Berlin Calling: Beer in the Capital of Germany

It’s late 2008, about a month after I had arrived in Berlin to conduct research on Germany’s recent efforts to commemorate the Second World War. Another leaden gray winter afternoon, mist hanging low enough to obscure the landmark TV Tower on Alexanderplatz, leafless trees shivering in the brisk wind, dusk only a few hours away.

I’ve had about enough reading and writing for the day and my mind’s wandering in the direction of a beer. But it’s Sunday. My local bottle shop is closed and the first stirrings of gentrification in my northern Neukölln neighbourhood hadn’t yet spelled a tavern in the area that served up anything beyond Schultheiss and Berliner Kindl. A longtime friend had mentioned a beer-focused tavern in the Charlottenburg district called Mommseneck, a tavern with the tagline “Haus der 100 Biere” and named after Theodor Mommsen, the German historian who was also Germany’s first Nobel Prize laureate for literature. Beer and history: how could I go wrong?

Mommseneck served its purpose back then with its selection of German and international beers that ventured a few steps beyond what was available in the supermarkets and your average Spätkauf. A smattering of small breweries were beginning to take Berlin’s beer culture even further. Brauhaus Lemke underneath the S-Bahn tracks just off Hackescher Markt, the Brauhaus Spandau with its beer garden way out west, and the Brauhaus Südstern on the edge of the Hasenheide park had taken to brewing more flavourful renditions of German classics, or exploring new territory all together. Along with a few other pioneers, these breweries were poised to effect a tectonic shift in Berlin’s beer culture.

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Fast-forward ten years. Some districts such as Wedding and Moabit have become newly fashionable, and the Neukölln neighbourhood where I once lived has completed its transformation into the hipster haven informally known as Kreuzkölln. Outwardly, though, Berlin hasn’t changed much since its dramatic renewal in the fifteen years following the fall of the Berlin Wall. Berlin is still waiting on its international airport in Schönefeld, and Mommseneck is still serving up its hundred beers from Germany and beyond, cheerfully oblivious to a major shift happening around them. As it were, that handful of small breweries and brewpubs serving up beer in the late aughts were the thin edge of a large wedge that has radically transformed Berlin’s beer culture. Berlin has long been one of the most vibrant cities in Europe, and its beer scene has finally caught up. It wouldn’t be a stretch to claim — rather provocatively, given the Bavarian beer mecca to the south — that Berlin is now the epicenter of German beer.

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But what about Berlin beyond beer? At first glance, Berlin isn’t as well endowed with majestic architecture as a city like Paris or Vienna. But that’s not where Berlin’s unique persuasiveness lies. To be sure, “visible history” is a hallmark of any city. Arguably, though, nowhere else in Europe is the burden of history so plain to see as it is in Berlin, where the jagged traces of the past resist efforts to domesticate it. The past is present everywhere you look, despite the occasional attempt to bury it under the weight of new development (Potsdamer Platz) or to eradicate it (the dismantling of the East German Palace of the Republic in 2008). Norman Foster’s cupula sits atop a Reichstag that has witnessed, among other things, Philipp Scheidemann’s Proclamation of the Republic at the end of WWI and a conflagration that gave Hitler the pretext to proclaim the Enabling Act. Aerial bombardment during WWII took its toll on the city — so much so that the highest point in Berlin, the Teufelsberg, is a mountain made entirely of rubble — as did the postwar division of the city into east and west. Erected in 1961, the Berlin Wall was only the most visible symbol of this division.

History persists in Berlin, from the pre-fabricated concrete apartment blocks of the former East Berlin to the erstwhile headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS, now a poignant memorial site/museum called the Topography of Terror. The Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus rises up across from the grounds of the Topography of Terror on the other side of where the Berlin Wall once ran. Built in the 1930s to house the Ministry of Aviation (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) headed by the notorious Hermann Göring, the block was used for a time by the Soviet military administration before serving as the seat of East Germany’s Council of Ministers. Capitalism displaced communism after the Berlin Wall came down, and the building became the headquarters of the Treuhand, the body responsible for privatizing former East German state-run enterprises. It has been the seat of the German Finance Ministry since 1999. Completed in 2005 and but a stone’s throw from the more uplifting Brandenburg Gate, Peter Eisenman’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe bears witness to Germany’s heavy burden of historical responsibility, while the Stolpersteine (“stumbling stones”) that dot the city subtly recall the victims of the Holocaust.

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If Berlin’s fascinating history hasn’t convinced you to visit, the more recent transformation of Berlin’s beer culture will give you plenty of reasons to deviate from the tried-and-true path that leads from Munich to Brussels via Bamberg and Cologne-Düsseldorf. Where Munich serves up an ocean of stellar lagers and has more beer gardens than you can shake a stein at, its formidable beer culture (along with a healthy respect for the Reinheitsgebot) casts a long shadow over a craft beer scene that’s only beginning to blossom. In contrast, Berlin has something for every beer drinker, whether you’re a craft beer aficionado or someone who appreciates the finer points of lager and wheat beer. Berlin even boasts a handful of beer gardens that wouldn’t be out of place in Munich. This first post of a multi-part series introduces you to breweries and taprooms in Kreuzberg and Neukölln.

Kreuzberg and Neukölln

Surrounded on three sides by East Berlin and, after 1961, the Berlin Wall, Kreuzberg was isolated from the more affluent areas of West Berlin into the 1980s. The district’s cheap rents attracted immigrants moving to Berlin under Germany’s guest worker program during the 1950s and 1960s, with students and artists not far behind. During the 1970s and 1980s, Kreuzberg became the center of Berlin’s countercultural movement, famous for the vibrancy of its squatter scene. Echoes of that countercultural flair reverberate in the present, even as parts of Kreuzberg became relatively expensive after Germany’s reunification. The area continues to attract numerous students and is home to a large Turkish-German population. Places to visit include the gritty Kottbusser Tor, the Wranglerkiez near the Oberbaumbrücke, the relatively bucolic Landwehr Canal, the casually upscale Bergmannkiez, and the landscaped Viktoriapark with its Golgotha Biergarten.

Neukölln lies to the south and east of Kreuzberg and has much in common with Kreuzberg, including a dynamic mix of recent immigrants and long-established Turkish-German communities. Like Kreuzberg, parts of Neukölln are marked by poverty, and the dual-edged sword of gentrification has also left its imprint on Neukölln, particularly in its northwestern reaches near the Maybachufer and Kreuzberg’s affluent Graeferkiez. (And yes, the burgeoning craft beer scene is a component of this process of gentrification.) The vibrant Türkenmarkt (Turkish street market) takes place every Tuesday and Friday, and the Kottbusserdamm leading towards Hermannplatz is lined with numerous Turkish dining options. The Weserkiez remains a popular destination for those seeking out the kinds of quirky pubs and cafes typical of Berlin.

Now that you know what Kreuzberg and Neukölln are all about, it’s time to find your way to the U1, which runs above ground for its entire journey through Kreuzberg. Get off at Görlitzer Bahnhof or Schlesisches Tor and make for Markthalle Neun.

Heidenpeters (Eisenbahnstrasse 42-43)

Markthalle Neun wasn’t always this vibrant. Back when I last visited in 2009, this once-flourishing brick, steel, and glass market built in 1891 had been reduced to fluorescent lighting and gyprock walls enclosing a rather depressing space with few vendors. Not quite as polished as the Marheineke Markthalle on the other side of Kreuzberg, this tastefully refurbished market has risen up like a phoenix to become a focal point of Berlin’s urban food movement. Third-wave coffee, farm-fresh produce, juice bars, spice shops, artisanal cheese, and stalls featuring sustainably raised beef and pork are the order of the day. You’ll also find craft beer at Heidenpeters, a brewery and taproom tucked away in a corner wing of the northwestern part of the market.

A silkscreen artist by training, Johannes Heidenpeter began homebrewing in his free time. When Markthalle Neun reopened in 2011, Heidenpeter was invited along with numerous other artists and contributed a silkscreen project. Fortuitously, he also shared some of his homebrew with one of the new owners of the market. Impressed, the owner showed Heidenpeter an unused space in the cellar of the market. By September 2012, Heidenpeter had tapped his first beer.

The taproom attracts locals, expats, and tourists alike. If your German language abilities are non-existent, don’t worry: I heard more English spoken when I visited than I heard German. Beers range from the creamy Milkshake NEIPA brewed with lactose and vanilla to the easy-drinking Framboise. In between you’ll find a compelling Helles, a mellow Gose, and the Tea Time Pale Ale brewed with roiboos tea.

Hopfenreich (Sorauerstrasse 31)

On the other side of the U1 tracks in Kreuzberg’s Wranglerkiez neighbourhood, Hopfenreich welcomes thirsty urban explorers with a decent selection of beers from breweries in Berlin complemented by international offerings from places as diverse as Austria and Norway. Paradise from Oklahoma’s Prairie Artisan Ales was even on tap when I stopped by. Subdued overhead lighting reflecting off of cream-coloured walls, worn wooden floors, tables and benches made from repurposed wood, and some interesting taps made with old machinery contribute a unique ambience, while friendly and knowledgeable taproom staff keep the beer conversation lively. And then there’s that stuffed porcupine perched atop one of the tap setups. The tap selection rotates regularly, but chances are you’ll find offerings from Berliner breweries such as Spent Collective, Berliner Berg, Bierfabrik, and even Stone Berlin.

Lager Lager (Pflügerstrasse 68)

Depending on the time of day, you can cut through Görlitzer Park on your way to Kreuzkölln, or you can take the slightly longer route after dark. Either way, after walking for about a kilometer and a half, you’ll come across Lager Lager a few blocks from where I used to live. Don’t let the name put you off. Lager Lager is a well-stocked bottle shop with eight taps and over 250 bottles spanning Berliner/German craft beer and Belgian beer, including several gueuzes and krieks. The taproom is a small but elegant contemporary space with ample seating out front when the weather’s nice. I opted for the perfect accompaniment to early summer: Buddelship’s Rote Grütze, a delicious sour beer from Hamburg brewed with cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and currants.

From here you can call it a night, or walk another kilometer and a half to Brauhaus Südstern. Since this post has already consumed quite a few words, I’m going to put away my pen for now and continue this beer tour of Berlin with a trip to Brauhaus Südstern, Brlo Brwhouse, and Stone Berlin after I get some caffeine in me.

Prost!

Sources

Peter Korneffel, Biermanufakturen in Berlin (Berlin: Nicolai, 2015).

The literature on Berlin’s postwar history is vast. I’ll confine myself here to Karen E. Till’s The New Berlin: Memory, Politics, Place (Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press, 2005). A certain scribbler about the history and culture of beer has also taken a stab at framing the debates surrounding commemoration of traumatic pasts in postwar Germany. Link here.

Images by F.D. Hofer.

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