The Berlin Biermeile, an open air festival, began in 1997. It was held on the first weekend of August on Karl-Marx-Allee between Strausberger Platz and Frankfurter Tor. The Festival was a showcase for the communist era architecture of Ost-Berlin, and an opperchancity for people to taste a range of Bier from all over Deutschland, and beyond, even Schottland. No other German festival featured such a range of Bier.
Hector and company visited in 2009, 2010 and 2012, by then we thought – we had done it. Tastes were changing, Our favourite Cask Ale in the UK increasingly featured New World hops, Deutsche Bier was being left behind. However, this did not prevent Hector enjoying Newcastle Brown vom Fass, nobody believed it existed despite my claim to having it in Palm Springs (California, USA) in 2000.
The photos below were taken before Bier tasting notes and Bier-Traveller came into being. A decade later, we have all changed, ever so slightly. One of us is sadly missed.
After twenty three years the organisers called a halt to the event, therefore 2019 was the last Berlin Biermeile. Security and sanitation were two of the given reasons. I certainly agree with the latter.
