Munich

Although Margaret and I have been to München it was quite a long time ago, well before we started sharing our adventures in beer. 

So for a bit of a change to normal our fellow beer traveller, Valerie Hollows (along with Neil Hampson) have recently been there and have written the following guide to all things beer related in the Bavarian capital. Hope you all enjoy it, and big thank you to Valerie.

München (German: München, pronounced [ˈmʏnçən]; Austro-Bavarian: Minga) is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the River Isar north of the Bavarian Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, behind Berlin and Hamburg. About 1.35 million people live within the city limits. 

Drinking is mainly done outside in one of several large beer gardens or in one of the huge beer halls which are dotted around the city. There are 10 breweries within the city, 5 are large, major breweries & the others are brew-pubs. Most of Munich's historical sights can easily be reached from Marienplatz in the heart if the city. To the south-west is Theriesenweise, home of the Oktoberfest. North West of the centre is the Olympic park where the 1972 Olympics were held & just next door are BMW World & the BMW museum. Far North you can find the Allianz Arena, home of Munich's two football teams and out in the North East is The English Garden with it's Chinese Tower &, of course, beer garden.

Etiquette; If you go to a beer garden and you just want a drink - choose a table without a cloth. Those with cloths are for eating & have waitress service. At the other tables you have to, sometimes, get your own glass, then go to the bar/hut to be served & pay at the till. If you are served by a waiter/waitress it is customary to leave a small tip.   Lots of tables have reserved signs on them - saying what time from. They can be used until that time or ask where you should sit.   If you see a sign saying Stammtishe, this is a table reserved for regulars.  Each waiter/waitress has their own tables & you should only deal with the person who first serves you.   If you see a sign saying Stammtishe, this is a table reserved for regulars.

Munich - Central. Within walking distance of Marienplatz S / U-bahn station.

Altes Hackerhaus. Sendlinger Str 14. 80331 München. open 09.00-23.00 daily.

Half way between Sendlinger Tor U1&2 and Marienplatz.

Regular Draught Beers:- Hacker-Pschorr Munchener Hell, Braumeister Pils, Munchener Dunkel, Pschorr Brau Weisse Hell and Weisse Dunkel. €3.60 per 1/2 liter.

Occupying a corner location, with a row of shops occupying most of the front. There are a few tables outside the front & round the corner on Hacker Strasse. Inside, there isn't a bit of space which isn't filled with brewery memorabilia, I wouldn't like to be the cleaner. There are several separate rooms, fitted out in pine & oak. There is additional outside drinking in the courtyard at the back. This site was originally occupied by the brewery started by the Hacker's in 1738, A fire in 1825, partly destroyed the place & at this time the brewery moved elsewhere. Beware it can get quite busy at meal times.

Andechser am Dom Weinstrasse 7a, 80333 München. Daily 10.00-23.00. Marienplatz 180m.

Regular Draught Beers:- Andechser Hell, Doppelbock Dunkel, Weißbier, Weißbier Dunkel

Not actually on Weinstrasse, but down a side street towards the back of the Dom. There are 3 choices where you can eat/drink. There is an open side with stand up tables, or you can sit out front. If the weather is a little cold there are blankets available for use, and inside, which is relatively small compared to some places in Munich. When we visited, one evening, there was a keg of beer on the corner, outside, from which the Helles was dispensed.

Der Pschorr. Viktualienmarkt 15,80331 München. Mon-Sun 10:00 - 23:00. S/U Marienplatz 200m. Regular Draught Beers:- Hacker-Pschorr Munchener Hell (Gravity) €4.50 per 1/2 litre.

At the back of the Viktualmarkt and slightly right. The building looks like it was some sort of warehouse which used to serve the market. Inside a 50 litre barrel stands proudly on the bar. At peak times it can be changed every 20 minutes. We took a seat in the beer garden at the side. The beer was quite different to all the others we had tried so far. Pleasant up front but with a strange metallic aftertaste. This turned out to be our least favorite of our trip. food service seemed to stop at 6pm (well at least it did outside) as the waitress collected in all the menus & cutlery off the tables.

 Ratskeller Marienplatz 8, 80331 München. Open daily 10 - 24. U/S-Bahn Marienplatz 20m.

Regular Draught Beers:- Lowenbrau Hell Original, Dunkel, Triumphator, Franzikaner Hefewissen & Dunkel Weisse. Bottled Lammsbrau Bio Pils. €4.40 per 1/2 litre.

Located under the Neues Rathaus. Enter either in the middle or at the back. There are also a few tables outside. The cellar bar is rather impressive, with painted vaulted ceilings and dark wood apparent everywhere. Snob screens made it quite cosy, unlike most Munich Beer Halls which are open plan. There was also a separate room know as the Weinstube. Food was good too, but a little expensive.

Weisses Braeuhaus, Tal 7, 80331 München. Daily from 7 am. Marienplatz 200m.

Regular Draught Beers:- Schneider Weisse 5.2%, Aventinus 8.2%, Original 5.4%, Tegernseer Hell 4.8%, Karmeliten Braugirgl Dunkel 5.5%, Jacob Strauder Pils 4.8% €3.60 per 1/2 litre.

Bottled:- Schneider Kristall Weisse 5.3%, Meine Grunes 6.2%, Meine Hopfenweisse 8.2%, Aventinus Eisbock 12.0% €3.90 for 0.33l

Until it was bombed in 1944, this was the home of the Schneider Brewery. Now just the brewery tap remains. The front and back rooms are traditional dining rooms. The area in between comprises of an open plan kitchen and bar to the right and tall pine tables and chairs/stools to the left used mainly just for drinking. We sat at one of these and watched the solo girl behind the bar take orders off a screen and pull pints, pour glasses of wine  etc. which the waitresses had keyed in to their electronic hand sets. The whole system was very efficient. As well as trying the Original & Aventinus, which we only ever had in bottles before we had a bottle of the Meine Hopfenweisse which was served in a large wine glass. It contained tropical fruit including pineapple. The pils is from Jacob Strauder micro brewery in Essen. This was Neil's favourite bar of the week.

Ayingers Speis und Trank Am Platzl 1A. Daily 11.00-01.00. Marienplatz 350m.

Regular Draught Beers:- Ayinger 100 year old Kellerbier naturtrub, Hefewissen, Ur-weizen Dunkel, Pils, Lager Hell and Altbairish Dunkel. €3.80 for 1/2 litre

Located opposite Hofbrauhaus. There were plenty of tables outside in the pedestrianised square, but it was trying to rain, so we found ourselves a table inside. Ayinger opened this, their main Munich outlet, in 2000. Unlike in most Munich beer halls, there is seating at the bar. The wooden panels are two-tone oak & pine. A large painting next to the bar showed workers relaxing on a roof top over looking Frauenkirche. The kellerbier was very drinkable, unfiltered, smooth and not at all fizzy. The Altbairish Dunkel was similar to Alt beers brewed in Dusseldorf.

Augustiner Grossgaststaette Neuhauserstr 27. Daily 10.00-24.00. U/S Karlsplatz 200m.

Regular Draught Beers:- Augustiner Edelstoff Hell & Dunkel €3.70 per 1/2 litre. Bottled pils & weisse.

On the main drag from the Hbf to Marienplatz. Every time we passed, there wasn't an empty chair to be seen in the outside drinking area at the front. It was no different when we visited, so went inside. It was virtually empty inside, except for a tourist peering into the cabinet selling souvenirs. Neil noticed there was further seating outside at the back. As we walked through we noticed the usual dark wood was apparent everywhere. In the middle was a glass dome. At the back was an enclosed court yard with a door out on to the street behind. The walls were painted with murals. Pigeon netting entirely covered the area, but was so high up it was hardly noticeable. 

Chinese Tower Beer Garten. Englischer Garten 3, Schwabing. U-Bahn U3/6 Giselastrasse

Hofbrau Helles & Weissen.

Located on the eastern side of the garden and not easy to spot because of all the surrounding trees. The Chinese Tower wasn't as tall as we'd expected. Surrounding it the beer garden was very busy. We went to the shack to be served and also had to pay a 1€ deposit for our glasses, then found a table and watched as more people arrived and purchased food from a self service cafeteria.  The full brass band on the first floor of the tower changed from playing traditional German music to a medley of more popular music including Hello Dolly & some Elvis  and Beatles tunes. To get our deposits back, we had to return our glasses to glass return shed.  Can easily be walked from Marienplatz. We walked it there and back.

South of the Hauptbahnhof

Augustiner Bräustuben, Landsberger Straße 19. Open 10-24 daily. S-bahn Hackerbrucke 450m.

Augustiner Edelstoff, Hell, Hefewiessen, Dunkel, Pils. €2.65 for 1/2 litre.

It was very busy outside today, as several motor-bikes were parked up and riders were enjoying a beer in the sunshine. Inside the room at the front was open plan with bar and kitchen in full view. Most of the tables were reserved. We found one that wasn't in use until 16.00. Some of the tables were just plain table tops resting un wooden beer barrels. The ceiling was vaulted and appeared like it was bare brick, but we think that it had just been painted to look that way. Out the back there is a room where the brewery dray horses used to be kept, sadly now just used as a storage room. And at the very back was a beer garden in an enclosed courtyard at the side of the brewery

Hacker-Pschorr Bavaria Bräu, Theresienhöhe 7. Opened 2005. Open 10-1

Regular Draught Beers:- Hacker-Pschorr Munchener Hell, Braumeister Pils, Munchener Dunkel, Pschorr Brau Weisse Hell and Weisse Dunkel. €3.60 per 1/2 litre.

Opened in 2005 at the North end of the Oktoberfest gardens.  The actual brew kit can be seen down in the cellar. Consisting of a beer garden for 2000 and inside there are several rooms with a total capacity of over 1000 and a terrace for 800. A recent addition in 2010 is the B7 Sports Bar & Lounge showing Bundesleague, Formula 1, Premier League and lots more. There is also a trattoria serving pizza and pasta.

Paulaner Braeuhaus Kapuzinerplatz 5, Daily 09.00-01.00. U3&U6 Goetheplatz 200m.

Thomas Zwickl 5.6%, Paulaner Hefeweisse Naturtrub 5.4% plus seasonals €3.90 for 1/2 litre.

Bottled Paulaner Munchener Dunkel 4.8%, Furstenburg Pils 5.0%.

Leave the U-bahn station and walk along Häberlstraße or Kapuzinerstasse and where the two streets meet you'll find quite an impressive building. Thomasbrau built this tower brewery in 1892. In 1928 Thomasbrau and Paulaner merged and brewing ceased at this site. In 1989 Paulaner decided to resume brewing at Kapuzinerplatz along with an extensive refurbishment. They must have certainly broke the bank when doing the refurbishment as everything is tip top. The shiny coppers are in the main room. At there back there is a smaller room, which is also a library and outside through the back door or archway from the street is a beer garden. Some of the tables are waitress served and some are self-service.

North of the Hauptbahnhof

Loewenbraeukeller Nymphenburgerstr. 2, Daily 10.00-24.00. U1&U7 Stiglmaierplatz 20m

Lowenbrau Hell Original, dunkel, Triumphator, Franzikaner Hefewissen & Dunkel Weisse. €4.20 per 1/2 litre.

Located on the corner of the brewery site, this pub opened in 1883 at a cost of around 400,000 marks and rather impressive it is too. The round corner tower can be spotted from quite far away. It was seriously damaged during the war & it took until 1950 to finish the reconstruction. Another fire in 1986 destroyed the tower, banqueting hall and terrace. There was further costly renovation in 2008. I have read that there are several rooms inside, some of which can be hired for private functions, but we didn't venture inside. Outside is a large beer garden seating up to 1,000 people. The whole are was shaded by mature Chestnut trees and blue Lowenbrau umbrellas. It was very busy for a Tuesday evening, I think we got the last table.

Augustinerkeller Arnulfstr.52, Corner Zirkus-Krone-Str. Daily 10-1.00

Augustiner Edelstoff, Augustiner Dunkel, Konig Ludwig Weissbier, Konig Ludwig Dunkel Weiss

S-bahn to Hackerbrúke 280m or 500m from Hbf. On the street which runs parallel on the north side of the S-bahn lines. Enter under a gate. Ahead is a large traditional beer hall with several rooms, some of which were former ice-houses, to the right is a small beer garden & to the left is an enormous beer garden seating 5,000. Beer is served from wooden barrels. There are also stalls selling grilled mackerel & spit roasted chicken. It was virtually full at 6.30pm. We sat in the small beer garden and the staff gave us some postcards. There was a private party near us which had their own barrel freshly tapped.

Braustuberl Spaten / Franziskaner. Marsstrasse 16. Mon-Sat 10-1. Closed Sun. Hbf 350m.

Spaten Pils, Munchner Hell Franziskaner Hefe-weissen & dunkel-weisse. €3.20 per 1/2 litre.

A small pub, just north of the Hauptbahnhof, within the sight of the Spaten Brewery. There are a few tables & chairs outside. Inside is a L shaped room with wooden floorboards & furniture. The brewery logo is carved into the chair backs. There are several old photos on the wall, mainly of the brewery, but it is not at all overdone. As well as serving straight beer there was a cocktail menu containing 8 beer cocktails and reasonable priced at €4.90. I tried a couple, which were a refreshing change at the end of an evening. The food was also reasonably priced. On the two evening which we visited the place was fairly quiet, But I was told that it regularly gets busy.

Hirschgarten. Hirschgarten alle 1. Daily 09.00-24.00. DB München Laim 1.1km.

Augustiner Edelstoff, Augustiner Dunkel, Augustiner Pils, Konig Ludwig Weissbier, Konig Ludwig Dunkel Weiss, plus specials. €3.50 per 1/2 litre.

Take any S-bahn west to Laim. Exit by the steps down, if you end up in a road tunnel, turn right, if you end up in a pedestrian/cycle tunnel, turn left. Walk up to the lights & turn right. Follow the road round to the left & turn right into Hirschgarten. Follow the path north to the beer garden. This is the largest beer garden in the world with 8,000 seats. If you sit at a table with a cloth, you will get waiter service, otherwise you have to go and get a glass from a wooden hut, wash it & take it to one of the 5 sheds to be served & then pay at the till. Some sheds only serve half litres, some just litres direct from 200 litre wooden barrels. We found the beer smooth, slightly sweet and not too fizzy, especially if served from the wooden barrel. There is a deer & goat enclosure at the side and a substantial pub for use in colder weather.

East of the River Isar

Das Bierlaboratorium, Birkenau 5.  Shop/tap open Mon-Fri: 09:00 - 18:00 and Sat 09:00-13:00.

OPENED 2006.  U1/2 Kolumbusplatz. Bottles only €1.50 each.

We had read that this was a shop & tap. When we arrived, there were no tables or chairs anywhere. It was basically somebody's back yard, full of junk. There was a cabinet showing bottles of all the different beers that were made. We made our choice then knocked on the brewery door. They were busy working inside, but were happy to come to the door to serve us. Only Helles was available, so we bought 2 bottles & found a perch in the yard. Luckily they were flip top bottles. Later we saw some tables stored away, probably for use at busier times in warmer weather.

Paulaner am Nockherberg. Hochstraße 75-77, Au-Haidhausen. Daily 10-1.

U1/2 Koluimbusplatz 500m

Paulaner Original Munchener Hell, Original Munchener Dunkel, Hefeweisse & Dunkel Weisse.

Bottled Paulaner Salvator & Nockherberger

Located next to the Paulaner/Hacker Pschorr brewery, and can be reached via a bridge over the busy road adjacent (Am Nockherberg). There is a large beer garden at the from known as Salvator Keller. It must get busy at times as there are turnstiles allowing you access to the bars where the Hell is dispensed from wooden barrels. Inside you are four large copper tanks, who knows if they are for show or actually in use. Everything inside is new as a fire in 1999 destroyed everything. We waited 10 minutes to be served & in the end went to the bar and got served which neither the barmaid nor our waiter appreciated. Our waiter also disappeared when we wanted to pay. The bottled Nockherberger was unavailable. (this place is 3/4 mile from Das Bierlabortorium.)

Hofbraeukeller Innere Wiener Str. 19, daily 10:00 - 23:00. U4 & U5 Max Weber Platz 350m.

Hofbrau Original 5.1%, Pils, Weisse 5.1%, Schwarz Weisse 5.1%.

Seasonal Kristall Weisse 5.4%, Maibock 7.2%, Festbier 6.3%, Dunkel 5.5%, Sommer Naturtrub 5.1%, Oktoberfest 6.3%. €3.65 per 1/2 litre.

A large beer garden with equally impressive beer hall with multiple rooms. Upstairs is also in use and there is a dance club in the cellar. The building originates from 1892 and the brewery used to be next door. There was a serious fire in 1987 and the brewery moved around this time. We sat at a table with a plaque on the wall saying Stammtisch. I couldn't remember what this meant at the time, but the waiter didn't ask us to move. An old gent joined us at the other end of the table. A much more relaxing place to enjoy the Hofbrau beers than Hofbrauhaus. Outside the building is painted a strange green colour. (1 mile from Paulaner am Nockherberg)

Unions-Braeu Haidhausen Einsteinstr. 46, M-S 11-1, Sun 10-16. U4 & U5 Max Weber Platz 20m

Unionsbrau Hell & Dunkel (both unfiltered) €3.30 per 1/2 litre.

This place was taken over by Lowenbrau in the 1920's, but in 1991, production resumed at this site. The ground floor is more of an up market restaurant. We chose to use the cellar and sat at a long , bare pine table which ran from front to back. The brew kit is at the back along with a collection of old wooden barrels. A chalk board and bags of grain proved that it was actually in use. A glass roof in the middle let in plenty of daylight. The waitress was very jolly & efficient.

Further Afield

Airbräu, Munich Airport (Central area + bar in Ter2) 10.00-1.00 daily

Regular Draught Beers:- Airbrau Fliegerquell Helles, Kumulus Weissebier, Jetstream Pils €2.40 for 1/2 litre.

Seasonal Beers:- Airbrau Krampus 5.3% (Christmas), Mayday Dunkles-Weizen 5.6% (May), Jet A-1 5.8%, Aviator 7.8% (Winter)

We travelled back to the airport early as we wanted to try the Airbrau beers. There is a mock beer garden in the central atrium  at the top of the S-bahn steps with medium sized trees growing in large tubs to create the desired effect and to shelter you from the sun coming through the glass roof. All of the tables were reserved, so we took a perch at one of the high tables in the middle. The beers here are unfiltered and were more like sludge on out visit. They tasted OK though. Inside there was a private function room with oak panelling. The rest of the room was surrounded by large glass panes looking out on to terminal 1. The brew kit can be plainly seen in the middle towards the back. The only toilets available were inside terminal 1.

Fliegerbräu, Sonnenstraße 2, Feldkirchen. S2 to Feldkirchen 350m. Daily 10.00 - 1.00.

Regular draught beers:- Fliegerbrau Weissen, Hofbrau Hell, Dunkel & Pils. €3.50 for 1/2 litre.

On leaving the S-bahn station take the left fork opposite, which is Sonnenstrasse. The brew-pub built in an old distillery is at the far end of the street. Outside looked more like a French house than a German brew-pub. Inside there were several rooms and the brewery can be seen behind glass on the left hand side. Further conditioning tanks are downstairs near the toilets. The back room is less formal with high tables & chairs and there is a beer garden at the rear with a bi-plane in the corner. In fact the aeroplane theme was prevalent throughout with model planes hung from the ceiling & old propellers etc. dotted around the place. I think Hofbrau have a keen interest in this place as the beer mats and menu holders came from there too.

Article written by Valerie Hollows

GERMANY

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