There was a fantastic trip report for Düsseldorf not too long back - unfortunately the whole forum crash thing has consigned it to the ether.... I'm off there next week for a few days. A bit of sight-seeing and sampling the local brews. Does anyone have any advice on what beers/bars to try or where to go while I'm there? I'd like to leave with an appreciation for altbier and the local drinking scene. Cheers.....
Hey thanks, that was me! Düsseldorf was a lot of fun although I was just there for Uerige's Stickum Tag and unfortunately did not stay overnight. I definitely recommend the bars Zum Uerige and Brauerei Im Füchschen. Nice atmosphere in both, and of course good beer. The waiter at Füchschen was particularly friendly, which I appreciated. I also really liked Original Schlüssel Alt, although I didn't go to their bar (Zum Schlüssel, not to be confused with Schlosser), and likewise for Schumacher. Everything in the Altstadt is fairly easy walking distance, and I found myself thinking that if I lived in Düsseldorf I'd probably spend all of my time and money in the Altstadt bars. Here are my tips: Tip 1: When I researched my trip, several BA's (I remember specifically Uncle Jimbo, but there were others) had posted about Uerige Treff Im Karschhaus. It is underground at the "Heinrich-Heine-Allee" U-Bahn station near the Altstadt. Simply go as if you were getting on the U-Bahn, except seek out the Karschhaus department store at the bottom of the stairs (you'll be in the basement level, obviously). Walk around through their foodstuffs section. There is a small bar there that seats about two, and it is the only place to get the Unfiltered ("Nicht Filtriert") version of the Uerige Alt, which they sell in bottle form only if I remember correctly. I'm not sure it's better or worse than the regular stuff, but it is a novelty. Plus, they may also have the Sticke in bottles in their fridge for takeaway, but at this point I would doubt it. Tip 2: Across the street from Zum Uerige (the proper bar, not the spot in the department store) is a bar that sells Uerige's spirits. They sometimes have Uerige's Dopplesticke, which is apparently very good. I've never had it because it is not made for the German market. They make it and sell it I believe exclusively for the US market and I guess this bar across the way which they own. I was told they would have some at the beginning of February so I hope there is still some left for you. Tip 3: Off the beaten tourist path is a bottle shop called Durst Bunker (http://www.durst-bunker.de/). It's a few blocks south of Königsallee, but not too far out of the way. They have many brands of altbier there, and at relatively cheap, non-tourist prices. It's located in a "hinterhof", which means if you are just walking down the street, you won't see it. You have to duck down an alley-like entrance way to find the store, but if you pay attention to the numbers of the neighboring buildings you can figure out where you need to go. If you're looking for some alts to take home with you, it's a pretty good stop. No Uerige, though, from what I remember. Tip 4: Have a good time! I'm very jealous, and typing all of this is making me wish they sold anything but Diebel's Alt here in Heidelberg.
That's brilliant - thanks for the info. I'll try and check out your recommendations when I'm there....
This is my pub guide to Düsseldorf: http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/dusspubs.htm Note that Pilsner Urquell has reopened, but no longer sells the Fleku beer.
Thanks everyone! I almost forgot: Tip 5: If you go to Zum Uerige you may notice that the menu is in German on one side and what I can only imagine is Düsseldorf dialect on the other. However, if you pull the menu out of it's stand and turn it inside-out, the dialect side is replaced by an English language menu. I learned this the hard way when I asked a busy waiter, in German, if his eggs were eggs (long story). He snapped the menu out of its stand, flipped it over, and pointed to the English language side. Keep in mind that I was there for lunch, so maybe they have a proper dinner menu, I don't know. PS - the eggs are in fact eggs, and I can recommend them.
The Altstadt of Dusseldorf is one of the best nights out in Germany, or at least it was when I was last there. Can't really recommend anywhere as it is a few years since we were last there. <*))))))><
check out Ron Pattinsons guide - always worth a pew . . . http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/dusspubs.htm post edit - Ron has changed his avatar - didn't clock him up thread at first - all publicity is good ? I did D'dorf (proper - have changed trains a few times over the years) in March '09, Alt bier mecca as I'm sure you know Visited Schumacher and the afforementioned Zum Ureige, plus a few others, Zur Uel and Fuchschen and perhaps one other? Zum Ureige is a must, as others have touched on, whilst Alt is great it become a bit samey/samey and ZU at least brewed something different in the form of their Weizen! Plus I was weened on "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet" !
Thanks to everyone for your advice - I will check out Ron's guide and try to fit in as many places as possible! Looking forward to exploring the city. Erzengel - that sounds like a good plan. I will be there from Feb 29th to March 5th, so 4 full days. Let me know if you think something might be possible.
Here is a blog w/ some video that you might find interesting..... http://thebeergeek.com/blog/?tag=dusseldorf Also, take Erzengel up on the meet. He's a cool guy, I look forward to meeting up with him again someday. Very knowledgeable, helpful, just a very decent person!
We visited on a day trip last November. Hard to go wrong in the altstadt. You should be able to experience the big 4 (Zum Uerige, Im Füchschen, Schumacher, Zum Schlüssel) in the better part of the day. Zum Uerige and Im Füchschen were my favorites, but the others were well worth the visit. We even got an impromptu tour of the Zum Schlüssel brauhaus during operations and were able to gleen some good info from der Braumeister. If you're really hungry try their butcher's platter. Enjoy!
You can still find some of the old Forum posts cached on Google. For example, I found this one from Jan. 2012 by searching "Düsseldorf BeerAdvocate": http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...yUeUZwoQJ:beeradvocate.com/forum/read/4366229 And I think this was the thread you are referring to: http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...5hQkc40IJ:beeradvocate.com/forum/read/4281370
I was dead impressed when I realised they'd shot a scene in Uerige. Didn't spot it watching the series on its first run.
I used this guide when I was in Dusseldorf about 20 months ago and it was a great guide. Had lots of fun.
I have used the above guide too. It's still accurate and has outstanding recommendations... a veritable bible. My favs for D-town is Zum Füchsen (for the food and atmosphere), and Schlüssel Alt as the best Alt in town, and Ürige for the old timey feel. One other thing... be prepared not to get great service from the waiters, especially as Schlüssel. Their rude attitude is part of their charm, and anything else would be a disappointment. Another thing. Your 0.2L glass will be replaced automatically with a full one if it's nearly empty, even if you're not finished. The way to deter this is to put the Bierdeckel (coaster) on top of the glass, which is the sign you don't want another. Finally, The Altstadt in D-dorf is as close as Germany gets to the atmosphere of NOLA in the French Quarter, a party atmosphere on weekends. The biggest difference is that it's often full of silly and drunk bachelor and bachelorette parties to add to the wildness.
The only problem we ran into is that there are very few places to stay within walking distance. Other than that it was my favorite stay on our last trip. we had a blast watching world Cup in Zum Uerige across the room from the elevator where workers continuously fetched full barrels and took the empties back to the cellars.
