[Work in Progress - version 3]
Peter Sutcliffe signed a copy of his excellent guide 'Around Berlin in 80 Beers' when I met him at the book launch event at Copenhagen beer festival in 2011.
While visiting Berlin in August 2013 I was able to visit 7 of the bars mentioned in the book.
This post will feature some photos from the bars I visited.
1)
Lemke am Schloss (Charlottenburg)
On the way to
Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg to see some surrealist art, a Sunday lunchtime stop at the Brauhaus Lemke brewpub at Luisenplatz 1, was a good idea.
A table at the back gave a good view of the bar on the right and brewing vessels on the left.
The menu included a four beer tasting option (4 euros) and was a good choice as the measures looked on the generous side (0.1 litre). The beers were served with a small dish of grains to clear the palate between beers.
I tasted the pilsner (centre right) first, then the wheat beer (centre left), then the special (zwickel) and finally the dunkel (left). These were all served cool and in good condition.
As this is a beer blog there will only be a brief mention of the lunch but the pork knuckle was the main part of a substantial German dish, recommended for value and quality.
6) Gasthaus Lentz, Stuttgarter Platz 20, 10627 Berlin (near Berlin-Charlottenburg station)
Arrived on a wet Monday evening and was lucky to find a table near the counter inside this popular cafe / bar.
Immediately impressed by the great atmosphere and service standards.
An interesting range of draught beers which are expertly served into freshly rinsed glasses that match the beer is always a good sign.
The large room with a red floor and high ceilings has some interesting photos and enamel signs on the plain walls. Plants and flowers give a natural feel. The entrance door is flanked by a large window on one side and a smaller window on the other.
The draught beers are from several regions of Germany and I picked a beer from Bavaria in the Benedictine brewing tradition - Andechser Vollbier Hell by Klosterbrauerei Andechs.
Gasthaus Lentz had become my favourite beer bar in Berlin so I resolved to return the next morning for a beer on my last day in Berlin. On Tuesday I could take some daytime photos and drink the Weissbier / wheat beer from Klosterbrauerei Andechs with a fresh and salty pretzel.
Kloster Andechs brewery English webpage
Gasthaus Lentz website with photos
7)
Hopfingerbrau, Berlin Hbf (main railway station)
On the way to Schonefeld airport, I stopped off at Berlin Hbf to visit Hopfingerbrau. It is on the level immediately below the top level (for S trains and long distance DB trains to Warsaw and Cologne etc).
It was not busy on a Tuesday lunchtime and I was impressed that Herr Pscheidt, behind the bar, brought my 0.5 litre of Dunkel to my table instead of waiting for the waitress to do this.
I took the opportunity to get a photograph of him holding a copy of Ullage and to ask him for some more information about the Dunkel. He kindly went off in search of a keg cap to give me as a reminder of the supplier for the beer. The bar is now operated by the Radeberger brewery and the Dunkel is branded as Markischer Landmann from the Berliner Kindl Brewery in Berlin.
The copper vessels behind the bar and the copper piping over the bar are just for show but do give a solid impression of brewing quality to this conveniently positioned bar.
