Mittenwald: A Brewery and a Beer Hike in the Alps

Introducing Mittenwald

It was September 1786. Goethe had just left Munich on his way to the Brenner Pass, where he would cross into Italy and remain for two years. The stagecoach called at Mittenwald, a market town along the ancient road from Verona to Augsburg. Mittenwald must have been as charming then as it is now, for the great polymath remarked that it was like a “living picture book.”

Splashes of colour still brighten up this Upper Bavarian town near the Tirolean border. Ornately carved wooden balconies wrap around chalets, their flower boxes overflowing with geraniums. And Lüftlmalerei, those vibrant wall frescoes long a symbol of prosperity, decorate just about every house. Some reveal the trades of former or current occupants, some convey religious sentiments, while others depict traditional pastimes or historical scenes.

Famous as Mittenwald is for its Lüftlmalerei, it’s just as renowned for its violins. Back in the eighteenth century, local artisan Matthias Klotz set off to Italy to learn the craft of violin making. Upon his return he found a ready supply of sycamore and spruce on the mountainsides at his doorstep, wood that made the violins sing. Klotz is immortalized in bronze on the square in front of the Church of St. Peter and Paul, forever perfecting his craft.

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The Omnipresent Karwendel

If culture draws some visitors to Mittenwald, it’s the dazzling natural scenery that attracts many others. Towering above Mittenwald are the wild and craggy peaks of the Karwendel mountains, part of the Northern Limestone Alps stretching from Innsbruck in the south to just east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the north.

And it’s this massif that frames the towns, hamlets, and lakes of your beer hike. The hike itself is a fairly quick but intense sweep upwards, followed by an equally abrupt descent, with breath-taking views the whole way.

Before setting off to Mittenwald, I sat down for beers in Munich with Rich Carbonara, beer wanderer extraordinaire, to get the lay of the land. His advice here is spot on: Forget the hike into the Karwendel, wonderful as the views from the top are, and head up the other direction for stellar views of this massif.

The Hike

As you make your way through town from the train station, keep an eye out for signs to the Hoher Kranzberg, your first stop above Mittenwald. The hike takes you quickly from the town at 900 meters above sea level to the summit of the Hoher Kranzberg at 1400 meters.

Forego the chairlift and hike up the stretch to the Hotel Anton with its phenomenal views across the Isar valley. From there, follow the signs to the Hoher Kranzberg for a panoramic view of the Karwendel and its surrounding mountain ranges. This is the view you came for.

The next segment of the hike is a quick but relaxing descent through shaded woods with rippling streams. Follow Trail #813 for Ferchensee, about an hour from the Hoher Kranzberg summit. Down and down the trail drops, with occasional views of the rugged peaks through the trees, depositing you on the serene Ferchensee set against stunning peaks.

Stop off and imbibe the intoxicating scenery at Gasthaus Ferchensee’s lakeside beer garden, or continue on your way to Lautersee, another scenic lake with a breathtaking Alpine backdrop. Stick to the paths through the woods from the Ferchensee, then drop down to the banks of the Lautersee. Here you have a choice of the lakeside beer garden at the Lautersee Alm, a favourite stop for cyclists, or the terrace of the Lauterseestub’n in the Hotel Lautersee. Both offer excellent vistas of the Alps up close, but the Lauterseestub’n comes with an added bonus: virtually the entire range of Brauerei Mittenwald beers.

Once you’ve had your fill, continue past the quaint Maria Königin chapel, then follow any one of the hiking paths to reel in the final 2 kilometers down to Mittenwald spread out at the foot of the Karwendel.

Replenishment After the Hike

By now you’ll probably have worked up a prodigious thirst and enormous appetite. The Brauereigaststätte Postkeller, a rather curious building just south of the pedestrian zone, is your destination for Brauerei Mittenwald beers straight from the source. The exterior is a boxy modernist design softened by wooden slats, while the interior is traditional. Unfortunately, the Postkeller was closed when I went, its hours restricted by Covid. But I have it on good authority that the Kellerbier served straight from the fermentation vessel is where it’s at.

Rest assured, the Postkeller isn’t the only place in town where you can try Brauerei Mittenwald’s tasty beers. Gasthof Post, Gasthof Stern, and the Alpenrose all serve the local favourite.

So, too, does Gasthof Gries, a fabulous Wirtshaus a stone’s throw from the church. The rustic and dimly lit interior is all wood paneling with low-slung ceilings held aloft by heavy beams, while the views of the Karwendel from the garden terrace out front can’t be beat. The same goes for the food. I went for the Tellerfleisch, a dish similar to the Tafelspitz of Vienna. Sometimes the cooking broth for Tellerfleisch is rather pedestrian. Not here. Gasthof Gries’s version is roasted and then braised in a deftly flavourful beef stock. As with other renditions, Gries’s Tellerfleisch comes dressed with freshly grated horseradish.

Brauerei Mittenwald: A Postal Connection

Good food needs good beer, and in Mittenwald that beer comes from the brewery of the same name. In the hands of the Neuner family since 1864, Brauerei Mittenwald got its start in 1808 when the Royal Bavarian Postmaster, Thomas Knilling, was granted permission to brew. Initially located at today’s Hotel Post, the brewery was called, fittingly, Brauerei zur Post. After a fire at the Hotel Post, work began in 1892 at today’s Postkeller, then a lagering cellar and beer garden for the brewery. Today the Postkeller houses Mittenwald’s tavern and state-of-the-art brewhouse.

Mittenwald’s Beers

As for the beer? Hops come from the Hallertau, grain from Upper Bavaria, and water from a well near the Lautersee that was first tapped in the 1830s.

Hazy yellow-gold, the Werdenfelser Weisse leans toward allspice with a touch of banana, light brown sugar, and acacia honey. It’s refreshingly crisp and effervescent on a warm, sunny day, with clove-accented wheat countered by a twist of citrus and a touch of green apple acidity.

The Mittenwalder Dunkel sparkles mahogany in the sunlight. This funky Dunkel’s all about aromas and flavours you don’t always encounter in this style. Savoury and occasionally pungent “character notes” like aged saké, molasses, and brambly hops weave in and out of dried dark cherry, sweet tobacco, and pecan, making this a unique beer that repays close attention. It’s more ample than its top-note aromas of herbal tea and pecans would suggest, with dark caramel providing residual sweetness countered by a subtle bitterness.

If the Werdenfelser Weisse and the Mittenwalder Dunkel are perfectly fit for the Bavarian table, the Mittenwalder Karwendel Hell takes it up a notch. This is one of those well-wrought pale lagers that marries a subtle floral fragrance with a mélange of orange zest and lemon, all floating above an elegant malt signature of graham cracker, alpine meadows, and freshly crushed grain. If the aromas are stellar, the palate really shines: freshly baked country bread and a hint of marzipan set the stage for a medley of floral and pepper-spice hop flavours, along with a stone fruit minerality reminiscent of peach. Perfectly refreshing.

Among other beers, Brauerei Mittenwald bottles a Märzen, an Export, a Pils, and a range of Bock beers. The Kellerbier isn’t bottled; for that, you’ll need to go to the source.

Odds and Ends

What beer hikes in Mittenwald lack in terms of “story value” —legends, myths, and the like — they make up for in scenery. And you can do these relatively short “bang for your buck” hikes with plenty of time left over for sampling the local beer, even during a day trip from Munich. If Brauerei Mittenwald is not quite “top-shelf Bavarian,” it’s a solid enough brewery that brews decent beers worth seeking out, especially after a hike. And if my description of the beer hiking and the local brewery hasn’t convinced you, the Karwendel will.

Trains depart Munich’s main station at regular but staggered intervals about twice per hour. The trip via Garmisch-Partenkirchen takes about two hours.

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Sources

• Daniela Schetar, Oberbayern (DuMont, 2015).
• Rich Carbonara, Beer Hiking Bavaria (Helvetiq, 2019).
• Brauerei Mittenwald, website.

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All images by Franz D. Hofer

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