I did search on this a bit but didnt find much. I am going to be in Berlin for some time (ho ho so friggin PUMPED), and I will be checking out Hopz and Maltz, but I will be near a Hoffman Getranke, which seems to be a major chain (correct me if i am wrong). So my questions are, are there issues with freshness on the shelves? Is this really a consideration for beer shopping in Germany to begin with? How knowledgeable are the staff? I already know what I want so I hope I can communicate this well with my limited German. Would it be possible to get recent Tannezapfle there? Or is the variety pretty basic? I hope that helps, any information you can share would be great.
Well I am jealous. Berlin is the best, I hope you have a good time. How long will you be there, if you don't mind me asking? I never had a chance to get to Hopfen und Malz before my time in Germany was up, so consider me doubly jealous. Regarding Hoffman, I actually was able to duck in to one of their stores in Berlin when I was there. They were friendly enough but generally left me to go about my business. Nearly 100% certain that they spoke only German. I wouldn't rely on anyone for any specific education or recommendation, probably better for you to go in knowing what you want and finding it. I personally went in looking for something specific that, it turns out, they didn't have in that branch, and they directed me to a different Hoffman, which I believe they said was like a main store. So apparently there is a big one there somewhere with a nice selection. What neighborhood are you staying in? In general I'd say you won't have a problem with freshness whichever store you should end up in. You should be able to find Rothaus pretty easily (their Tannenzäpfle and their Pils are the same beer, by the way, just different sized bottles). That said, an American may find the selection to be pretty basic, but there will be some gems - Augustiner Helles and Dunkel, Rothaus and some others...
I am going to be in the Mitte area I think, there is a Hoffman around there is that their major store or is it a different one?
Is that then an error on this website cause there are 2 entries for it. Is this the same beer then? http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/464/1354/ http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/464/17015/
Yep, that's the same beer inside two different bottles. IIRC, there was a spot on the Rothaus website that explained this, but it looks like they redid their website so I'll have to try to hunt down the quote. But it is confirmed in (German) writing by the brewery somewhere that these are the same beer. "Tannenzäpfle" is just the nickname for the beer in the little bottles. I'll do some searching. Edit: Check out Rothaus.de then go to Unsere Biere (our beers). It defaults to the Pils description. The direct translation is: "The most popular beer from Rothaus is our Rothaus Pils. Especially popular is our Pils in the 0,33 L bottle (known) as Tannenzäpfle." That's the best I can do for now, but I know there is a better quote to get you.
This is what I was looking for, Question #1 on the frequently asked questions page: http://www.rothaus.de/ueber-rothaus/fragen-antworten
Hey, if you know the "PLZ" (zip code) of where you're staying in Berlin, Rothaus.de has a "Zäpfle finder" on their website so you might be able to use that to see if the Hoffman nearest you has Rothaus.
You will find Tannenzäpfle in every shop in Berlin that sells beer. It's omnipresent like Budlight. At the big shops, it always fresh. Simply check the best-by-date on the label.
I have been in that beershop a few months ago. It is a nice place with some decent beers but do not expect too much, or no, gems there. Just decent beers from Germany and some beers from other places. The adress i have is Hauptstrasse 90/91 in Berlin-Schönberg local phone 030-85076783
