Monday, February 6, 2012

A visit to Brauhaus Mitte

Just across the street from the TV tower at Alexanderplatz, you can find one of Berlin's brewpubs. Brauhaus Mitte is based in a mall, but it has its own entrance on a street corner.

I walked the stairs into the large brewpub. I sat down at one of the tables and was given a menu by a friendly waitress. At that moment I was not hungry, so I scanned the beer menu. There were four beers available that were brewed on the premises. I ordered a taster glass of every beer and decided to buy a half liter afterwards of the beer I liked the most.

First out was the Pils. It was a pale lager with a small head and nearly no carbonation. In the nose I felt grass, and the grass was joined by some malts in the mouth. The finish had some caramel and a pinch of bitterness. I liked it!

Then it was time for the Dunkel. The copper coloured beer also had a small head and barely any carbonation. This beer had an intense aroma of coffee. In the mouth there was a fine combination of coffee and some hoppy bitterness. This was an even better beer.

The Hefeweizen was a cloudy beer without carbonation. In the nose I felt banana and some sweetness. The banana was assertive in the mouth with some spices I could not pinpoint before a sweet finish. This was another good wheat beer.

Last out was the Zwickel. This was also a cloudy beer with a nearly brownish colour. There was no carbonation, and the beer had a small head. I felt caramel and yeast in the nose and was not surprised when the beer tasted the same. This was a nice beer that actually reminded me of Old Speckeled Hen from bottle.

The best of the four beers was the Dunkel, in my opinion. I ordered another glass of it and enjoyed the atmosphere. The brewpub was not exactly crowded, and the heimat music was a touch that gave the place an extra German feeling. It was also interesting watching the S-Bahn trains travelling on the railway bridge not far from the pub.

Refreshed, I went into the Berlin dusk. In the semi darkness the TV tower was suddenly even more impressive!

2 comments:

  1. If you are still in Berlin and if you really care about good beer this is where you should go:

    1) Weinkultur Biershop, Kirchstrasse 23, Moabit
    2) Rollberger Privatbrauerei, Am Sudhaus 3, Neukölln
    3) Brewbaker, Arminiusstrasse 2 - 4, Moabit
    4) Hausbrauerei Hops&Barley, Wühlischstraße 22-23, Friederichshain

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  2. Thanks, Anonymous! Your recommendations are noted, and I will check out as many as possible of these pubs on my next visit to Berlin. During my visit to Brauhaus Mitte, I was recommended by another to go to the nearby Marcus Bräu brewpub. How do you feel about that place?

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