Hops & Barley

The capital’s most famous tipple, Berliner Weisse, had almost 700 breweries producing it in the 19th century, so much so that a popular story has it that Napoleon’s troops even nicknamed it ‘the Champagne of the North’. Sadly history took its toll on the sour wheat beer and by the end of the 20th century only one industrial brand remained – owned by the German frozen pizza magnate Dr. Oetker. Brewpubs like Hops & Barley have come to the rescue, using interesting hop varietals to produce traditional German beers such as the top-fermenting Weiz (wheat) and Dunkles (dark) as well as Apfelwein (apple wine, or cider to you and me), a drink rarely seen in Berlin pubs. The heavy wooden bar is matched with fine green and white tiling throughout, the large brew kettles in pride of place along one side of the wall. Their self-sufficient approach to brewing serves Friedrichschain’s anti-corporate mentality well but the bar also serves as a hub for the city’s nascent beer aficionado scene.