Well that was easy! OP, how long will you be there? I'm not overly familiar with Frankfurt, but Mahr's Bräu recently posted on their Facebook page about their beer being available at a spot called Chili D's (Eckenheimer Landstrasse 298, Frankfurt, 60435). I've never been so I can't recommend, but anywhere serving Mahr's can't be all bad. Otherwise, the main old town square is kind of nice, and there are some cafes and restaurants there to grab a bite at and relax.
I'll be there for a couple of days, then heading over to Kaiserslautern to visit with family near the military base. I believe Mannheim is on the way if there's anything to check out over there. Then returning to Frankfurt to fly back.
I have not been back there in a couple of years, but I recommend most of the places in BeerFly for Frankfurt am Main.
I live in Frankfurt (FFM) .... nothing here interesting beer-wise. However, if you're here in summer, the Apfelwein (basically, sour cider) in Alt-Sachsenhausen is worth seeking out. It's the absolute best thing to drink on a hot, sultry day. It's very authentic , and in most places it's very tourist friendly. You'll get great German food and drink a 5% sour cider that is perfectly tart and dry AND chilled on a warm summer day. If you ask for a "Sauer gespritzt," which is basically a 70-30 mix of Apfelwein/Sparkling Water, you'll get a bottle of Sparkling water and a Bembel (a ceramic pitcher holding 1 liter or more), you will really enjoy the atmosphere and life of what FFM was for the last half century. Forget beer here. Really, it's a desert beer-wise. Go to Ober-Franken and Bayern for beer. I brew my own beer and am a true Beer Advocate to the Germans in Frankfurt, but I feel that one should also embrace the local brew, and that's not beer here. BTW,... if anyone comes FFM and wants the real tour of drinking here.... write me, I think I could help you enjoy it like a local.
I could be wrong but I don't think Mannheim will be on your way to 'Slautern, at least not via Frankfurt. It's the opposite direction, but there's Brauhaus Faust in Miltenberg if you have a day. Anyway the above posters have it right, it's more wine country here than beer country. Still, you should be able to find some interesting stuff. Are you interested in bottle shops, or just restaurants and bars and etc.?
Check out one of the local Getraenkemaerkte, or larger chains (TOOM) for some selection. You might try Schmucker, Schlappesessel from Miltenburg or Keiler Weissbier from Lohr am Main. As a tip, if you are there for 3 weeks, you could probably put in a special order with any shop owner with no problem.
It's Slappeseppel, and it's brewed in Achaffenburg. Faust Bier is from Miltenberg. Both are within an hour's drive of FFM. A Sessel is an easy chair. A Seppel is an idiot. Schlappe means something limp, so a "limp-brained idiot."
To amend: Schlappeseppel is the name of a restaurant that was founded in 1631 in Aschaffenburg by a Swedish soldier Josef Lögler, who had a leg injury from war and hence limped. Seppel is Bayerisch form Josef, so that makes sense too.
If you are still in Germany Your visit is in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz and Wine country. When you hit Kaiserslautern there is one microbrewery called Brauhaus am Markt Stiftsplatz 2, 67655 Kaiserslautern, Rheinland-Pfalz, Deutschland Great seasonal beers and right in the middle of down town. Only microbrewery I know of in a houndred miles or so.
In case someone is traveling to Frankfurt in the future and, like me, comes across this old thread check out Naïv on Fahrgasse. They have a good bottle selection of mostly German craft beers and a few taps. According to our waiter they opened about 2 years ago and are still the only real craft beer bar in the city. They also have food and a nice outdoor area. I could definitely see myself being planted there for a few hours when the weather is nice.
Hi everyone! nice site here. Many moons ago, I was visiting family in East Germany (1980's). Of course, since then, the wall has fallen. But, I must ask... Does anyone know about the old Carmel Beer that was available in East Germany? I had some of this beer at a big party in a park. The bottle was dark brown, and label on the bottle was very plain and basic. All I remember was the awesome carmel flavored beer. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, please post it here. Let me know what it was called and if it is available anywhere. God Bless!
Any developments in the beer scene in FFM since this thread was started? I'm going to be moving there in February and will there until August and would really love to have something to look forward to. Any help is greatly appreciated. Prost!
If you are coming from the US and looking for that type of micro/craft brew variety - you are in for a disappointment. You can find bottle shops that give you some variety, but the mirco/craft brew seen is just starting to arrive in Germany in my opinion. If you look at this thread LINK then you will see certain parts of Germany are progressing faster than others. I am relatively new to enjoying beers over here, but there is plenty to jump into. I say obscure bottle shops will give you the best variety in Frankfurt, but even in my local standard drink distributor (Getränkemarkt) they started carrying the Maisel & Friends beers, which again, coming from the US they won`t impress you, but it is variety that just starting to make a footprint over here. If your German is bad or non-existent to find and get what you want at obscure bottle shops - Frankfurt is the best connected city in Europe and you are literally less than a 2 hour flight from anywhere in Europe and train rides that can get you to Munich, Bamberg, Brussels, or Düsseldorf in a couple hours. You`ll find people are more willing to speak English in a restaurant/bar than a bottle shop that is in a buro corner of Frankfurt, but if your coming for 6 months - I would really suggest brushing up on some German before you arrive. You'll be able to participate and enjoy everything much better - even with bad fumbling German. Or you can do what I have just started - and looking into the traditional beer styles. I get a real kick about reading about traditional beers styles and their history then going to breweries that have been brewing those same or similar recipes for hundreds of years. There are a lot of brewers in the US that try to clone these in the US to get the freshness and the quality you get over here. One big plus over here is that you can buy it extremely cheap. Beer is usually cheaper than water in a restaurant and that is not reflective of the quality.
Hi I'm an English guy who’s been living in Frankfurt for 4 years and although I live in a Country which has more than 1250 breweries, I do miss having my regular British ales and craft beers but it's not all doom and gloom because I've discovered some Getränkemarkts (beer stores) which sell International beers and we’ve even got a microbrewery in Frankfurt which brews some excellent craft beers. Beer Stores: Maruhn http://www.maruhn.de/ This is a great International beer store which sells a wide variety of beers from 60 countries located in Darmstadt, 30 minutes by train from Frankfurt. I go there about once a month and buy British ales, Belgium trappist beers and Amercian IPAs but more recently during the winter months I’ve been buying some excellent German beers like Ayinger Celebrator, Weihenstephener Vitus, Ayinger Weizenbock which are all very reasonably priced. Naïve http://www.naiv-frankfurt.de/NAIV/BIER.html This is a bar and restaurant which sells a good range of bottled international beers but it also has a store to buy takeouts Bierboutique Ølwechsel http://edlebiere.de/ Sells bottled international and local craftbeers Micobreweries: BrauStil : http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34731/?view=ratings&ba=boddhitree This place has just won some awards for its beer and is well worth a visit if you’re in the area, especially for the darker IPAs. Another brewery in the area I recommend but you'll need a car is Brauhaus Barbaossa, Schöllkrppen where I tried the best weizenbock ever and got to bottle it myself (see profile pic). Hope that helps.
