The Bier-Traveller

Arriving late last night in Berlin from Athena, Marg and Hector managed to get up to Bräugier in Prenzlauer Berg at one minute to midnight. Three new NEIPAs were on the board, however, knowing that a not so late night was required, it was straight into the God-Damn Zilla! (DIPA).

We sat at the bar, Brian was not in his usual spot. Colin was sat at the window, doing what he does. When that company departed, I was taken aback to find him standing right beside me. It had taken him a while to clock that we were there. He knew we were coming back to Berlin sometime soon, I had maintained the element of surprise. We were introduced to Bruna, Colin’s lady. Thomas, the opera singer whom we spent a pleasant evening with last year also joined us. This is how it is at Bräugier.

The talk last night was of the new premises at Ostkreuz. Open on Saturdays presently, they hope to be fully up and running by mid November. Indian Streetfood will be a key feature of the operation, but run by others.

Colin asked what other venues I planned to visit. Protokoll is my second favourite Berlin venue. Colin said he and Bruna were – going to a party – there this evening, we should meet up later.

Where is Marg? – I asked on a social medium today, only one person got it.

This afternoon was all about enjoying the city. An Italian lunch at Vesuvio (Starusberger Platz) in the heart of the former Ost Berlin (DDR) was followed by the ritual visit to the Brandenburg Gate.

Marg said she wanted to walk in a park. Unter den Linden provided the solution, but not before Hector paid homage to the two T34s parked up at the WW2 monument.

The years remain 1941 – 1945. Russia and Germany were allies between 1939 and 1941. Then UK/USA became allies with Russia. Later, Germany became a founder member of the EC/EU which the UK joined eventually, before leaving. Brexit, who thought that one up? Russia had become the USSR by absorbing all peripheral nations. They eventually seceded to leave Russia alone. Russia has gas, UK used to have North Sea gas. Now we all have Koronawirus. Hector likes T34s, the design of which influenced the Panzerkampfwagen V (Panther). So it goes.

The walk along Unter den Linden took us to the Zoological Gardens. Marg prefers animals to tanks. Our pathway was along the outside fence of the Zoo, this sufficed, animals were spotted. We saw – sheep – in a Zoo? This is a zebra.

Eventually, it was Bier o’clock, or so I thought. An RE across the city would get us to Ostkreuz faster than the S Bahn, we were ticketed for all. The delayed RE made Marg question my logic. I don’t think she appreciated how many stops we avoided by taking the train.

As described, Bräugier-Ostkreuz is directly outside the station to the north. But we weren’t going there yet. Marg felt that her lunch had caused her to miss the promised – Kaffee und Kuchen. Google showed many a Coffee Shop, all but one due to close at 17.00, it was 16.50. We found – the one – which would still be open, it was closed, for renovation. Retracing our steps back towards Ostkreuz Bahnhof, coffee was secured, no cake, Bad Hector.

At Bräugier-Ostkreuz a temporary bar had been erected at what will be, in time, the site of an open window. No, we couldn’t sit inside. No we couldn’t pay by card.

(In the last eleven days in Greece and Deutschland, I have spent less than €20.00 in cash.)

A cola for Marg, a Poor But Hoppy (APA) for Hector. It was too early for more God-Damn Zilla! The Poor But Hoppy was better than I remembered it, despite the plastic cup.

Moments after we had taken our seats at an outside table, Colin and Bruna arrived. This was not by chance. They stuck to bottled Bier which Bräugier has an abundance of. It’s a Covid connected story. They ordered the Spicy Chicken Burger which I had assumed would be a Chapli Kebab. Alas, no, too chunky. One assumes/hopes there will be more on offer soon.

I had half recognised Ostkreuz Bahnhof on arrival, never having done so in daylight.

Straßenbräu cannot be far from here? – I put to Colin. It was indeed round the corner. He also mentioned – Home – run by an English couple further up the same street. Home – has been on my list of places to visit, I hadn’t realised its proximity to Straßenbräu. Hops and Barley ain’t too far either, so having a Bräugier outlet here is classic complementary competition. 

We took our leave, Protokoll later. Straßenbräu has been transformed. The brew-plant has been relocated out of town. This means much more, and comfortable seating. It also makes the venue the Brewery Tap, – The Source – still.

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Juicy And I Kno’Wit at a modest 4.9% had the appearance of being – in the style. Fruity and Juicy, a bit thin, an OK Bier. Hommelsap, remains the best I have had from Straßenbräu.

Home was set up like a living room. Has someone been to Piwna Stopa (Poznan)? The board did not excite. I told the Irish barman that I was hoping for NEIPA. Newcastle Brown – on tap – almost tempted, but I’ve had that in Berlin previously. Gold Plank (Eschenbräu) it would be. There’s little likelihood of us going up to Wedding this trip, so perhaps my only chance for one of theirs?

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Marg and I sat in comfy chairs at the rear of the establishment. It’s Halloween, we discussed if the chap at the adjacent table was guising or cross dressing.

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A tram took us a couple of stops along to Protokoll, one of the two Taps for Zagovor (Russia) in Berlin.

The place was stowed. Not only were we Vaccine checked as we have been on entering every establishment, we had to show ID to match the certification. We were then given a wristband. The staff therefore had total control over who was in the bar, getting served and numbers. Colin had kept us seats, well one. Kitkat Man – as Marg would call him, vacated his, Hector was sorted.

Colin and Bruna stuck mostly to drinking bottled Bräugier. Do they have stashes across the city? Marg wanted Rum with loadsa cola, Hector needed many hands. There was no sign of – Against Milk, the – NE Milkshake IPA – that became the focal point of visits here in 2020.

Fractal (NEIPA) at 6.5% looked like the sensible starting point. After that which had preceded it, this Bier took a while to settle on the palate. In time the hops and fruitiness came through. There was more.

Bruna’s sister, Bianca, sat at the other end of the table with her friend, Marion. A very Brasilian company this evening. Marg marvelled at some of the costumes being worn this evening, especially by the staff. The tall lady who served me was wearing a particularly daring outfit, Hector the innocent didn’t clock this, too busy studying the Board.

Bier-Traveller – may be a self appointed moniker, however, this and the website does make for a bit of notoriety. Michel at Protokoll was formally introduced

I was later  introduced to Tom, founder of Vagabund in Wedding (library photo), and sporting a ridiculous black wig tonight. I took the opperchancity to tell him that his recent offerings have not impressed as much as earlier brews. When the palate favoured IPA and APA, Vagabund Biers were fine, indeed I bough the t-shirt. To date, he has not brewed anything with the dry hopping required to produce an NEIPA. I showed him the various entries on Bier-Traveller.com, we found a photo of him in the background from back in 2016. Hector’s pedigree was established.

A chap I had seen behind the bar at Straßenbräu was also introduced, another brewer whose name escaped me (update 17.02.2022 – Fabian). I assumed he was the brewer, everyone else coming to the table was. Again, I was able to remind him of how his establishment has been recorded on Bier-Traveller. The new layout will be incorporated as this Blog is updated. There’s as much chance of that happening as Porcupine Tree touring again, some may say. However, there’s something mysterious going on in terms of the latter.

At some point, Hector moved up a gear to – Hazy Leaks – (NEIPA) at 6.7%. again, a full on milkshake, but this definitely had – it. The Bier sat on the palate, bursting with tropical fruitiness and there were – no nasties. DIPA and TIPA would be ignored this evening. This Zagovor Bier is what Hector sought, a fine Session Bier to be getting on with. In the end, I decided that this was the Bier for today.

The party was in full swing, photographs of everyone with everyone else. Without photos it’s difficult to remember who one has met. And next time I meet Tom, the photo to remind us we have been in each other’s company will be better than than hazy one first shown.

The clocks go back tonight, party on!

We did. There was an U Bahn from Frankfurter Tor to Alexanderplatz, a Kebap, a tram, and a good night’s sleep.

Hector’s second batch of 3 nights in Berlin within a fortnight ended this evening.  With Marg for company this time, the original plan was for two nights only, however, Bräugier is presently open four nights a week, the last two were not them. A trip to Berlin and no visit Bräugier, no way, Pedro!

There was no Curry-Heute, last night’s extravaganza at the lavish – India Club – was – a night to remember. Instead, we had Brunch al fresco at Hackescher Markt, one of Marg’s favourite Berlin locations. We had markedly different ideas about that which was required to break our fast.

The DDR Museum was visited a while back, today it was the turn of the Stasi Museum located just off the always impressive Frankfurter Allee.  TV and Movies have combined to make the interior of this building evocative of the tragic and the comedic practices associated with this complex.

More on this – here.

Berlin, East and West, for reasons unknown, Hector led Marg further east  and so she missed seeing the site of the former Beermeile and the flagship Communist architecture of Frankfurter Allee in daylight.

Back in the heart of Berlin, we took the tram up to Prenzlauer Berg.  Two weeks ago we found that the Stone Brewing Taproom was no more.  Hector was keen to see the rrebirth. A pleasant hour was therefore spent at Manifest Taproom, the sister shop to the excellent Protokoll Taproom. 

At Manifest, the outstanding Zagovor – Against Milk at 6.5% was waiting. This NEIPA Milkshake just gets better and better. A wee Cantillon Kriek washed it down.

The ritual walk to Bräugier took us past Message in a Bottle – Craft Beer Cafe, which definitely requires further investigation.

There was a sigh of relief in finding Bräugier open.  The optimum table in front of the bar was free. Brian was in situ behind the bar, Colin was doing whatever it is he does. Marg of course was remembered having been here in summer 2019.

Tonight the board had ten taps on offer, to sit all night drinking the outstanding God-Damn Zilla was tempting, but at 8.1%, maybe not a good idea. The  Märzen Festbier at 5.3% was a new one.  A strange tasting brew, not quite Deutsch, not quite US. I shall admit that one was quite enough.  Back to the good stuff. Later, I had Nächtswarmer at 5.2%, a decent smokey Bier, however, God-Damn Zilla was always the go-to Bier.

Colin joined us and brought Alex from Yorkshire who has worked at a Sheffield brewery. Having spoken to no-one but Hector for three days, even Marg was happy to talk – Bier. I had heard the name – Friedrich – being mentioned, so when a couple joined us, I assumed this was he. But no, this was Thomas the baritone, whose name I’m sure was Friedrich in another opera. We had quite a table, tales were told, including how – Totalitarian Book Club – came to be named.

This was turning into a wild night.

Marg needed food. 

We’ll get a Kebap on the way home.  Marg fell for this.

Somehow, Amir, the owner of the dog spotted across the room had also joined us, Marg was in her element, this is Malibu.

We were well and truly in with – The Locals. Colin also outlined that prior to Lockdown, many had never spoken to each other, but when forced to drink outside, the inevitable happened.  Sit at the bar – when possible.

The tram, minutes after midnight, took us down to Alexanderplatz.  Never did I think I’d find Marg in a Kebap shop this late.  Having learned the lesson two weeks ago, we shared a Donner. Marg enjoyed it. 

Tomorrow Poznan, then Katowice, this is just the beginning.

Tuesday – September 8

The 09.48 ICE took us from München to Berlin in just under five hours, previously I have flown this.  That the train stopped in Bamberg and for once we did not alight, made history. Bamberg and the Bocks are planned for late in the year. Arriving on time at Berlin Hauptbahnhof, an astonishing event that will go down in history occurred. As I stood on the platform waiting for Steve, Clive and Howard to assemble, a chap engaged me in Deutsch. Assuming he was asking for directions, I replied that I was – Ein Auslander – and therefore of no help. He switched to English:

You are Hector Curry-Heute, I read your blog.

Unglaublich! Hector is recognised in Deutschland, giving the Curry Blog a German name has its merits. A pity most of the Curry in Deutschland is not up to the required standard. Anyway, The Hector Fan Club, of one, gave a recommendation.

The swollen head still fitted on to the escalator, an RE took us to Alexanderplatz where we checked into the Ibis Budget, two stops away on the tram.

Where to begin? During Lockdown, I put quite a bit of effort into Bier-Traveller to provide the background detail – the dropdown menus – above. Full coverage of the venues in Berlin visited to date is there for those who want the facts: the tasting notes, advice on transport, and photographic coverage of the venues.

BRLO was visited briefly one evening a year or so back, not the best of experiences, however, it was reportedly open earlier than the majority of Craft Beer venues in Berlin. Normally, Bier o’clock is celebrated at Augustiner Gendarmenmarkt, however, I think we’ve had enough traditional German Bier for one trip.

Gleisdreieck, a remarkable name for an U Bahn station. It was dark last time I came here, spotting the building made from containers was much simpler in daylight, especially when I knew what I was looking for. BRLO was closed, or was it? Signs guided us around the back to a Biergarten, all was well.

With only a handful of customers, the place looked as if it had just opened @15.00. A chap greeted us, in English of course, this being the language of Craft Beer Houses in Berlin. We were invited to register our names using a QR code. He then pointed to the self-service huts where the Bier and the food was being served. Having made our purchases, Mein Host informed us that we were sitting adjacent to the brewers, photo required.

This is the sort of welcome one does not get at Kloster Andechs.

Two Biers were sampled, the C4PO (7.0%) West Coast IPA was preferred by Steve and Clive.  The full on Milkshake that is Blurry Vision (6.5%) was the first new – Guvnor – of the trip, an excellent NEIPA.

Pork Ribs in a tasty sauce, with a powerful tasting Kartoffelsalat rich in Gherkins, was accompanied by three Gherkins, and had by all. Not cheap food by any means, but highly recommended.

With camouflage netting above us, providing some shade until the hops and vines overgrow it, this was an excellent place to spend a Tuesday afternoon. After a tentative first visit in 2018, BRLO is now firmly on the radar, a must visit venue.

U Bahn and tram took us to the Stone Brewing Taproom in Prenzlauer Berg. On arrival, it was clear something was not right. Stone – had been erased, the premises gutted.

People were on hand to tell us of a grand opening on Sunday, too late for us. Stone have pulled out of Europe, the Bier brewed in the US is perceived to be better than that brewed in Europe, presumably since the Marienpark catastrophe. We were told that some of the staff would now be found at Protokoll, another must visit venue.

The walk to Bräugier took ages, in the end, Howard and Hector strode on leaving Steve to navigate for Clive. Brian was behind the bar:

So you made it then.

I had texted Brian earlier, but despite having replied, it never arrived. T&T forms completed, we took the table nearest the bar, the place to be since we could not take up our normal places at the bar itself.

Colin appeared from my rear:

I thought you had been asked not to come back.

Such is the friendly welcome at Bräugier, Colin joined us, and later took us on a tour through the brewing plant.

This was Clive and Howard’s first visit to Bräugier, now they get it, and the Bier, well God-Damn Zilla!, a Double NEIPA at 8.1% must definitely be the new – Guvnor.

That was our end of night session Bier, prior to that I had worked my way up via Totalitarian Book Club, a 6.3% DDH NEIPA, and Im Westen Nuchts Neues a West Coast IPA t 6.5%.

The Bier range may have been limited due to the downturn in business after Covid-19, but still, what choices. Opening days are presently down to four times a week, which means we’ll have to amuse ourselves somewhere else tomorrow night. It also means that Marg and Hector’s Berlin trip the week after next will have to be extended by one night. I’m not coming to Berlin and not having at least one night at Bräugier.

A tram, just after 01.00 took us down the hill towards Alexanderplatz, it’s tomorrow already.

Wednesday  –  September 9

Schöneiche bei Berlin, or Petershagen/Eggersdorf, both lie to the east of Berlin. They were the only – Badshah – Curry Houses which Hector could find. A wild goose chase?

With Clive in tow, it was off to Friedrichshagen to find the connecting tram to Schöneiche. On arrival, one could only marvel that such a leafy residential suburb, featuring traditional German architecture, could have evolved in such a relatively short period. This was the DDR, maybe some were already less equal?

Curry matters attended to it was back to Berlin. Howard was having a quiet start to the day, Steve was again scooting about on one of those contraptions that litter the streets of Europe. The Castle Berlin Mitte was our rendezvous point.

Despite the charms of the Scottish barman, I did not exactly take to The Castle. Last night’s crescendo at Bräugier meant Hector was taking it easy. Anyway, nothing on the Board enticed. After Curry at home, Strongbow is the preferred palate cleanser and aid to digestion. Bottled Strongbow was in the fridge, but not the standard fayre. Maybe this stuff was an attempt at actually being closer to proper Cider? Whatever, it did the job but was not as good as – the real thing.

My fellow imbibers chose from the Board, there was no wild enthusiasm for anything sampled.

None felt the need to prolong the visit, it was time to head back east to Ostkreuz.

Hommelsap at Straßenbräu had Jonathan, Steve and Hector in raptures on Visit #1 back in December. Inevitably, this was not available today. Steve and Hector led the way to the – spot – in the Brewpub where brew-plant meets bar. By sitting here we maintained our social distance from the other customers both inside and out.

Pew Pew ! DDH IPA at 6.2% did not set the heather on fire and so it was time to try something completely different. Beerengarten at 6.0% is a Sour, based on Berries as the name suggests. This titillated the palate, and made the visit worthwhile. We were well looked after by the barmaids.

It was soon time to go off in search of – the Milkshake.

A bus took us a few stops closer to Protokoll. Somehow, we all managed to walk past the multitap bar on the opposite side of the street. Are they trying not to attract attention to themselves?

A high table directly in front of the bar would be home for the rest of the evening. Track & Trace dealt with once more, individual tabs were set up. The Board told us we would not be going anywhere else this evening. Zagovor (Russia) featured prominently, US brewed Stone to a lesser extent. At least Stone still has some presence in Berlin after the hiatus of recent times.

Hector decided to stay local, first up was Whippersnapper at 8.0% – Fuerst Wiacek (Berlin). This DH DIPA was the sought after full on Milkshake, excellent.

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We tried the various Zagovor options.

Bitter End at 8.3% looked as if it would be the night’s biggest challenge, a DDH DNEIPA it proved not to be the winner, this was definitely Against Milk, a NE Milkshake IPA at 6.5%.

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We had found our Bier for today. We had also found the best alternative to concluding a night at Bräugier who were not open today. The staff engaged as and when they were free of other customers. Protokoll was indeed proving itself to be a worthy venue.

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The final challenge of the night was an outrageous Imperial Milk Stout. Algorithm Coconut at 13.9% had the big Coconut hit on top of Chocolate. The palate needed a rest from the – hop overdose – this was just the Bier.

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All were hungry, somehow we spotted a Punjabi Curry House and despite sticking our heads in the door, we walked on. Frankfurter Tor looked impressive by night, back in the days of the Berlin Biermeile we had always left by dusk. The U Bahn took us the few stops back to Alexanderplatz where Hector had – promised – all that that there was a late night Kebap shop adjacent to our tram stop to the Ibis Budget.

We sat in, some ordered way too much food. Even Hector the Sensible was defeated.

The second Kebap of the trip, with one more night, probably the last.