Good Beer Places in Europe (Germany, Belgium, Paris)

[Yourrealdad]

My GF and I are getting married in June and heading to Europe for our honeymoon. We are staying in southern Germany (Miltenburg area, hour north of Frankfurt) for 5 days then heading north towards Belgium (Brussels) for 2 Days and then to Paris for 3 Days. Just wondering if anyone can recommend any places to taste good local beer along the way. Or any must go to breweries or pubs.

I definitely want to get to the Saint Sixtus monastary and try to get some of the Westvleteren 12 and see what all the hoopla is about. If you know the best way to do that, appointments, etc. that would be helpful.

Oh and if you have been to any cool little areas where the sights are amazing and the history impressive and the beer is okay that works too.

Thanks

 

[hillybilly]

Believe it or not there is a growing craft brew resurgence in europe with many small breweries poping up best thing is research and even ask the desk clerk at the hotel

 

[Hawkeye11]

My GF and I are getting married in June and heading to Europe for our honeymoon. We are staying in southern Germany (Miltenburg area, hour north of Frankfurt) for 5 days then heading north towards Belgium (Brussels) for 2 Days and then to Paris for 3 Days. Just wondering if anyone can recommend any places to taste good local beer along the way. Or any must go to breweries or pubs.

I definitely want to get to the Saint Sixtus monastary and try to get some of the Westvleteren 12 and see what all the hoopla is about. If you know the best way to do that, appointments, etc. that would be helpful.

Oh and if you have been to any cool little areas where the sights are amazing and the history impressive and the beer is okay that works too.

Thanks

I can't comment on the Brussels or Paris portion, but am quite familiar with the German segment. You will be an hour or so South of Frankfurt, not quite true Southern Germany, but close. Three suggestions within driving distance are Wurtzburg, Rothenburg (Tauber) and the Rhein between Mainz and Koblenz. St Goar on the Rhein is my favorite for the castle ruins. Heidleburg castle is very nice if its not too overrun with tourist buses. Rothenburg is touristy, but a must see for being most intact walled city. I highly recommend the night watchman tour. Fun story there about the beer drinking contest to end a siege. While the Rhein area is much better known for wine, there are brew pubs in many of the towns. Just look / search for Brauhaus, or Brauerei. Most in that area is Pils or Hefeweitzen.

 

[Yourrealdad]

Thank you Hawkeye, just the kind of info I am looking for.

Has anyone rented bikes and biked between Saint Sixtus and the St Bernardus breweries? I think it is about 8 miles? Sounds like it would be a cool way to see the area too.

 

[maltoftheearth]

Stop in Cologne and pick up a local variety of kolsch.

Also, the NYTimes had a magazine article today on tobacco in the Semois Valley in Belgium. If you are a smoker then it is apparently some of the nicest all natural tobacco on earth.

 

[Tarks]

Rent a car in Belgium if you want to visit breweries. Getting around the country side is not easy otherwise. My wife and I were there last year, home base was Brugge. We took day trips to visit breweries and war sites in Belgium/France. Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren is a nice stop for a bite to eat but really not that much to see otherwise. I think we spent about an hour and a half there. No tours were offered. No appointments required. When your there, you can sit down, talk to the locals, grab a bite and drink some of the finest beers in the world. The gift shop sells sample packs with a Westy glass to take home.

We loved Belgium. One of my favourite countries in all of Europe to visit. The people are extremely friendly (reminds me of Canada), the food outstanding and the beers made me look at beers in a whole different light. They say Germany is beer country. In my mind, Germany has nothing on Belgium when it comes to the selection and quality of beer. I would spend more time in Belgium. Two days isn't nearly enough IMO, especially for beer lovers.

 

[Jacob_Marley]

You might want to get to know the Miltenberg area first ... less travel ... more beer.

Miltenberg has a couple breweries you could visit ... Brauhaus Faust. (Faust runs an Inn there too.)
And if it’s still open, Kalt-Loch-Bräu ... but this may be closed.
Both have pics on google image.

You could also take a ferry boat trip from Miltenberg up to Wertheim (around 20 miles) ... Spessart Brauerei is right off the river ... http://www.spessart-specht.de
There’s also Würzburger Hofbräu ... and Bach'sche Brauerei (Bach’s Brewery).

More within driving distances.
The beer mapping project shows other brewpubs and breweries ... for Miltenberg ...
http://beermapping.com/a/43589#lat=49.81317633337614&lng=9.46746826171875&z=7
(click the entries in the legend to see them pinpointed on the map)

See Beermapping for other parts of your trip too ...
http://beermapping.com/

Biergarten!
That Faust Brewery in Miltenberg also has an outdoor Biergarten called “Faust Bräustüble” .. the address is
Löwengasse 3
63897 Miltenberg

You can also use Beirgarten Friend at ...
http://www.biergartenfreunde.de/
On the left side of that page, in the box that has the kilometers selection, select “50km” etc ... then in the box right below it, put in an address ... say ... Löwengasse 3, 63897, Miltenberg
and it will give you all the biergartens in the area ... by using google translate you can then also read reviews if you like.

If you are going to be in Miltenberg as late as the first week in July they will have the Old Town Festival (the Altstadtfest) ... I’m sure there’s some beer to be found there.

Tschüss!

 

[Jacob_Marley]

Another tavern in Miltenberg
Malzspeicher Braustüble

A malzspeicher is where you store your malt.
I'm not sure if the "1654" on the sign is an address or a year. I suspect it's the year.

A stüble is like a Rathskeller I believe.
Can you tell I wish I was going to Germany.

Btw Yourrealdad ... congrats on the engagement!

(on that sign, it looks like a design that includes a barrel with grain, a stirring paddle and a scoop or shovel ? ... cool design)
<sigh>

 

[Yourrealdad]

Awesome info. Thanks so much. We are staying in Miltenburg for a while because her family is from there, so staying with relatives so we will have to explore around there and I am sure they can help. We will also be going to Cologne because I believe that is were we take the train to Belgium from so we will get some Kolsh.

Jacob,
thanks for all the great links, I will check them out.

 

[rjbank]

Brugs Beertje


In Bruges Belgium

Tons of bottles and great staff