Karlsruhe

The city of Karlsruhe is in the  Baden Württemberg, region of Germany and is the youngest city in Germany. Karlsruhe is located on the Rhine and in the top of the Black Forest, close to the French border. The city was founded in 1715 by margrave Karl Wilhelm von Baden. The city was laid out on the drawing board. It consists of a central circle, containing the castle, and streets running towards the castle as radial "spokes". This pattern is still visible today. Due to the fan-like layout, Karlsruhe is known as the "fan city" (Fächerstadt).  .The Rhine valley, where Karlsruhe is located, is the warmest part of Germany because it is only about 115 m above sea level and there are mountains in the east (black forest) and west (vogesen). Therefore, Karlsruhe has more sunny days than many other parts of Germany. 

There isn't a lot of tourist traffic to Karlsruhe. Tourists generally tend to gravitate towards the cities of Heidelberg (50km to the north) and Freiburg (100km to the south), with their well-preserved old towns. It's a shame though, as Karlsruhe's radial layout is one of the best early examples of New Urbanism, and is really a joy to explore especially for the beer rambler. Maybe that's a benefit to Ramblers who do venture there, as the number of visitors is low enough to be sort of a novelty for the locals. 

There are two medium sized breweries in Karlsruhe, Moninger and Hoepfner. Moninger. The Hoepfner brewery now produces a wide range of beers, of  special mention is their Porter which is available only during the winter months.  This is the only Porter brewed in Germany and was actually the first beer we tried in the Litfass Brew pub.   Certainly a brew pub with atmosphere, extremely busy when we arrived on a carnival day during  “fasching” , the fifth season according to the German’s.  Wood panelling and exposed brick work with an eclectic art mix, painted gals and sculptures.   On offer was a very good selection of beers in the usual Germanic style, Hefe, dunkel and kristal all full flavoured and refreshing.  A good start to our tour of Karlsruhe, with the added bonus of the Jubelbeir (Porter) which was superb.

Essential to any beer lovers visit to Karlsruhe is a trip to one of the oldest established microbreweries in Germany founded in (1985) by Rudi Vogel called the Vogel Bräu (Bird Brew). Situated on Kapellenstrasse 50 they serve an refreshing unfiltered Pils all year round, and between Oct. and May speciality beers are produced from Märzen to Doppelbock, Dunkles Weizen, Weizenbock, Mai bock and even a Rauch beer unequalled outside of Bamberg. These speciality beers are of the finest quality and can be enjoyed with simple snacks or a choice of two or three daily menus.  The unfiltered pils and the rauch beer were on offer when we visited.  The place was large, loud and in full carnival mood with everyone dancing and sing and general having a great time.

Another brewpub which has been setup by the Moninger brewery can be found in Karlsruhe and is called the Kühler Krug, on the outskirts, get the number 5 tram or 55 bus and get of at “Kuhler Krug, the pub is across the road.   This is a large complex which can cater for many visitors and is situated in the Wilhelm-Baur Strasse 3a, first impressions are of an upmarket McDs.   Inside again a bit McDs meets knights of the round table/medieval carnival.    The usual Helles, Dunkles and Weizen beers are available which are of good quality, although the Weizen is perhaps a bit ordinary. A surprisingly good fruity full bodied seasonal Maibock is also worth trying out if you are visiting during its period of availability. The large beer garden and its proximity to the park and children’s playground make this a popular family destination in Summer. 

Down the steps into a weird and wonderful combination of steel, concrete and marble.  Take a look upwards through the glass roof to see more  striking architectural features including a large smiling concrete face.   All this combines with the slow melodius sound of water flowing into the Koi fish pond (yes it does contain real fish) , wicker seating, plants galore along with great food and of course the beer which comes in helles and dunkel varieties with the seasonals  at the appropriate times. 

To add to its whackiness the bar also has a slide which takes you to the lower floor where there is more seating area and the brewery.  Brewing was in progress when we visited so the aroma of malt and hops pervaded the whole place.  Sadly the slide was closed as they were catering for a very large party of people all celebrating “fasching”.

Bierakademie, Douglasstrasse 10.  A street corner, L-shaped bar within sight of the Badisch Brauhause.   The narrow island bar is squeezed in down one side of the pub  and dominates the single room, with bar stools for those who wish to sit there.  On the other side of the space there are a few tables on a raised area for a more intimate experience. A few brewery mirrors and signs hang from the walls and ceiling. This is a real gem,  up to 10 draught beers from a range of regular suppliers with guest beers appearing occasionally.  We scored a “tick” from local micro “Kasi-Brau”  Hallelujah Pils, which was really tasty and unfiltered.  

 Be aware though, unlike in the UK not all pubs/bars are non smoking, some like this one have special licences and are classed as “smoking pubs”, however, there are rules and regulations that govern them one being their size, another that they don’t serve food. It was opening time when we arrived so very quiet, definitely a must do of an evening or on a match day when, as advised by the very helpful barman, it gets busy and lively.  PS: Beware of the “Skeleton in the closet”!!! You will usually get to see him on match days when he adorns a chair outside the pub rigged in full local football colours!!