste dominates first, but then later the maple that kicks in all the way. While writing these lines, all these dances and explosions of flavors come back to my head and I actually taste them on my tongue. This beer will definitely stay one of my all-time favorites. On my last evening, I came back to Hopfenreich to have one more of this bad boy and it was the perfect way to end my Berlin trip.
BEERS I RECÓMMEND. Berliner Bierfabrik – Maple Walnut Stout, Spent Collective – Red Oat Ale, Hanscraft – Backbone Splitter, Dunham – Leo’s Early Breakfast IPA, Buddleship – Great Escape IPA, Motel – Shady Pines IPA.
FOOD. They don’t serve any food. You might get some snacks just as chips or salted pretzels.
OPENING HOURS. Sun-Thu: 4pm – 2am. Fri and Sat: 4pm-3am.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U1 Schlesisches Tor
ADDRESS. Sorauer Straße 31, 10997 Berlin
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BREWDOG BERLIN
Berlin also has a Brewdog bar. I had already been drinking at their bar in SoHo in London and after having missed the one in Barcelona, I had to pay the one in Berlin a visit. Brewdog Berlin is located in Mitte and very easy to reach from the subway stop Rosenthaler Platz. It can be said without any doubt that Brewdog is a true beer temple. The place is huge and the list of beers never ending. 30 draught beers are offered. About half of them are Brewdogs, and the rest consists of either Brewdog collaborations with other breweries such as Berliner Berg or other guest brews. I think that The Kernel Brewery from England had a tap takeover when I was there, since they had many Kernel brews on tap. The taproom looks like a big hall, with table rows next to each other and some booths on one side. In the basement, on the way to the restrooms, empty Brewdog branded barrels are stapled on top of each other. At the end of the pub, a big glass door leads to a beer garden with tables and benches on pebble stone ground. It took me while to decide on the first beer. I was too overwhelmed by the choices and had to let the list sink in first. In the end, I went for the Jet Black Heart, since it is one of my favorite Brewdogs and I never had it on tap before and the Electric India, which I took with me to consume in the beer garden. I really enjoyed the calm and peaceful atmosphere there. Some other people were drinking and chatting outside. I always went for small beers (0.2 – 0.25l sizes) and ordered two beers at the same time to be able to taste myself a bit more through the menu. One of my favorites was the Zeigeist, a Schwarzbier, which is an ode to the classical Czech dark lager and was spiced up with American hops giving it a slight smoky and chocolaty taste. I very much loved that one. Another fantastic creation is the Pump Action Poet, an IPA full of fruity and tropical aromas. I cannot recall having seen that one in Vienna before. The bartenders are very helpful and guide you through the menu as well. If you have questions about a beer, they pour little sips to taste them before deciding whether to order them. On a wall next to the very long bar, there are polaroids of the staff displayed. I took a picture with my Instax of one of the guys there and gave it to him to put on the wall. In return, I received a beer on the house. Not a bad deal J. The beer that I got was the legendary Elvis Juice. It is the favorite beer of one of a friend of mine and I just had to make him jealous by sending him a picture of a freshly tapped Elvis Juice. From the guest beers, I loved The Kernel Export Stout 1890, which is a classic roasty English stout, with flavors of vanilla and dried fruit. Before leaving the pub to head on, I went strong with another Kernel brew, the Imperial Brown Stout 1856 with 9.9% and I couldn’t resist having the crown jewel of the bar, either. That was the Tokyo* Horizon, which is a special collaboration of Brewdog, Nøgne Ø and Mikkeller. It is an Imperial Stout that only has 15% and is basically a mixture of the three breweries’ flagship stouts. That beer was really, really good and a perfect bridge for my next stop, the Mikkeller bar.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. Zeitgeist, Jet Black Heart, Pump Action Poet, everything by The Kernel Brewery, Tokyo Horizon.
FOOD. Huge list of bar food / American food. Burgers, fries, wings, ribs, everything you want. I did not eat there, but everything looked really delish.
OPENING HOURS. Sun-Thu: 12pm – 12am, Fri and Sat: 12pm – 2am.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U8 Rosenthaler Platz
ADDRESS. Ackerstraße 29, 10115 Berlin
Webpage
MIKKELLER BERLIN
Yes, there is also a Mikkeller Bar in Berlin. Over the past years bars operated by the Danish gypsy brewers Mikkel Borg Bjergsø and Kristian Klarup Keller (which makes Mikkeller) have really taken off. New Mikkeller taprooms have opened in cities all over the world and the Berlin branch is one of the newer ones with an opening on March 18, 2017 (Kudos, to anyone who made it there, after St. Patricks’s Day J). I do feel like I have a special bond with Mikkeller, as is explained more detailed in the Lund and Copenhagen section. I really, really like their beer and it would be a dream come true, should they open a bar in Vienna. I still remember how overwhelmed I was during my first visit at the original Mikkeller & Friends bar in Nørrebro, Copenhagen and I have also been drinking in their Barcelona pub and Berlin was my third “Mikkeller city” to tick off my list. The interior of the bar is characterized by the typical Mikkeller design of green-blueish floors, light wooden colored bar stools and their post-modern cartoons on the walls. If you have ever heard of the Danish lifestyle “hyggelig”, then this bar can be described like that. Nobody needs to be in a rush and you feel like you instantly relax and can lay back when you enter the bar. Mikkeller is located in the heart of Mitte, a few minutes away from Brew Dog’s Berlin taproom, which I paid a visit before. I was so happy when I saw that they were pouring the Kaffe Stout, which is a favorite Mikkeller beer of mine and I had to start with both that one and the Cali Rare, a very refreshing California Common. The amount of tap beers is huge. The list is made up by roughly 50% Mikkeller brews and 50% guest beers (a lot of those were from Warpigs, who are also from Denmark), which seems to be standard in their pubs. The bartender, another American from Austin, TX, told me about regular tap takeovers by different breweries from around the world and apparently I had just missed the one by the Barcelonian geniuses from Garage Beer Co. (my review on them can be read in the Barcelona section). I genuinely love how this craft beer community is such a big family and how you discover relationships and links by randomly talking to a bartender about a great brewery from another country and then learn that this exact brewery has been at this exact bar just a couple of days earlier. Luckily, they still had two cans of Garage left (Fulcrum IPA and Middle Child IPA), which I more than happily purchased….I haven’t had these when I was in Barcelona and man, these beers were great and it proved me right that when I count Garage to one of my favorite breweries. Mikkeller must have created a beer especially for that bar, the Mitte Brown, which is a very delicious and full bodied brown ale. Other fantastic brew was the Stick It In The Ear IPA and the Citra Session IPAs. From the guest brews, I couldn’t get my hands off the Warpigs Double Mad Hands NEIPA and the Basqueland Imparable IPA again. One of my highlights, was the collab of Mikkeller SD and again Warpigs called Locomotive Breath, which is a smoked barley wine. It is quite strong (11.2%) and tastes like barrel aged bacon ata a bondfire. My goodness, that was good! I don’t remember how many hours I spent at the tables outside the bar, slurping away on my 0.2 cl beers while watching the pedestrians pass by and talking to people that sat down on my table. At one point, the bartender carried out boxes filled with bottles and cans, which he set up on my table to take pictures for an upcoming event at the bar. Mikkeller should definitely be on your list and as said before, it is great to combine it with Brewdog.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. Cali Rare, Kaffe Stout, Mitte Brown, Stick It in The Ear, Warpigs Double Mad Hands, Basqueland – Imparable IPA, Mikkeller SD x Warpigs – Locomotive Breath
FOOD. I did not eat there and did not look at the menu. But I presume that they will serve some snacks.
OPENING HOURS. Sun – Thu. 3pm – midnight. Fri and Sat. 1pm – 2am.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U8 Rosenthaler Platz
ADDRESS. Torstraße 102, 10119 Berlin
Webpage
HOPS & BARLEY
The Friedrichshain neighborhood is a hot spot for craft beer in Germany’s capital. There is a high concentration of craft beer places and most of them can be reached by foot within 10-15 minutes. Hops & Barley definitely needs to be mentioned, when talking about the Friedrichshain pubs. It is one of the oldest brew pubs in Berlin and opened its door almost 10 years ago. What I like about this place is that it does not try to be anything fancy or super hip. The beers are brewed directly on the premises of this little bar. Hops & Barley has 7 different beers on tap. The standard beers such as the Pils, Weizen or Dunkles are a stable on the menu, while they are brewing and pouring new and special creations such as an IPA, a Mandarin Pale Ale or a Black IPA on a regular basis. I was there on a Saturday evening and Hops & Barley is completely full. People were sitting on a few tables and benches against the wall at the outside of the pub and the inside area of Hops was also very crowded. The interior design reminded me of a hybrid of an English pub and a German Kneipe. The walls are covered by tiles, there are a few tables inside that were all occupied by people having vivid conversations and the beer tanks let the visitor know that the beers are actually brewed there. Although there were so many people there, I never had to wait long for my order and despite the staff being very busy, they were really friendly and took their time to help people make their choices. My favorite beer at Hops was the Dunkel, which was a very traditional Czech –style dark beer, quite malty and a bit sweet. It was really, really good. I was also very positively surprised by their IPA, which was a very standard India Pale Ale, with not much fuzz made around. I think that also kind of represents what I liked so much about Hops. It seems like everything is very real in there. They stick to the point and that is making great beer and serving them in a just chilled and laid back living room-like atmosphere. Definitely check out this place when strolling through Friedrichshain. It will be worth it.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. Dunkel, Pils, IPA.
FOOD. They don’t serve much food, rather snacks. But these are very typical German snacks. Sausages, spreads, bread, pickles and the like.
OPENING HOURS. Sun – Fri: 5pm – 2am. Sat: 3pm – 4am.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U1 Warschauer Straße
ADDRESS. Wühlischstraße 22/23, 10245 Berlin
Webpage
STONE BREWING WORLD BISTRO AND GARDENS
The Californian institution Stone Brewing opened its Berlin branch in summer 2016 in order to deliver the European market. I have gotten to know Stone during my first California visit back in 2011, when a friend of mine took me on a brewery tour and pints at their HQ in Escondido in the San Diego County. Ever since then, I really love their beers and a visit to their bar was a must during my stay in Berlin. Their premises are a quite a bit in the southern outskirts of Berlin, but it is worth making the trip down there. The brewery moved into a former gaswork facility that was built in the first decade of the 20th century. The whole ground there is basically a 3,200 sqm campus that consists of the main building with the brewery, the bar and restaurant and a merchandising shop and in front of and around the main hall there is the Garden of Eden. The garden is huge and I was worried that people might get lost in there. There are endless possibilities to chillax in corners, beneath birch trees or other plants, at a little biotope or to sit on tables or garden furniture. The green element is dominating in the garden, trees donate plenty of shade and the cobble stoned paths would lead you to the main entrance. When entering the bistro a giant hall with tables, tree trunks and bicycles on the walls welcomes you. The main attraction for me however, was the bar. Two rows of pumps provided no less than 50 different tapped beers, which are changed on a daily basis. Twenty-one of these beers are devoted to the Stone World – both from San Diego and from Berlin, while the other 28 are from their friends from around the world, with a strong focus on Germany and Berlin. This enormous list of choices made me go for 0.15l sizes, since I believe it is the best to option, if you want to taste many different beers. They also offer sizes of 0.3l and (if the ABV is beneath 8%) 0.5l. It is very convenient that you can hand the bartenders your credit card and open a tap in order to not have to pay straight away every time you get a new brew. I started with two Stones and carried them back outside to the garden. The Stone Ripper (a San Diego-style Pale Ale) and the small brother of their phenomenal Arrogant Brewing series, the Little Bastard Ale (an American Amber) were my first choices. I already knew the first one, but the Little Bastard was new to me. Both beers are exceptionally good and it proved once again, what a great brewery Stone is. Since it is a bit of a broader way back to the bar (relatively, of course), I decided to go for three beers next. The Stone Tangerine Express IPA, the Arrogant Bastard Ale (the big brother J) and the Clear Alcohols Are For Rich Women On Diets Smoked Ale by the wonderful Berliner Bierfabrik. The Tangerine – a fruity and juicy, yet quite bitter IPA of 7.4% - was probably my favorite Stone. I had another one of this baby later that afternoon. The taste of a tangerine was definitely alive in my mouth. I don’t think I have to write much about the Arrogant Bastard Ale. It still is one of Stone’s flagship brews and very smooth to drink despite its 7.2% ABV. The Smoked Ale was a dream. It had a beautiful light brown color and it felt like I was sipping steak with black stripes from coming straight off the grill. I would come to try more beers from BBF at other places and there was one that even topped the Rich Women, but more about that later. Berliner Bierfabrik is definitely a brewery to keep in mind and I am planning on visiting them next time I am in town. I really enjoyed my afternoon at Stone. The atmosphere in the garden is absolutely laid back. I am sure it will be awesome to go there with friends. But even on my own, I loved it. You can chill in the sun and enjoy some amazing beers. You hear the sound of the birds and every now and then the nearby S-Bahn is rumbling by on the nearby tracks. There were quite a few people there on this Sunday afternoon, but since the garden is that huge, it never seemed crowded. You will also always find some interesting people to talk to. You can easily spend a couple hours there. And for the way back you can buy some beers in the merchandising store to take with you. The Coffee Milk Stout was a loyal companion on my walk to the subway.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. Stone Ripper, Little Bastard, Arrogant Bastard, Tangerine Express, Coffee Milk Stout, Berliner Bierfabrik – Clear Alcohols Are For Rich Women On Diets.
FOOD. Typical pub food. Burgers, wings, ribs, sandwiches etc.
OPENING HOURS. Mon – Sat: 12pm – midnight. Sun 10am – 10pm
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U6 Alt-Marienhof, S2 Attilastraße
ADDRESS. Im Marienpark 23, 12107 Berlin
Webpage
STRASSENBRÄU
Before having one more good-bye Maple Waltnut Stout at Hopfenreich, my last stop in Berlin was this fantastic brewpub. Straßenbräu is another treasure in Friedrichshain, only a few steps away from the Ostkreuz. It has the reputation of serving some of the best beers in town and I don’t want to spoil, but it certainly lives up to that reputation. They brew their beers directly at their premises, which contributes to making them be completely fresh. When you approach Straßenbräu during the summer months (which was when I was there), you are welcomed by a few rows of high tables and benches, which are very inviting to drink your beers there. Upon entering the place, the huge blackboard behind the bar immediately sticks out. I don’t remember having seen such a detailed menu anywhere else. Not only are the names, styles and ABVs of the beers displayed. The tap list also describes their aromas and even the kinds of hops that were used in the brewing process. Straßenbräu offers 11 own-brewed beers on tap, while one of these pumps is reserved exclusively for nitro brews. When I was there, they had a milk stout on this nitro tap. Milchstraße, as it was called, was really creamy and chocolaty stout that was not too strong and went down very smoothly. Highly recommendable and I was also quite happy that it was not too strong. It was a long night after all, I had just been to Protokoll before and there was definitely something in my blood already. The interior design looks what you imagine a brew pub to be. It is full of tanks in which the beers are fermented and beer barrels are stapled on top of each other. A few tables and other sitting possibilies round the whole thing beautifully up. At Straßenbräu you really have the feeling of being in a brewery, much more than in just a pub. As it is common practice in most craft beer places, Straßenbräu also offers the possibility to order beer flights. For a price of 8 € you can order 4 different 0.1l draught beers of your choice. Since I am a big fan of such tasters, I had to seize this opportunity. I ordered the Sonnenal(l)e(e) Pale Ale, the NB 30 IPA (NB 30 stands for the address of Straßenbräu – Neue Bahnhofstraße 30), the Europfen IPA and the Hommelsap, a Belgian Wheat IPA. Of these four, my favorite probably was the NB30. It was very hoppy with citrus and grapefruit flavors and with an ABV of 6.4% not too strong, basically just the way I like an IPA to be. But also the other beers from my flight were extremely delish. Another beer on the menu, I very much enjoyed was the Ampelrot, a light and easy drinkable red ale, with notes of smoky chocolate. I would have loved to stay at Straßenbräu a bit longer, but as said before, it was basically my last stop after a 5 days beer-tasting trip to Berlin and I was really tired. I will be back to Berlin soon though and I certainly plan on staying at Straßenbräu longer then. I also really hope that they will still (or again) have the Sauving Blanc on their menu. It is a Barrel Aged Double IPA and unfortunately I did not get a chance to taste that one. It sounded extremely interesting after all.
BEERS I RECOMMEND. If available. Milchstraße (Nitro Milk Stout), NB 30 IPA, Beerenallee (Berry Ale), Europfen IPA, Ampelrot Red Ale, Sonnenal(l)e(e), Hommelsap.
FOOD. They don’t serve any food. But it is no problem to order food and have it delivered to the pub.
OPENING HOURS. Sun – Thu: 5pm – 2am. Fri and Sat: 5pm – open end.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U1 Warschauer Straße, S3, S5, S7 Ostkreuz.
ADDRESS. Neue Bahnhofstraße 30, 10245 Berlingoo.gl/maps/ZNuGMj8LgaL2
Webpage
SHOPS
DRINK DRUNK
What shall I say? A craft beer shop that is opened 24/7. I loved that little place. It is located directly opposite of the red brick building of the subway stop Schlesisches Tor and from the outside it seems to be like just one more of those hundreds of “Spätis” you can find in Berlin. Inside, it is completely different, though. I walked by this place every day, but it wasn’t until the third day when I actually realized what I would find in it. Funny thing is, that it was in fact a van parked outside on a nearby street that belonged to Drink Drunk and that was advertising the craft beer selection that can be purchased at the shop that drew my attention to it. When I set foot inside I was overwhelmed by what I would see in there. They had the finest selection of German craft beers and also some really good international stuff all cooled in rows of fridges. One of these international choices was the crazy, crazy Original Ice Cream Pale Ale by the Swedish Omnipollo brewery. It was the first time that I saw this beer again, after my first experience of tasting it on tap at Biercab in Barcelona. And damn, it was still as good as I remembered it. Outside of Drink Drunk there are two small tables and benches, which are crafted from used, wooden pallets and which invite the customer to consume some of the beers directly there. I really enjoyed sitting there, sipping on some of the brews I bought while some Turkish pop music was on the speakers (I was in Kreuzberg, after all) and the trains of the U1 rattled by on the overground rail tracks.
NEAREST SUBWAY STOPS. U1 Schlesisches Tor
OPENING HOURS. 24/7
ADDRESS. Schlesische Straße 1, 10997 Berlin
Webpage