Beer without borders is not only the motto of a well-known Craft Bierr brewery, but also on our trips. As beer lovers, we are always on the lookout for breweries, brewery pubs or beer gardens and want to get to know the local beer.
We prefer to drink the beer that is produced directly on site or in the immediate vicinity. Especially the smaller breweries, which often offer the tap even in the brewhouse, often produce great-tasting and sometimes quite unusual beers, but unfortunately often do not stand out in the large traditional beer scene. Larger breweries often offer a wide range of beers, appeal to a broad audience, and are much more likely to be represented, especially in restaurants.
The variety of the offer is almost infinite… the taste so different… and yet the brewing process is always the same. When the opportunity arises, we enthusiastically participate in brewery tours, looking forward to tasting the beer at the end and often carrying home a bottle or two. We enjoy talking to the brewers about their beers and always learn something new.
In search of the good taste of beer in Germany
No country has a similarly high density of breweries as Germany. There are said to be over 1,500 breweries in 16 German states. Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia are home to about 70 percent of Germany’s breweries. So it’s not hard to find good-tasting beers.
There is a lot to discover in the hinterland of the island of Usedom, especially if you turn off the main roads. For us, the Mellenthin moated castle is one of the tips not to be missed.
Brauhaus Neulich in Schillerkiez is a meeting place for the neighborhood and a meeting point for beer lovers from all over the world. The cozy atmosphere invites you to try the different beers on site. But what makes this brewery so special?
There is hardly a place in the Bavarian metropolis that is as well-known as the Hofbräuhaus Munich. Not only do tourists from all over the world come and go here, Munich residents also meet here to enjoy a good beer.
Berlin is known for its lively and varied beer scene. Among the city's many breweries, beer lovers will also find the Brewery Südstern.
Hausbrauerei Eschenbräu is one of the best-known microbreweries in Berlin and is located in the Wedding district, not far from Leopoldplatz. It is somewhat hidden between tall houses in an inner courtyard.
Summer, sun, beer garden! That's simply part of a visit to Munich. Munich's English Garden is home to one of the largest beer gardens in the city.
Out and about in Usedom's imperial spas and fancy a beer? Then head to Heringsdorf to the Usedomer Brauhaus. With its central location in the seaside resort of Heringsdorf, it is easy to reach and an ideal stop after a walk along the beach promenade or a visit to the impressive villa architecture of the…
Leipziger is famous for its Leipziger Gose. Gose is brewed in various specialized breweries in and around Leipzig and is a rather unexpected experience in terms of taste.
Fancy a good craft beer in a cosy atmosphere? The Steinbach Bräu in Erlangen offers its own beer, good food and even a small beer museum.
Looking for craft beer from Erfurt? No problem! The small Erfurt brewery Heimathafen, which produces excellent beer, is located in the train harbor Kulturbahnhof.
Forchheim is known for its Kellerwald, among other things. "Nauf auf die Keller" was also the motto for us as we set off on foot to the Forchheim Kellerwald.
The hike is just under 6 kilometres long and took us from Hallerndorf to Willersdorf. Of course, not without making stops at breweries or cellars along the way.
During a walk along the Müggelspree River, we noticed the striking building of the Berliner Bürgerbräu. It attracted us almost magically and we tried to catch some impressions.
One of the oldest private breweries in Saxony can be found in Meißen. The private brewery Schwerter Meißen GmbH not only sells its beer in shops, but also has a brewery that is located in a commercial area.
The municipality of Aufseß is located in Franconian Switzerland. Here you will find the Aufseß Brewery Trail, which even made it into the Guinness Book of Records in 2001.
The municipality of Hallerndorf is located in Franconian Switzerland. Here you will find the Rittmayer brewery, which is one of the oldest breweries in the district. During a guided tour of the brewery, followed by a tasting, you can learn a lot about the art of brewing and the development of the brewery.
During a walk along the Neißstraße in Görlitz, we discovered tables and chairs under some arches of a house where guests were sitting with glasses of beer. The Görlitz Bierblume brewery magically attracted us and we stopped in.
Görlitz beer from the Landskron Brau-Manufaktur (Brewery Manufactory) - we went on a journey of discovery through the brewery and, of course, tasted lots of beer.
The Brandenburg Beer Road took us near Caputh in the district of Potsdam-Mittelmark. Here, in the Forsthaus Templin, is the brewery, a certified organic brewery.
On the way to Bernau we passed through the district of Börnicke. Here, right next to the Börnicke Castle manor house, is the brewery of the Bernauer Brauereigenossenschaft, which brews the excellent Bernauer beer.
If you're in Hannover, you should also drink Hanöversch - we definitely think so. So we went to the Brauhaus Ernst August to drink beer from Hannover and have a nice evening.
The former machine house of the "Aktienbrauerei zum Feldschlösschen" is located in Budapester Straße. Here you can not only drink the beer of the Dresden brewery, but also enjoy good hearty food.
Berlin is so wonderfully diverse and offers interesting excursion options that we, as Berliners, are only gradually discovering. We went on a discovery trip to the Old Malt House of the Schultheiss Brewery.
Since late summer 2019, there has been a new location for beer lovers in Berlin's Marienpark - the BrewDog DogTap Berlin opened in September.We were there shortly after the opening and not only looked around, but also tested beers.
Fancy a beer hike? In Franconia you will not only find numerous breweries, here you can combine beer drinking with hiking on the Five-Seidla-Trail.
As in every city we visit, we set out to find breweries, beer gardens and brewpubs. Finding a beer garden in Magdeburg where we felt comfortable and the beer tasted good was done quickly.
Franconia is beer country and Bamberg is considered the beer capital - is that really true? I set off for Bamberg to discover Bamberg beer, the breweries, the cellars and the city's beer scene.
In Berlin I visited the Old Malt House and learned something about the history of malting. In Bamberg I was now allowed to visit the highly modern Weyermann malt house. I wonder if there are still similarities.
In addition to very good food and excellent wine, the region of Churfranken also offers drinkable beer from regional breweries. A little beer tasting just before dinner was of course just the thing for me.
It is raining cats and dogs when we arrive in Alpirsbach. Actually just the right weather for a guided tour of the Alpirsbach brewery. But of course it's not just us who have come up with this idea and so more and more people gather under their umbrellas at the meeting point.
A trip to Radeberg and a visit to the brewery just belong together. As part of our research trip to Radeberg, we, too, visited the Export Beer Brewery Radeberg.
A short trip to the north of Germany brought us to Flensburg. Of course, this also had to include a beer tasting to try Flensburg’s beers.
The Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens is still an insider tip in Berlin. A brewery with a restaurant was created right in the centre of the Marienpark in Berlin. We visited it and were enthused.
Beer hikes
Since we like to move around a lot and not just drink beer, we now simply combine both topics and go on beer hikes that take us from one brewery pub or brewery to the next.
The hike is just under 6 kilometres long and took us from Hallerndorf to Willersdorf. Of course, not without making stops at breweries or cellars along the way.
The municipality of Aufseß is located in Franconian Switzerland. Here you will find the Aufseß Brewery Trail, which even made it into the Guinness Book of Records in 2001.
Fancy a beer hike? In Franconia you will not only find numerous breweries, here you can combine beer drinking with hiking on the Five-Seidla-Trail.
Breweries, Craft Beer and Craft Beer Bars Discovered in Europe
If you’re traveling in Europe, you can, of course, also have access to German beer varieties. However, we prefer the local offer. Some countries are known for their beer production, in other countries you have to search a bit, but usually find beer that comes from the region.
We went on a tour of the Innsbruck beer scene and took part in a guided tour of the city. The focus was on drinking good beer in Innsbruck - and what can I say - it tasted good!
Mechelen is a beer city. The Het Anker brewery brews Belgian-style beers that are known far beyond the region's borders. You can experience the quality of the beer for yourself on a guided tour of the brewery followed by a tasting.
Once a year, always in September, the “Sun in a Glass” festival takes place at the Purkmistr Brewery. For beer lovers, this is the place and the time not to be missed!
A visit to the Beer SPA in Plzeň is a unique experience and where better to experience it than in the Czech beer region. The Purkmistr brewery, which is located just outside the city, not only offers great-tasting beer, but also the opportunity to relax in beer.
Bogdike beer has made a name for itself in the world of craft beers. With a combination of traditional brewing methods and innovative techniques, Bogdike offers a range of beers that excel in both taste and quality.
The Brewery Museum in Plzen is one of the city's most popular museums. Here, visitors are introduced to the origins of Plzen beer and embark on a journey through hundreds of years of beer.
Brewing beer is a fascinating process that has been practiced by people all over the world for thousands of years and time and again we discover small breweries that produce excellent beer. The Westerwolde brewery is certainly one of the insider tips among brewers.
The Peloponnese is not exactly known for its beer. A mistake, in my opinion, because the beer from the Peloponnese has nothing to hide. It tastes good!
A microbrewery reopened in 2015 is located on the grounds of the monastery in Plasy. The Plasy brewery continues the brewing tradition of the monastery on site. I felt very comfortable there, and not just from a culinary point of view.
Good beer is drunk and brewed in Granada. We have discovered some regional craft beers in Granada.
Everyone knows the beers that come from the Pilsner Urquell brewery and many visitors to Pilsen come to the city for this very reason. But there are other beers from Pilsen that should not go unnoticed. The Raven brewery produces flavourful APA, IPA and lager beers, but no pilsner!
Porto is known for its wine. But is there also good beer there? We went in search of craft beer in Porto and discovered some great breweries.
In Cordoba, especially in the city centre, there are countless possibilities to eat and drink something. Many of the restaurants in Córdoba profit from the day visitors who arrive in the city every day.
5 Szczecin breweries we visited and drank very good beer and also ate well. Some of the breweries are so close to each other that you only have to walk a few 100 meters until you can drink the next beer.
For most holidaymakers, Portugal is associated with wine. But there is also very good Portuguese beer and the craft beer scene in Lisbon has developed steadily in recent years. We tested craft beer in Lisbon on a pub crawl.
In search of a good craft beer in Málaga, we came across the local microbrewery La Fábrica de Cruzcampo in Soho. A place that beer lovers should visit.
There are not only sheep on Texel, beer is also brewed on Texel - and really well. Texelse Bierbrouwerij has been brewing special beers that accurately describe life on the island since 1999.
If you think that Italy is only for wine lovers you are mistaken. They do exist, the beer drinkers! I’m quite happy about that because I have to admit that I do not care for wine at all. But give me a tasty beer and the trip will be a good one.
The Czech Republic and beer belong together. We would like to introduce you to some of the beers. Whether you like the beer is up to you.
Czech Republic and beer belong together. The brewery density is very high and so we started in Prague to visit the first breweries and taste the beers.
What do you drink in Krakow? Talking to locals one is under the impression that Krakow is indeed a vodka city. But over time, Krakow developed a vibrant beer culture that cannot be ignored. So, is Krakow now a City of Beers?