Yes it's fun hoisting foaming steins as brass bands play scary music in the background, but Oktoberfest isn't the time or place to discover Germany's best brews.
No to Oktoberfest —
Yes it's fun hoisting foaming steins as brass bands play scary music in the background, but Oktoberfest isn't the time or place to discover Germany's best brews.
AFP/Getty Images
Most of the beer sold in Munich's beer halls comes from six mega-breweries. It's good stuff, but there isn't much variety.
Munich's monoculture —
Most of the beer sold in Munich's beer halls comes from six mega-breweries. It's good stuff, but there isn't much variety.
Getty Images
Two months before the Oktoberfest beer taps start flowing, Munich showcases the best of its craft brews at the Bier-Inseln/Beer Islands alt-beer pub crawl. The event takes place on July 25, 2015.
Alt-beer crawl —
Two months before the Oktoberfest beer taps start flowing, Munich showcases the best of its craft brews at the Bier-Inseln/Beer Islands alt-beer pub crawl. The event takes place on July 25, 2015.
Courtesy Munich Beer Islands
The Bier-Inseln/Beer Islands event sees some of the city's best microbreweries hold open cellar tasting sessions.
Open cellars —
The Bier-Inseln/Beer Islands event sees some of the city's best microbreweries hold open cellar tasting sessions.
Courtesy Munich Beer Islands
Outside Munich, Bavaria offers a wealth of beer discoveries. Bamberg is known for its rauchbier (smoke beer). The Schlenkerla brewery has been producing it for centuries.
Beyond Munich —
Outside Munich, Bavaria offers a wealth of beer discoveries. Bamberg is known for its rauchbier (smoke beer). The Schlenkerla brewery has been producing it for centuries.
Schlenkerla Brewpub/Holger Leue
The Kundmueller inn-brewery in Viereth-Trunstadt is known for its strong, hoppy Urstoeffla, unfiltered Kellerbier, Bock, IPAs and Lager Select. The sausage is made in-house and Frau Kundmueller bakes the bread.
House-made sausage —
The Kundmueller inn-brewery in Viereth-Trunstadt is known for its strong, hoppy Urstoeffla, unfiltered Kellerbier, Bock, IPAs and Lager Select. The sausage is made in-house and Frau Kundmueller bakes the bread.
Courtesy Kundmueller Brewery
Hops and Barley in Berlin offers fruity wheats, a four-malt dark beer and rotating specials, including single-hopped Australian and American-style ales.
Berlin's Hops and Barley —
Hops and Barley in Berlin offers fruity wheats, a four-malt dark beer and rotating specials, including single-hopped Australian and American-style ales.
Courtesy Hops and Barley
If you can find it, Berlin's upstart Bierfabrik brewery offers a reddish rye Rotbier and Maple Walnut Stout among its arsenal of ales.
Bierfabrik —
If you can find it, Berlin's upstart Bierfabrik brewery offers a reddish rye Rotbier and Maple Walnut Stout among its arsenal of ales.
Courtesy Bierfabrik Berlin/Patrick Albertini
Berlin's Le Croco Bleu -- one of several venues in Berlin selling Beerfabrik beers.
Le Croco Bleu —
Berlin's Le Croco Bleu -- one of several venues in Berlin selling Beerfabrik beers.
Courtesy Le Croco Bleu
Berlin's Monterey Bar offers great music and one-stop drinking for anyone with craft beer on their agenda. More than 80 pours from Berlin, the rest of Germany and around the world.
Monterey Bar —
Berlin's Monterey Bar offers great music and one-stop drinking for anyone with craft beer on their agenda. More than 80 pours from Berlin, the rest of Germany and around the world.
Courtesy Monterey Bar
IPAs, rotating single malt/single hop ales and a Szechuan Saison, made with ambient yeast, coriander and other spices, are among the beers in the Vagabund community-funded microbrewery in Berlin's Wedding neighborhood.
Community cask house —
IPAs, rotating single malt/single hop ales and a Szechuan Saison, made with ambient yeast, coriander and other spices, are among the beers in the Vagabund community-funded microbrewery in Berlin's Wedding neighborhood.
Courtesy Vagabund