Beers in Berlin on a budget!

So, we love visiting Germany and last summer we did a 10 day trip to Europe spending 5 days in Prague and then 5 days in Berlin. I had never been to Berlin before and had planned loads that I wanted to do but actually ended up doing only a couple of things on the list because of the budget we were on. That said we still had an amazing time on a budget.

• Stone Berlin

So we did go to a few places that are a must for any craft beer fan! We spent a lovely day at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens. We had a brewery tour and then chilled at the bar having some beers for an afternoon. It's a little further out from the city centre but it was easy enough to find. We got a bus from the City centre and then it was about a 15-minute walk from the bus stop, The amazing location has 50 taps in the main bar and additional 25 taps in the Library bar. The food looked amazing but was pretty pricey so we opted for a Maccy D's on the way back to the bus stop!!

• Mikkeller

So I love Mikkeller beers having had a few in BrewDog bars in the UK. Their bar in Mitte has the feel of a nice neighbourhood local but with big tasting and interesting beers. We visited on our first night and found out that they were having a Northern Monk tap take over the next day so we had to go back! The beers are smaller pours to what we are used to in the UK but worth visiting for the atmosphere. Its just a small bar and it gets really busy in the evening. 

• BRLO

We visited BRLO which is another brewery and tap room for their BRLO Brewfest. They had invited other Breweries from around Europe for a mini-festival and we were able to taste some amazing beers and got a free tour of the Brewery. They are doing this event again in 2018 8th-10th June. The beer garden is amazing if it's a lush day. 

 

• Budget Spots

So it's legal to drink on the streets in Berlin so we spent a lot of the time just getting a beer and walking around. There are kiosks and little convenience stores everywhere where you can get a bottle opened up to go. We also visited a lovely Biergarten called Prater Garten which is around 3.50€ for a Pilsner. They also do typical German bar snacks like wurst, pretzels and currywurst. It is cash only though. I would recommend always having some cash on you in Berlin as not everywhere takes credit card. There are loads of parks and green spaces in Berlin and if it's sunny you will see locals chilling with a crate of beer.

The Mauer Park is a great spot to visit. On a Sunday there is a flea-market which sells mainly tourist keepsakes and second-hand goods. There are some amazing food stalls and a couple of beer stalls. We got some beers from a Franconian wine and beer stall that was really cheap and took them to watch live music at the bearpit karaoke. The weather was really amazing when we went and there isn't a lot of shade so I would recommend taking a hat. Loads of people bring their own beers and make an afternoon of it listening to all the great music for free!

Also during our visit, there was an African Festival on at Alexanderplatz. There were food and drink stalls and a stage set up for music. The beers were quite reasonably priced and there were printed plastic cups for the festival that you could take home as a souvenir.

We are off to Berlin again in June this year so I will do a follow-up blog if we find any more spots that are worth a visit. If anyone reading this has any other hints or tips please comment below.