Trip to Germany - Help me connect to beer

OK folks - I've got a trip planned to western Germany in late October.

I will be joining my lovely wife on a business trip which happens to coincide with our wedding anniversary. The first 2-3 days I plan to spend together with her, and then will have 3-4 days on my own while she will be busy with work.

So...

Any thoughts on beer (and non-beer) related things to do, places to go, beers to consume? We will be staying just outside Dusseldorf. Initial thoughts obviously include consumption of Alt and Kölsch, but would like to expand my itinerary slightly beyond just getting drunk in a German brewery.

All input is appreciated!

You could get drunk in a German beer-garden too.

Go to Bamberg

There are some things I can recommend to look at both the rich history as well as what can come up.

For classics I´d of course go for a fresh Weihenstephaner and everything out of the Schneider Weisse range (with specific focus on the Aventinus, Eisbock, and Original). Furthermore, some of the classic German Pilsners, like Bitburger, along with the Czech ones, should be consumed if found fresh. Then we have the Bamberg style smoked beers, Rauchbier. A must as well. Moving to Leipzig a Gose is needed too, probably Ritterguts.

On the more modern side things like Freigeist are a good starting point as they take classics into this day and age. Their Lichtenheiner Pear, a smoked sour with pear juice, is quite something. Also make modern takes on Gose and such. Weird, but worth a try. In terms of IPAs something to try is Kehrwieder´s SHIPA series, fresh as possible of course, as it is really well done and tasty. One to watch are the new dogs from Berlin called BRLO, who don´t do anything crazy, but when I had them showed what German craft can be, just good high standard.
From Braufactum most can´t be recommended since overpriced, but I took great liking to Indra when fresh (their combination of classic Weizen and IPA) thinking it was awesome (you might even be able to get the harvest edition which the brewmaster told me was even still a step up which I can hardly believe), and their Roog, a juniper smoked beer reminding me of drinking smoked German meats.

Most German craft is still lackluster, inconsistent in quality between beers, or just too attuned to the mass market. I had good ones from multiple brewerys, but only BRLO were solid across their small board.

Hope that helps a bit. Might come back with more.

PS: And get Bierwurst, beer sausage. And smoked hams. Done differently and more rusticly hearty in Germany. If you get the good stuff.....oh man.
PSS: Look people in the eye when you "cheers" ("prost") them. Otherwise 7 years of bad sex.

I just got back from a few week trip in Germany. Stayed mostly to the SE and in smaller villages apart from Munchen. Honestly wherever I was I did not have big beer selections. In larger cities they might have some beer bars, but the ones I went to had generally just one brand, maybe two. Drank lots of Bit, Park, etc other big name ones. Even at the drink markets they just had a few different big brands. Lots of great wines for cheap, though.

Definitely get your fill of schnitzel, schweinshaxe and various cold wursts. Think my favorite meal was a Bavarian breakfast that had white sausage, beer, 5 other kinds of cold pork sausages, few cheeses, crusty rye bread, pretzels etc. Mmmmmmm. The food over there is just so damn cheap and great.

Are you planning on staying overnight other places or will you be returning to Düsseldorf each night?

Spartan1979 said:

Are you planning on staying overnight other places or will you be returning to Düsseldorf each night?

Click to expand...

I am planning on returning back to Dusseldorf each evening, which does limit my reach a bit.

Spartan1979 said:

Are you planning on staying overnight other places or will you be returning to Düsseldorf each night?

Click to expand...

I am planning on returning back to Dusseldorf each evening, which does limit my reach a bit.

ryanryates said:

I am planning on returning back to Dusseldorf each evening, which does limit my reach a bit.

Click to expand...

You can easily spend a day in both Düsseldorf and Köln. Visit all the traditional Altbier pubs in the Alstadt; Schumacher, Füchschen, Schlüssel and Uerige. I like Schlüssel for a meal. There is a new Altbier brewery in the city, Kurzer. I liked it, but I've heard they are inconsistent. I think there is a new brewpub across the river from the Altstadt.

Go up in the Rhineturm, depending on the weather, have a beer in one of the open air restaurants along the Rheinufer (river) and people watch. Here is an article about things to do: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/travel/36-hours-in-dusseldorf-germany.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1

Köln also has a lot of Kolsch breweries, my favorite is Malzmeuhle. Be sure to visit the Dom (cathedral) and take a tour, it is literally awe-inspiring.

My last visit (2013) to Düsseldorf and Köln is detailed here: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/heading-to-germany.113333/page-5#post-1955093

Dortmund for an afternoon is an option.

Find a brewery in a small town and go visit. Get out of the city for a day and into the country. You may be able to find bock bier at that time of year.

I've been to Germany three times in the last five years. I absolutely love it. My favorite place is Bamberg, but it's not a day trip from Düsseldorf.

Have a great time!