Berlin

Arriving in Berlin

By Air

Berlin Brandenburg (BER) is connected to the city by DB-FEX trains and S Bahn. RE8 goes directly to Mitte via Alexanderplatz, the quickest route. Some FEX trains go to Gesundbrunnen, therefore changing to the S Bahn at Ostkreuz is necessary. Follow the green footprints on the Ostkreuz platform to take you to the correct escalator down to the S Bahn platform. Ostkreuz is complicated.

Else, the S9 from BER is simpler, direct, but slower.

NB: at the foot of the escalator as one exits the BER arrival hall, the platform entrances may be behind you.

Ensure one purchases a ticket covering Zones A, B & C as BER lies just across the Zone B border. Ticket machines are aplenty on the concourse above the platforms, the BVG app may be preferable. A 24 hour ticket is suggested if travelling by public transport thereafter. A group ticket for up to five people is available.

If staying for five days or more, the monthly Deutschland Ticket may suit, covering all Regional (RE) trains, trams, buses S&U Bahn. Ordering this on the München MVV app is favourable for English speakers.

Leaving BER by ‘plane – go early, security queues can be lengthy, and particularly slow. Walking to Terminal 2 and going through security there can be announced as quicker over the tannoy.

By train

Hauptbahnhof may well be one’s arrival point. However, Ostbahnhof and Gesundbrunnen may also be options if closer to one’s final destination.

S Bahn leaves Hauptbahnhof from the high platforms, Trams from outside.

Berlin, a vast city, where does one begin? An array of photos feels mandatory starting with the Reichstag, Brandenburger Tor, Berlin Story Bunker, Anhalter Bahnhof, Fernsehturm-Alexanderplatz, Checkpoint Charlie, Stasi Museum, and of course, remnants of Die Mauer.

My first trip to Berlin was in 1982, crossing through Checkpoint Charlie for a sample of Ostdeutsch Bier, it was terrible, and IMHO hasn’t improved as discovered in the Sassnitz trip in 2012. The Bier in West Berlin wasn’t much better, the Bayern franchises would rescue an evening. Augustiner am Gendarmenmarkt became a regular haunt, then in 2024 – Augustiner auf Bötzow.

Stasi Museum

The Millennium brought a new wave of Hausbrauerei, the 2007 trip was the first experience of these. Eschenbräu excepted, the Bier was/is average to awful, tasting home-made with a yeasty aftertaste.

Of these, Handwerksbrauerei Brewbaker appear to be leading the way in adopting Craft Beer whilst Lemke and Südstern now thankfully feature New World hops in some brews. There shall be a return to these venues, however, the feeling remains that better Bier is available elsewhere in the city.

The Berlin Beermeile was experienced in 2009, 2010 and 2012, good days out. Still, despite the huge range of breweries present, it wasn’t a winner, still too traditional. That the organisers called it a day in 2019 was not a surprise.

It took until 2017 for Berlin to really grab hold as a Bier destination. Craft Beer had arrived, big time. Stone Brewing (Im Marienpark) became an instant favourite, sadly the plant was sold leaving the Stone Brewing Taproom in Prenzlauer Berg the preferred place to drink Stone Bier. In 2020, Stone (Esconido, California, USA) ceased their European brewing operation, the taproom in Prenzlauer Berg became Manifest Taproom, another branch of the excellent multi-tap bar – Protokoll. Since 2019, the outstanding Bräugier – Prenzlauer Berg (2019-2025), became the #1 place to visit.

Frankfurter Tor

In 2021, Bräugier, opened a second outlet – Bräugier-Ostkreuz – directly outside the station. Around the corner is Strassenbrau who have also impressed. A few meters from Straßenbräu is the British run HOME Bar. To the northwest, in the direction of Frankfurter Tor, is Hops & Barley Hausbrauerei which then leads to Protokoll Taproom. Friedrichshain has therefore evolved into the focal point for Craft Beer in Berlin.

In the second of three visits in 2019 and days before – Berlin Beer Week, I found the definitive list of Craft Beer outlets in the city. This formed the basis for the list below, the places in italics link to the venues I have visited.

And for those who enjoy food from the Indian Subcontinent, don’t forget the sister site – Curry-Heute.

Traditional Bierhaus