The Quest for the Holy Grain - Best Brew Pubs
Berlin, Germany

 

 

 

 

Two Fellas Brewery
Mühlenstraße 30
13187 Berlin, Germany
+49 176 61375525

Two Fellas is a brewpub located in the Berlin suburb of Pankow.
It's right on the main street about a block from both the streetcar and U-Bahn.
The building seems to be an old residence. The bar area would have been a large living room. There are several other rooms as well as a Biergarten out back.
As Two Fellas says in their mission statement: Producing handcrafted artisan ales is our job. Drinking them is our passion.
The big attraction foodwise is American-style pizza!
Some of their drafts also have an American slant: Bull Moose Porter, Regular Cream Ale, Lake Michican IPA, and Easy Rider Pale Ale.
Two Fellas has 6 of their own beers on tap as well as a dozen guest bottles.
The service was friendly, but the young gal seemed to be somewhere else most of the time..

 

 

 

BRLO Brwhouse
Schöneberger Str. 16
10963 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 55577606

BRLO is a new brewpub not far from tourist attractions in downtown Berlin.
The main room is a large seating area with a service bar in one corner.
BRLO has 6 of their own beers on tap and 8 guests.
On this afternoon, only the outside service bar was open, and they were pouring only their own beer.
Cool idea.
All BRLO's beers are handcrafted in small batches.
Are you wondering what the name means?
BRLO is a word of Slavic origin meaning Berlin.
Also of note: BRLO resides in a unique building made of 38 shipping containers.
BRLO's motto:

"Save the planet - it's the only one with beer."

 

 

 

 

BrewDog Berlin Mitte
Ackerstraße 29
10115 Berlin, Germany
+49 30 48477770

BrewDog is a beer bar in a quiet neighborhood near the main railroad station, a short walk south of the Mauerpark.
BrewDog has 30 draft lines.
They have 14 BrewDog beers on tap, and about that many guest beers.
BrewDog serves several pizzas as their only food.
As the Brewdogs themselves say, " we couldn't open a bar in Berlin without an extensive biergarten, so a large external garden can found to the rear of the bar! "
Although BrewDog is known to be a brewery chain, all of these BrewDog beers are imported from Scotland. The owner "intends" to open another location and brew there.

 

 

 

 

 

Leibhaftig Hausbrauerei
Metzer Straße 30
10405 Berlin, Deutschland
+49 30 54815039

Leibhaftig Hausbrauerei is in a residential neighborhood near downtown Berlin.
Dominated by a modern bar, the whole place is the size of a generous two car garage in the basement of what would appear to be an American-style row house.
With 7 small tables around the outside, maybe 30 people could be crammed in.
They serve Tapas, snack sized meals, as well as their two beers, a pils and a weizen.
The house brand at Leibhaftig Hausbrauerei is called Wanke Brau, which means to sway or to stagger.
This can be commonplace among those attending the Berlin Beer Festival.

 

 

Marzahner
Beilsteiner Strasse 51-85
Alte Borse
12681 Berlin, Deutschland

Marzahner is on someone's list of Berlin brewpubs.
Their website doesn't give much information.
Ah...this is a Quest !!
A long tram ride and an even longer walk brings one to an old industrial area that is being renovated, both historically and with new homes. Searching for an address amidst the rubble, one might see a small, crude sign pointing down an alley that says "Bier Garten".
More alleys and more signs until one comes to a new patio with a chalkboard that says the Bier Garten opens at 9:00 am.
One orders a beer from a window in the wall. The patio seats well over 100 but this Questor was the only customer.
Marzahner probably does a good lunch business with all the workers in the area, as they have a large array of beverages.
They serve their own pils and a kolsch-style. Both were tasty.
Questors never give up.
As of the summer of 2016, Marzahner was no longer brewing beer on site. The beer was brewed across the street at Bierfabrik.

 

 

Pfefferbrau
Schönhauser Allee 176
10119 Berlin, Deutschland
+49 30 44354853

Pfefferbrau is a new brewpub just out of downtown Berlin.
This could be an American brewpub; big windows, lots of light, cleaned up old brick, and modern blonde furniture.
There is no separate dining area - the moderate sized room might seat 50. There is a large patio out front as well as a kiosk which serves a large garten. Though the menu was pricey, people seemed to be there for the food.
Pfefferbrau has their own Pils, Dunkel, and seasonal, as well as a few guest taps.

 

 

Prater Garten
Kastanienallee 7-9
10435 Berlin, Deutschland
+49 30 4485688

The Prater Garten is the outdoor version of the Prater Brewpub in Berlin.
The Brewpub is only open in the evening, and serves fresh homemade Berlin cuisine throughout the year; the Garten is open all day. The Garten is located in the center of the block, behind the storefronts, and probably seats 2000 at picnic tables.
Prater Garten is self serve - just go to the window and order a beer. The Prater brews are prominent, with a few guests.
Beer has been served from this location since 1837.
A large kiosk nearby sells snacks.

 

 

Brauhaus Lemke am Schloss
Luisenplatz 1
10585 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 30 30878979

Brauhaus Lemke am Schloss Charlottenberg is the original Lemke Brewpub and is located directly across from the palace.
The brauhaus has been there a long time and has a nice welcoming feel to it.
I guess that's what they call gemütlichkeit.
Spacious with many rooms, it's a nice place to drink beer.
The brewing operation makes the beer for both this institution and the Hackescher Markt location.
The brewwerks are visible in the rear with signs alerting one to it's presence.
In the summer, guests can drink beer on the patio whilst viewing the Charlottenburg Palace.

 

 

 

Brauhaus in Spandau
Neuendorfer Straße 1
Berlin, 13585
Germany
phone: 030 / 353 907 0

The Brauhaus in Spandau is a classic brewpub.  The brewing operation is on a platform behind the bar.  Bar tables are nestled up close to the fermenters.  The bar is not particularly spacious, but there are several dining rooms as well as a large upstairs area and also quite a large outdoor seating area.  The food is cafeteria style; you can get it yourself or the wait staff will get it for you.  There are several year round beers on their list as well as several seasonal.  The beers were tasty and seemed true to style.  It is worth the short trip from Berlin.

 

Biermeisterei Lemke
Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 13,
D-10178 Berlin - Mitte
Phone: 49 30 - 30 87 89 89

The Biermeisterei Lemke is across the street from some tourist attractions, and also a big subway hub.  Modern and brightly lit, it is on the second floor of a shopping mall, with it's own separate staircase.  There is outdoor seating below and also on the patio above.  The stairway leads to the main bar area, there is a large dining area also which has the brewing operation.  There are three year round brews on tap as well as the appropriate seasonal.
There are three Lemke locations in Berlin; they each brew a different beer, and swap them around.

 

 

 

 

Marcus-Bräu
Münzstraße 1-3
Berlin, Germany 10178
(030) 2476985

The Marcus-Bräu brewpub is just a block off the big tourist area near downtown Berlin.  There are three doors: one to the coffee shop, one to the ice cream stand and the third to the brewpub.  The common dining area is an eclectic mis- match of furniture.  The one barrel (or smaller) brewing kettle shares space behind the bar with the ice cream machine and the coffee equipment.  The Hefe weizen served there was familiar.  Wait... don't tell me...I know !!   It's Ellicott Mills recipe.  Yes, it's made with the same yeast as Ellicott Mills and I didn't care for it.  On this wonderful summer night, therewere only several other customers there.  When I paid, the barmaid had to get the manager to break my E20.00.  I wouldn't go back.

 

 

 

Schlossplatzbrauerei Coepenick
Inhaberin Astrid Rubbert
Auf dem Schlossplatz / Grünstraße
12555 Berlin

Self-proclaimed as the smallest brewery in Germany, the Schlossplatz brewpub is across the street from Schloss Kopenick in the Berlin suburb of Kopenic.  The size of a generous two car garage, there is a small bar and several tables and a work area with what looks to be a 1 Barrel kettle.  The is more seating on the patio out front.  They serve a helles and a dunkel.

 

Hopfingerbräu
Europaplatz 1
10557 Berlin
+49 (0)30 / 20 62 46 24

Hopfingerbräu is a brewpub in the main train station in central Berlin.  The small storefront isn't very promising as it is as narrow as a small row house, but looks are deceiving as a sign in the entranceway says it seats 300 inside as well as 200 more on their patio.  The pub widens out inside and is about a city block long, with the part beyond the generous bar blocked during the slower times.  The brew kettles on display on either side of the bar are for decoration as the beer is brewed at their other location.  They have the standard three beers on tap, a Pils, Dunkel, and Hefe.  The beer and menu items seem pricey but are probably quite reasonable given the location.

Hopfingerbrau may not have a location at the train station anymore. Check the website for locations.

 


 

 

 

Hausbrauerei Eschenbräu
Triftstr. 67 · 13353 Berlin
Tel. 030 / 462 68 37
0162 / 493 19 15

Eschenbräu is a small brewpub located in the center courtyard of an apartment complex in the Berlin suburb of Wedding.  The courtyard has about 20 large picnic tables and a kiosk where the beer is served.  The lone barmaid also runs the bar in a nearby small and cozy cellar.  The brewing operation is displayed in a storefront above.  Menus were available, but a kitchen was not evident.  The beer menu has the release date for each of the nine seasonal releases.  They also have a pilsner, a dunkel, and a hefeweizen year round.  I really enjoyed the place; I'd go back.

 

Brauhaus Lemke
Hackescher Markt
Dircksenstr., S-Bahnbogen 143 10178 Berlin - Mitte
Phone: 030-24728727

The Brauhaus Lemke is near a busy tourist marketplace.  Built into the train viaduct, it rumbles with each passing train.  They have an American style bar with barstools and
small bar tables and a separate dining room which also houses the brewing operation.  They also have a large outside seating area. There are four of their own beers on tap which were tasty and seemed true to style.  The food was quite good and not expensive.

A re-visit in 2015 revealed that Brauhaus Lemke has gone up a notch.
I had one of their 030 Pale Ales, and a double IPA.
Their IPA was sold out.
So they have 6 beers on tap and bombers of other stuff.

 

 

BRAUHAUS GEORGBRAEU
Spreeufer 4 - D-10178 Berlin
Telefon: 030/24 24 24 4

The Brauhaus Georgbraeu is in the middle of the busy tourist district of Berlin, next to the river Spree.  With an immense seating area outside, few people are inside, although there are several dining rooms and some smaller cozy places, too.  It's a busy place; you might have to wait for service...oh, and they only make one beer...Pilsner.  It's pretty tasty, but it's not cheap.

 

Brauhaus Südstern
Hasenheide 69
10967 Berlin

Tel.: +49(0)30-6900 1624

The Brauhaus Südstern is located in the front of an apartment building in the nicer Südstern neightborhood.  Almost American style, they have a small dining area on the front patio, an indoor dining area and a slightly separated long bar area.  The brewing equipment takes up a corner of the front of the bar area.  They have three full-time beers and seasonals as appropriate.  The service was good, the beers were tasty and seemed true to style, but the menu seemed a litle pricy.  It's a short walk from the U-bahn.  I would like to go back.

 

 

Schalander Hausbrauerei
Bänschstr. 91
Berlin 10247
+49 30 89617073

Schalander is a small brewpub in the dingy edge of an otherwise vibrant older neighborhood in midtown Berlin.  The typical-sized bar area has a few seats at the bar and several tables, with more tables in a back room.  Most of the seating is on a front patio.  The small beer operation is on display by the front door.  The beers are particularly tasty, so bold they may be called American-style German beers.  The menu is mostly flatbread and appetizers, inexpensive but very popular with the neighborhood.

 

Hops & Barley
Wühlischstraße 38
10245 Berlin, Deutschland
030 2936-7534

Hops & Barley is a small brewpub in an older area of Berlin.   Although there are several tables inside, most customers sit out front when the weather permits.  There is also a large room in the back.  Augmented with only a few snacks, the menu emphasises beer.  Not really true to style, the beers are bold and flavorful, with three on tap at any one time.  A small brew kettle, on display in the barroom, is mostly for decoration as the real brewing takes place in a back room.