Beer Scene in Feuerbach-Stuttgart

Welcome to Germany. It's not the beer Disneyland as the myth in America makes it out to be. But you'll find beer has a special place in German culture. The best way to find out what to do in your area is to ask questions of your colleagues when you get to work there. Bosch has their HQ there, is that why you're going?

No. That's the standard answer for all of Germany…unless anyone else knows specifically about the Stuttgart area. Again, welcome to Germany.

This is where you'll be in beer heaven. Check all the great threads here for more info, especially this recent one, and this one, too. I'm in Frankfurt, MJ's' in Heidelberg, and… well, the rest of us are undercover.

Ron Pattinson's guides are really all you need, as he's posted the link here:

 

If you want the same type of variety, rarity, and bottles that you see with U.S. "craft" culture, plan a weekend or a few days in Belgium. It's not that far away by train. I think that doing one trip to Bamberg and one to Brussels should give you the best of two very, very different -- yet both world-class -- beer cultures.

EDIT: Bamberg/Franconia has a ton of variety, too, but not to be found in bottle shops; you actually have to travel to the surrounding villages -- most if not all of which have their own brewery. Plus, there is Cafe Abseits, which carries a good variety of local specialties.

 

And if you're going to go to Brussels you might as well stop for a bit in Düsseldorf.

 

Alpirsbacher is not too far, stop there or at least try the beers if toy find a place with those.

Waldhaus is in the SW corner of Germany, and has high ratings by some. Try and visit or if you see some, try it and report back.

Bamberg - yes.

 

If you're still looking for variety and rarer bottles after taking in the Bamberg beer scene, head to Cafe Abseits in the part of town close to the U.S. army base (and not too, too far from the Bosch plant in town).

Any chance you'll be at the Bosch factory out by Gaustadt? If so, you could get to Bischberg and some other small villages in 5-10 mintues by car. Ask some of the locals to drive you guys out to some local places -- that's where you'll really witness how deeply ingrained the beer culture is in local life there.

Also ask some of the folks who have been there a while about the days when they let the factory workers drink on the job. Some interesting tales from back then.

 

There are two Bosch plants in Bamberg (at least there used to be): one near the rail lines (and very close to Mahr's Brau, Keesmann, and the new(ish) Faessla Keller (formerly Maisel's Keller)); then a bigger facility in an area of Bamberg known as Gaustadt/Hallstadt (kind of a subsumed exurb). Either way, I bet the locals there will be able to show you some cool places both inside and slightly outside the Bamberg city limits. Just tell them you love beer and they should be able to do the rest. That and go to Schlenkerla at least once (even if they may claim it's Touristenbier).

 

Eh, yes and no. I'm not sure if you read German, but the Purple tabs ("tab" really, as there is only one in Stuttgart) are the retail shops and that one purple tab is for a wine store that has Cantillon but no other beer that I'm aware of. The Yellow tabs are breweries, so you might have some luck there. Not trying to be a downer, just trying to keep your outlook realistic.

 

From the map you posted, I saw this: Cast-Brauerei. I'd not heard of them before, but from their website, look interesting. The have a California Ale, which seems to be an IPA, a Weißbier, a Roggenweißbier (Rye Weißbier), and a "special" which changes regularly.

Brauhaus Calwerk-Eck looks like a brewpub with the standard German beers. I've not been there, but Ron Pattison in his guide (link in my 1st post) didn't like either the beer nor the ambience.

Finally, from this map, it's seems Feuerbach has it's own brewpub, too. Check it out and report when you're there. They must get lots of foreign customers from Bosch, Mercedes and Audi, all in the area, which explains the English version of their website, I think.

And as MJ says, those tabs that are craft brewers and whatnot… don't get your hopes up in Germany, that's always the first rule of living here, for you'll almost always here, "that's not to easy" to many things you ask Germans about.

 

Hadn't heard if this place before, but the fact that they advertise BrauKunstKeller, which I've yet to find in the Frankfurt area, Maisel & Friends, which has been revised in the German forum, Amarasi & Lauuna IPA make this place look promising. Don't get your hopes up on Belgian beers, though, for Germans still see them as evil incarnate. After you go to this place, report back what they've got.

 

I did a quick search of their website - 2 results for Westmalle (Dubbel and Triple), no results for Orval or Cantillon. Would not expect anything obscure from them, or even non-mass-produced. Followed up with a search by style, starting with Alt, and found the usual suspects - Diebels, Gatzweiler, Frankenhiemer - plus one bonus surprise: Oettinger Alt!

ISO

 

What, Oettinger Alt isn't your favorite?
the usual suspects - Diebels, Gatzweiler, Frankenhiemer - all Owned by the big conglomerates and verging on yuck beer.

One additional comment, when you go there, I bet some one on their staff will be able to get by in English, after all Feuerbach and Stuttgart are still swarming with that nasty infection I call US military, just kidding, but also there are so many huge car related co.s that I'm sure you'll see lots of non-Germans out and about, so… ask them for small, unusual GERMAN brands they carry and, of course, report back here what you found. Ask about any unusual, non-standards and perhaps they'll be helpful. But be warned, Germans don't call their country a "Service Wüste," or service desert, for nothing.