I need to find a website or information on German bier, pubs, kneipes, bierhalles, brauereis, bierkellern, biergarten, etc. This is for WC '06, so I’m most interested in places in or near Berlin, Munich, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Hanover, Hamburg, Gelsenkirchen, Leipzig, Kaiserslautern, Cologne, Nuernberg and Stuttgart, plus common tourist destinations.
My stomach and my associates thank you!
Hi ShibbOleth,
As you asked me to, I looked into this thread, but I am sorry, I can’t help you there. But I am sure there are special travel guides regarding German Beer available in your bookstore. (Quick amazon search revealed those: ISBN 0864427883, 0962855510, 0963533231, 1852491140.) However, almost every city in your list has a special famous beer (e.g. “Kölsch” in Cologne, “Alt” in Dortmund, “Oktoberfestbier” in Munich) and I am sure they will be mentioned in City Guides along with cosy places to enjoy them.
If you come over here: beware of “Doppelbock”. German Beer is already stronger than most U.S. beer, and Doppelbock is even stronger. Doppelbock is not a brand, but a type of beer. Tastes good, tough, but if you are not used to it, …
And please don’t think Germans are rude and impolite, it is just our way. We for that matter often think Americans are much too polite (if not falsely polite).
cu
I understand, I lived in the Frankfurt area for a couple of years. Some people were more polite than others. I still attend (with another couple of Dopers) a weekly Stammtisch organized by a crazy Austrian chemist who also brews beers. He had a “Bourbon Barrel Blitzen” that was fermented in old bourbon barrels that he has that was at 13.8% alcohol last week. I’ve learned to be wary. He also made a very nice Alt and always has several other varieties on hand.
I am looking for the information to link to for a group of folks scattered across the USA that are already planning to travel to Germany in '06. Thanks for the help, I’ll see what I can find in the books.
That’s like asking for information on where to get a hamburger in the USA.
My suggestion is once in Germany, go to your hotel reception desk and let him/her know what you are looking for; a place to drink beer with hundreds of tourists? a place to drink beer with the locals? a place with live music? A place with specialty beers? a place with food?
Just like finding a burger in the US, there is no trick in finding a beer in Germany.
Oh, and forget that bs myth that Germans only drink warm beer…trust me, they don’t.
Far as I’m concerned they drink their beer at exactly the correct temperature with just correct amount of Schaum on top.
And there is a trick to finding the best burgers in the US. Lots of mediocre ones, easy to find a decent one, but often a little tricky finding the best one.
For example, there is a really nice biergarten in the Taunus near where I lived, but I’ll be damned if I could tell anyone how to find it, and it’s not guaranteed if I was back there again that I would find it on the first try. It’s up in the mountains (big foothills), sort of in the middle of nowhere. The beer is, as far as I recall, no different there then down the hill. But it’s nice to be outside and sit in the fresh air and eat some good food.
Hi Shibb,
First I have to excuse, I had a little error in my first post: Alt is from Düsseldorf, Dortmund is known for its Export, well they both start with D 
I found a few links for you:
beLocal (in German): Tourist information with a Bier-Guide (23 Types of beer, 271 Brands, 63 Biergärten, etc.)
InfoHub: a special traveling guide, also with a few special links related to beer.
The British Guide to German Beer: Lots of info and many links on the topic and travelling info. Top Link!
Bavaria.com: Well not much, but at least a little bit about beer and Beer Gardens in Bavaria/Munich.
I have contacted a few friends in Cologne for first hand info, maybe they will stop by in this thread at the weekend. If not I will relay their recommendations.
Try to google for “Hausbrauerei” in the WC’06 cities, those are pubs, that brew their own beer. Always very cosy locations and often they serve delicacies you will get nowhere else.
So much for now. Maybe more later.
cu
Much thanks, Eagle, I hope you decide to become a regular around here!
There’s a bierfest in Erlangen (kind of a suburb of Nuernberg, about 30 minutes by train) that some people prefer to the Oktoberfest. Mostly because it’s not so insanely crowded. It’s on a hillside where the breweries used to store their beer in caverns. During the fest, each company will have kegs and taps at the bottom of the hill, and benches and tables above. Look for one that’s somewhat crowded, since the locals know which beers are good. I think it’s in early June, if that works with your schedule.
In Nuernberg itself is a place called Lansbierparadies (a small chain, really, three or four locations I think). They’ve stayed independent, so they’re not tied to just one of the major breweries and they have smaller brews from the whole region. (And the schweinebraten on the weekends is to die for.)