Munich

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Wino1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2015
Messages
896
Reaction score
2,561
Location
SF
Will be in Munich over the next few days for Oktoberfest. Any good recommendations for bars / restaurants / bottle shops / interesting places?
 
Did you ever get any feedback on this question Wino ? I'll be in Munich April 9-18 this year and had similar questions...
 
Saw this pretty late for Wino and julian unfortunately but I've got plenty of recommendations for future visitors.

Traditional beer places:

Hofbräuhaus München: I think this is the biggest and most famous beer hall in Munich. It's very centrally located about a block and a half from Marienplatz. A beautiful building with incredible history (get a local to tell you the stories cause they don't exactly advertise it). The beer is probably my least favorite in the city and the food isn't the greatest either but the building and the pretzels make the visit worthwhile. They only offer three styles of beer (Helles, Dunkel, Hefeweizen).

Augustiner am Platzl: right across the street from Hofbräuhaus. Beautiful building as well, cozier and not as spacious as the previous. Food and beer are better in my opinion, plus there's a wider variety of beers. They occasionally tap the Helles from wooden casks which is delicious but runs out quick.

Schneider Bräuhaus München: also located in Marienplatz, around the corner from the other two. My favorite of the three central ones, great food (especially the desserts), great variety of schnapps, and the widest beer selection of the three places. If you're into craft this is the best choice, they have a ton of experimental stuff that is different from the classic German stuff (IPA, dry-hopped stuff, barrel-aging, etc).

Wirtshaus Ayinger: another one in/near Marienplatz. If you're looking for casual and cozy this is your place. A smaller restaurant than the previous three. The food is decent but the beer is fantastic. This place is considerably less busy than the other three bigger ones.

Augustiner-Keller: absolutely worth a visit IMO. There's a cool biergarten outdoors but the real star is the underground seating area. It's a massive beer hall that used to be the brewery's cellar where the wooden beer barrels were stored during the summer. The acoustics are crazy as you can imagine, it gets really loud and busy on the weekends (not sure if you are able to make reservations, I just got lucky the couple times I went).

Augustiner Bräustuben: another cool Augustiner spot, considerably smaller than the other two. Also does the Helles from wooden casks every evening and the food is great. I think this is the best one for meeting people, I've usually been sat at communal tables and everyone tends to be pretty friendly with their neighbors. Not exactly a kid-friendly place I think, gets pretty rowdy especially during the weekends. Service was incredibly fast considering how packed it usually is. Great place.

Andechser am Dom: if you're looking for an incredible Hefeweizen this is your place. Very large restaurant and a cool terrace. Every beer from these guys is fantastic.

Tegernseer Tal Bräuhaus: building is pretty unique compared to the Medieval feel of the traditional brewers. It's a cool spot, didn't try the food but I love the Tegernsee Hell and the Spezial.

Zum Franziskaner: not my favorite place but they make an excellent Hefeweizen. Damn you Inbev. Not sure if the place is worth a visit though, the beer is easily found elsewhere.

Park Cafe: not the best place by any means but if you can go with a local to give you the real history behind the place it is intriguing. Food is decent, beer is good, and it turns into a nightclub after 7-8ish so they have a fully stocked bar. They do have a pretty nice beer garden though.

Löwenbräukeller: I hate their beer but damn if they don't have a spectacular beer hall. Also owned by Inbev but I'd recommend checking it out for the building alone. The dunkel is drinkable if you do end up going, I did not try the food though.

Paulaner am Nockherberg: massive biergarten on a hill overlooking the city. Pretty cools views from the bar area. The indoor seating area is also great, though if I remember correctly it is being demolished later this year. In my experience the servers were kinda **** and unfriendly. One of the taps was leaky and they would put a glass underneath and fill it up when someone ordered a beer. Not the best service and kinda out of the way but worth a visit if you happen to be nearby.

Airbräu - Flughafen München: arrive early and save some space when you fly out cause there's a brewpub at the airport. Food was good, beer was great, overall a pretty cool place.

Weihenstephaner: not in the city but absolutely worth a train ride out there. The oldest brewery in the world, located on a spectacular hillside. Excellent food and the best beer in Munich IMO.


Craft beer places:

Giesinger Bräu München: highly recommend this place. Wasn't sure if I should include it in traditional or craft, it's a modern brewery that's sort of a mix of the two. They have a mostly traditional lineup with their own twists plus a few more modern styles. Their rauchbier is fantastic and it's one of the only places in Munich where I've seen the traditional Eisbock thing (frozen block of beer that you're supposed to melt into your glass). Food and desserts were pretty damn good too but the restaurant is tiny so I highly suggest making reservations. Restaurant has a cool view of the church next door and it's a short walk from the Paulaner garten I mentioned above.

Brauerei im Eiswerk: some interesting stuff at this place, barrel aged doppelbocks, barrel aged stouts, smoked beers, barleywines. Nothing very traditional here but some good stuff. Also a short walk from the Paulaner garten, but they have a weird system where they only open their retail shop every other Wednesday afternoon. No bar as far as I know. Interesting beer but not really worth a visit unless you're sticking around the city for a while IMO. Cool brewhouse and location though.

RedHot: I had heard about their extensive beer list but it sounds like they greatly reduced it in recent years. They still had some great stuff and they occasionally get some Cantillon and other cool things. Worth a visit if you're sick of German food though, they make some pretty great barbecue (and pretty cheap). It's near TUM so lots of college students in the area and lots of great student bars nearby if you're in the mood to party afterwards.

Taphouse: definitely the place for craft beer in Munich. Lots of imports in bottles (although a lot of the American stuff is fairly old, I ordered a Troegs Perpetual out of curiosity since I hadn't had it in a while and it was 6 months past the best by date). I think they have 10 taps if I remember correctly (maybe more) mostly with a rotating selection of German craft. They get some interesting stuff every once in a while, they had some fresh FFF kegs a few months ago and fresh Allagash.

Getränke-Oase: one of the two main craft beer stores. Lots of European craft (from Germany mostly). Prices are not bad and they have free tastings or events sometimes.

Biervana: by far the best place for craft beer in the city. Way better selection than Getränke-Oase but also higher prices. Tons of BFM, De la Senne, Cantillon, Zennebier, To Ol, Mikkeller, Evil Twin, Omnipollo, Freigeist, and all the big European craft right now. Lots of American imports too but I rarely picked them up so not sure on freshness. I know they get Founders regularly so the All Day was always fairly fresh. One of the few places where I've seen Tilmans (a local nanobrewery that makes great beer). The sushi place next door is probably the best bang for your buck in the city if you want a cheap-ish sushi dinner. Walking distance from two pretty great Mexican and Greek restaurants.

Not recommended:

Brauerei Aying: bad experience here. It's a long train ride from the city in a tiny, quiet town with absolutely nothing else noteworthy. The brewery is closed to visitors (at least the day I went, could only see it through a window). The restaurant has decent food but absolutely horrendous service, sat there for over 3 hours and it wasn't a particularly busy night. It's worth a visit if you want that cask conditioned Helles tick, as far as I know the brewery is the only place to get it.


If you need recommendations for other stuff (beer or otherwise) feel free to hit me up. I'll come back to this thread if I can come up with other noteworthy things.








 
Sheeeit, I was gonna go to Aying based on what a lot of people told me but now I'm thinking Weihenstephan instead... it looks to be about an hour from Munich?

How is Andechs?
 
Last edited:
Sheeeit, I was gonna go to Aying based on what a lot of people told me but now I'm thinking Weihenstephan instead... it looks to be about an hour from Munich?

How is Andechs?
Can't believe I forgot Andechs, such a picturesque location. Would recommend it 10/10 times over Ayinger. The monastery is incredibly beautiful, located right by a lake. Weihenstephan and Ayinger are about the same distance from the city center (in different directions), Andechs is a bit further away but not by much. Can't go wrong with either Weihenstephan or Andechs in my opinion, both are incredible locations though I wouldn't recommend going to both since you're only doing a short visit and there's plenty to see inside the city proper.

Curious what you've heard about Ayinger that made you want to visit? The town is kinda adorable I guess but it's purely residential, literally nothing to do besides the brewery restaurant and gift shop. The beer is fantastic but it can be easily found in the city (including their bar that I mentioned, Wirtshaus Ayinger).
 
Last edited:
Can't believe I forgot Andechs, such a picturesque location. Would recommend it 10/10 times over Ayinger. The monastery is incredibly beautiful, located right by a lake. Weihenstephan and Ayinger are about the same distance from the city center (in different directions), Andechs is a bit further away but not by much. Can't go wrong with either Weihenstephan or Andechs in my opinion, both are incredible locations though I wouldn't recommend going to both since you're only doing a short visit and there's plenty to see inside the city proper.

Curious what you've heard about Ayinger that made you want to visit? The town is kinda adorable I guess but it's purely residential, literally nothing to do besides the brewery restaurant and gift shop. The beer is fantastic but it can be easily found in the city (including their bar that I mentioned, Wirtshaus Ayinger).

A few older beer nerds here in Portland have told me to check out Ayinger. However, I'm more inclined to check out Andechs since their beer is not super common in the US compared to the other two places. I actually met two sales reps last night, one works for Weihenstephaner and one works for Andechs. The Andechs guy told me he could hook me up, so I think we may do that. I had chosen Ayinger since it was the closest to Munich and we won't have much time, but if we have a spare evening it's sounding like Andechs now. I still have a few weeks to figure it out! We are in Europe for a month total, with three nights in Bavaria (probably one day/night in Bamberg and two in Munich).
 
A few older beer nerds here in Portland have told me to check out Ayinger. However, I'm more inclined to check out Andechs since their beer is not super common in the US compared to the other two places. I actually met two sales reps last night, one works for Weihenstephaner and one works for Andechs. The Andechs guy told me he could hook me up, so I think we may do that. I had chosen Ayinger since it was the closest to Munich and we won't have much time, but if we have a spare evening it's sounding like Andechs now. I still have a few weeks to figure it out! We are in Europe for a month total, with three nights in Bavaria (probably one day/night in Bamberg and two in Munich).
Andechs closes pretty early so it's better to make a morning rather than an evening out of it (closes at 7pm I believe). Have some Weißwurst and a Hefe at 10am and then head back to the city to have lunch and keep exploring there.

And if you decide to go to Bamberg (or anywhere else in Germany) let me know. I say Bamberg is definitely worth it, I can give you some tips there too.
 
Andechs closes pretty early so it's better to make a morning rather than an evening out of it (closes at 7pm I believe). Have some Weißwurst and a Hefe at 10am and then head back to the city to have lunch and keep exploring there.

And if you decide to go to Bamberg (or anywhere else in Germany) let me know. I say Bamberg is definitely worth it, I can give you some tips there too.

Hell yeah! Thanks for the tips! We will be in Bamberg and I have been told to hit up Schlenkerla (obviously), Spezial-Keller, and also Café Abseits.
 
Hell yeah! Thanks for the tips! We will be in Bamberg and I have been told to hit up Schlenkerla (obviously), Spezial-Keller, and also Café Abseits.
Never heard of Cafe Abseits to be honest! Schlenkerla and Spezial are the obvious choices, the top two breweries in the city but if you get the chance I'd also recommend Mahr's Bräu and Fässla (across the street from Brauerei Spezial though that's not the same location as the Spezial-Keller).

The Bamberger Dom is worth checking out too, it's on a hill overlooking the city and it has some cool gardens in the museum next door. It's not far from Schlenkerla. And I doubt you'll have enough time but the Weyermann facilities are a very interesting visit as well. They have a craft beer shop/bar on premises too.
 
My wife and I are going to be in Munich for the first few days of oktoberfest. We're planning on going to the festival on a Monday. Despite going on a Monday, would you still recommend buying/reserving seats in a beer hall? If so, what's the easiest way to go about purchasing them?


Thanks for the recommendation list above! Very excited about going!
 
My wife and I are going to be in Munich for the first few days of oktoberfest. We're planning on going to the festival on a Monday. Despite going on a Monday, would you still recommend buying/reserving seats in a beer hall? If so, what's the easiest way to go about purchasing them?


Thanks for the recommendation list above! Very excited about going!
IMO no you should be fine. Augustiner tent FTW
 
Can't believe I forgot Andechs, such a picturesque location. Would recommend it 10/10 times over Ayinger. The monastery is incredibly beautiful, located right by a lake. Weihenstephan and Ayinger are about the same distance from the city center (in different directions), Andechs is a bit further away but not by much. Can't go wrong with either Weihenstephan or Andechs in my opinion, both are incredible locations though I wouldn't recommend going to both since you're only doing a short visit and there's plenty to see inside the city proper.

Curious what you've heard about Ayinger that made you want to visit? The town is kinda adorable I guess but it's purely residential, literally nothing to do besides the brewery restaurant and gift shop. The beer is fantastic but it can be easily found in the city (including their bar that I mentioned, Wirtshaus Ayinger).

Do you happen to know the hours? Can't seem to find anything on their about them.
 
My wife and I are going to be in Munich for the first few days of oktoberfest. We're planning on going to the festival on a Monday. Despite going on a Monday, would you still recommend buying/reserving seats in a beer hall? If so, what's the easiest way to go about purchasing them?


Thanks for the recommendation list above! Very excited about going!

My wife and I went for the 2nd Mon/Tues last year and had no problem getting seats both before and after 5pm in 4 different tents across the 2 days.
 
Anyone been to the Starkbierfest in Munich in March? It’s right around my birthday and flights are currently $430 round trip from Seattle.
 
Anyone been to the Starkbierfest in Munich in March? It’s right around my birthday and flights are currently $430 round trip from Seattle.
I'd love to go someday. Doppelbocks are my jam, love the Riegele Speziator.
 
Going in a couple weeks. Short stay. Any updates is always appreciated. I have to imagine much hasn’t changed.

Thinking of a day trip to Zugspitze. Anything along the way?
 
Going in a couple weeks. Short stay. Any updates is always appreciated. I have to imagine much hasn’t changed.

Thinking of a day trip to Zugspitze. Anything along the way?
Red Hot shut down since my last post. Can't think of anything along the way to Zugspitze but there's a dope biergarten at the top.
 
Red Hot shut down since my last post. Can't think of anything along the way to Zugspitze but there's a dope biergarten at the top.
Yeah, I was wondering about Red Hot since I couldn’t find it on maps.

Now it’s just a matter of train+bus or car to Z.
 
Train + bus for sure. It gets tiring and you can have beers without worrying about driving.
Thats what I was thinking. Just seems like a longer day. Would like to go down and come back with plenty of time in the evening to get around and see a few things. Stay tuned.
 
Back
Top