Best europe beer spots to visit

[hairydog]

To all the AHB community out there,

I am planning a trip to France,Belgium,Amsterdam and Germany next year and would like to hear
all thoughts of the best Brewery or Brasssiere or Hangouts Towns you have most enjoyed when there.
Not going for long maybe three weeks,love to hear of everyones best destinations.

 

[stuartf]

Great bar in Amsterdam called bar gollum and there were some great bars in Bruges but cant remember specific names.

 

[humulus]

Gotta do the Brasserie Cantillon in Brussels

 

[peteru]

Belgium
Brussels:

• Delirium Cafe and not just for the mind blowing range. It's easy to spend a whole day in there. - http://www.deliriumcafe.be/
• A La Mort Subite is worth it for the atmosphere and the bar food is interesting - https://www.alamortsubite.com/en/
• Restobieres, of the beaten path, but they have some rare bottles of beer - http://www.restobieres.eu/

Bruges:

• Café 't Brugs Beertje was packed full within minutes of opening, but definitely worth the visit. It was really nice being served by Daisy - her knowledge of beer is awesome. Once I mentioned to her what I enjoy in a beer, she made a recommendation for what I still consider the most mind blowing beer experience I ever had. http://www.brugsbeertje.be/index_en.htm

Orval:

• The visit to the Orval Abbey was pretty cool, but it is unlikely you will be able to visit the brewery - they only have two open days a year. If you want to get a drink, you can't do so at the abbey, but there is a restaurant just a few hundred metres down the road that has food as well as a few of the Orval brews. http://www.orval.be/en/

Czech Republic
Plzen (Pilsen)

• If you can pop over the border from Germany to the Czech Republic, then go and check out the one and only Pilsner brewery - http://www.prazdrojvisit.cz/en/

There's actually loads and loads more I could suggest, but you probably don't have time. I like beer tourism. A few years ago I met up with a friend in Belgium and we dedicated three weeks just for beering around the country. It wasn't long enough!

 

[Cosh]

To add to the list above:

Brussels:

Check out Moeder Lambic Fontainas. A great bar with a heap of different Lambic beers on tap.

Bruges:

t' Brugs Beertje. This is a great bar, huge beer selection and great owners.

Cambrinus. Another great bar / restaurant with a massive beer list. The food here is really good too.

Café Vlissinghe. Nice little cafe with a reasonable beer selection and cheap food. A great place to go for lunch, or on a sunny afternoon.

De Halve Maan Brewery. A short walk from the train station. Brewery tours and unfiltered Bruges Zot on tap.

Germany:

Munich. So many beer gardens and beer halls here. Augustiner Keller, Lowenbrau Keller, Hirschgarten to name a few.

Bamberg. Another small town that has a large number of bars and breweries. Check out: Schlenkerla, Spezial, Mahr's Brau.

Cologne. Great for Kolsch and great pub food. Try Paffgen, Gaffel, and Brauhaus Putz.

 

[danestead]

Bamberg

 

[Randai]

I've only been to bamberg as one of the "beer-cation" towns in the EU. But it was really great. Awesome old style town, cobbled streets, the smokey beer from schlenkerla was eye openingly good. The bakeries in the morning were great with all the dark breads.

As far as while you are in part of the world, I know the UK is no longer in the EU, but man that hand pumped cask beer was amazing, I drank many many pints of it. So if you get a chance to try it, definitely give it a go.

 

[hairydog]

Thanks everyone for posting your favourite spots around Europe for beer and in general sight seeing,

Bamburg will be a definite place to hang about and might venture across the border to Pilsen whilst there.

​Peteru the Delirium Cafe looks like a popular spot and a must when in Belgium,too many spots too little time.

 

[kevo]

A friend mentioned that after a night on the smoked beers in Bamburg that even the roadside slash on the walk home has a smokey aroma!

 

[spog]

In Munich for a good feed,German beer and a good price try the Wirtshausbar Moro at MullerstraBe 30.
The tram running from the central train station stops within 20 metres of it,we stayed across the road and it was excellent.
Now,it is a gay pub/bar which is family friendly and I/ we had no issues so all is ok.
No hassles,no probs and no I'm not gay.

 

[danestead]

As far as while you are in part of the world, I know the UK is no longer in the EU, but man that hand pumped cask beer was amazing, I drank many many pints of it. So if you get a chance to try it, definitely give it a go.

The UK is still a part of Europe but looks like it will leave the European Union. This is much the same as Switzerland, Norway and some others.

 

[warra48]

I can highly recommend Düsseldorf in Germany.
Go to the Altstadt, and there are a myriad of brewpubs, all serving their version of Altbier.
I did this 2 years ago, and had a great 3 days there sloshing my way around.

 

[time01]

+ 1 for bamberg also.
I'm currently in Prague and flying back tomorrow night, I reckon I could live here for a few yrs.

 

[Lincoln2]

Re Amsterdam. Had a great night at this place a year or so back. Good vibe, great range etc etc: http://www.indewildeman.nl/index.php?lang=en

 

[crowmanz]

Brussels:
+1 for Moeder Lambic Fontainas it is kinda near Manneken Pis and on the way to Brasserie Cantillon there is even a walking tour map that Cantillon has on their website with cool stuff on the way from the grand place to the brewery.
For a bottle shop I went to De Biertempel on the northern side of the grand place - had a huge range of beers, even westvleteren range (got the 12 for 12 euro) probably cheaper places but this had the best range closest to the action.
BrewDog Brussels is alright too if you are hankering for a hoppy beer, also is close to the Centraal train station.

Bruges:
+1 for De Halve Maan Brewery I did the XL tour, a bit longer and you got 3 beers at the end, unfiltered Zot, tripel and quad.
Duvelorium Grand Beer Café in the market place, views of the market place and Belfort from the balcony.

Ghent:
A less touristy version of Bruges.
The local gruit brewery was in the process of moving when I was there Gentse Gruut but plenty to be had in the cafés etc.
Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant (Waterhouse on the Beer Side) a cool small beer café on the Leie River.

Düsseldorf and Cologne:
Go to the centre of old town, walk into a pub, they will all have the same beer (Altbier or Kolsch, depending on city) each pub/café will serve a different brewery. You might be able to order a pils as an alternative. They make good beer but I got bored with the beer selection in Germany compared to the selection at even chain restaurants in Belgium.

Amsterdam:
If you are with non-brewers the Heineken brewery is a fun couple of hours, you wont learn much but I still enjoyed the games etc they had in there.

Prague:
Lokál Dlouhááá a good restaurant, serves beer from the tank.

 

[Phoney]

I'm currently in Paris, but been in France for the last three weeks.

Craft beer on tap is hard to find, but not impossible. Some great French and Belgian micros here, but again you have to research and go out of your way. Leffe bars are just about everywhere touristy but meh.

To be honest the best bet on a budget is to go to a supermarket, pick up Rogue, Brewdog, Russian Rivrr and other local micro stubbies for 2.5 euros a bottle or 8 for a sixer and kick back at your airbnb apartment. In fact that is what I am doing right now. :icon_cheers: