Hello All, I am currently half way through my year abroad in Germany and I am looking for some more advice about places to see and beers to drink while I am still here. I am currently living in Stuttgart and have discovered what a dry city it is... (craft beer wise) Right now, I am getting my craft beer fix from websties (mostly Bier Deluxe). Basically, I am looking for the out of the ordinary beers that I should try before leaving in late August. I have Bamberg on the list of must visit cities and plan to visit München again now that the weather is getting warmer. I have tried a overwhelming amount of classic German style beers (Pils, Wissen, Bock, Keller,....) and have been lucky enough to even go to Oktoberfest and Frühlingsfest. I have also visited and sampled the craft beers in Berlin, and München is next on my list. I am looking for the hard hitters, the beers that are a must. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks, Mark
May 30th and 31st, Cologne I would highly recommend visiting the Festival der Bierkulturen in Cologne at the end of May, lots of smaller German breweries, showcasing a mix of traditional styles, new interpretations of traditional styles, and completely new styles. http://www.koeln.de/branchen/eintrag/1276/brauereien/braustellebuergerzentrum-ehrenfeld/
N8 I have heard about it, never really got around to going to it. No one really highly recomened it honestly. It was more like, "oh hey, there is a spirt shop in Kornwestheim". Never really been pressed to go try it. digita7693 Sounds interesting. Might have to try and plan a trip to Köln then...
If you make it to Köln try to make time to get to Düsseldorf as well! If you're going to Bamberg soon, try to get your hands on Klosterbräu's Maibock. I'd check @-N8 's recommendation for Faust's line-up, both craft and non-craft alike. You might enjoy their whiskey barrel Eisbock (crafty) or their Pils, Schwarzviertler, Hefeweizen, and/or Dopplebock (traditional). I don't know what you mean by "out of the ordinary", but it sounds like you're looking more for craft-styles than German styles. If so, I'm not going to be much help. Munich has Camba's Tap House as well as a few specialty stores. For online ordering, I always used Biershop Bayern or Biershop Braugasthofe (for my Uerige fix) or sometimes the Franconian-focused Hier Gibt's Bier, but those are all traditional styles. Enjoy your final few months in Deutschland!
Sounds like you really need an extended (enter random bank holiday) weekend in München! So much to see and do, lots of recommendations in various threads here. Otherwise, it sounds like you are utilizing your time well. My only secondary thought would be a trip to the Czech republic. I still dream about an unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell that many have spoken so highly of...
Thanks for all the recommendations. I guess what I mean by "out of the ordinary" are just standout beers from Germany of various styles. Im not so much bored of the traditional German styles as overwhelmed. I have pretty much raided Kaufland's selection of beers as well as Kaufhof of whatever styles they have. I will have to checkout Heinrich 3000 after I clear through my latest order and start planing some weekend trips.
As I mentioned recently in another thread, hitting up Leipzig for some Gose is a good time. Fun little city, could also be coupled with a trip to Dresden if you haven't been there.
You might want to check out Martin Dambach's shop in Gärtringen. Small but some decent beers. http://www.feine-biere.de/ And I prefer http://www.bierkompass.de for online shops in Germany. Sebastian always has a great selection. But if I were you, I'd spend my final months in Belgium and Holland if you want some great European Craft Beer. I can suggest plenty of bottle shops, breweries, and fests if you're interested. Cheers!
Thanks for the suggestion, but my travel has been cut down greatly do to my internship at Daimler. Sadly, my last trip seems to be to Rome in early June. But I do know Rome has some very nice bottle shops that boast a lare slection of European craft. Suggestions would be welcome!
