Bavaria, Germany

Nina and I plan to fly into Munich and then traverse the German and Austrian border from west to east beginning in Lindau and ending in Berchtesgaden.   This area is at the foothills of the Alps with rolling green pastures and many lakes.

We enjoy traveling in Bavaria because of the people, food, scenery, and the overall beer culture in the area.

There is always a festival to go to or an afternoon beer to drink in the “biergarten”.

When you visit a restaurant or a pub in Bavaria most likely there will be a handful of beer selections from one brewer.

The beer styles may be limited but all are delicious.  The styles that you may see on the list include;

Helles, Zwickle, Keller, Pilsner, Dunkel, Bock, Doppelbock, Weisse, Dunkel Weisse, and Weizen Bock.

TETTNANG is a city known for its hop growing.

The Tettnanger hop is known around the world and has a strong aroma.  It is used to brew lagers and wheat beers.

At the “Hopfen Museum” we were excited to watch the end of harvest and walk the fields of tall hop vines.  Very impressive!  Afterwards we were more than satisfied with a Keller Pils served at the museums café…so fresh and hoppy!

OBERSTAUFEN and PFRONTEN are our two village stops where Viehscheid is being celebrated and we’ll watch the cows come running home.  Each cow wears a large bell around its neck so it makes for a very loud but musical charge.  The cows are dressed up and so are the locals in their traditional garb.  The cows look thirsty as they pass by so don’t get in their way.  When the cows are home, they are corralled and returned to their respective owners.

There’s a big tent set up…start the band…tap the kegs…and pass the sausage sandwiches! 

It’s a great time that is repeated daily across the area in two dozen villages

ZUGSPITZE is the highest mountain in Germany at 2962 meters and stands on the border with Austria. 

We found a brochure for the mountain and it tells us that at the top is Germany’s highest beer garden.  Sounds like a place we should go to.  The ride up is quick and exhilarating.  From the top are some awesome views along with some delicious food and great beer. If you go, bring some warm clothing; it was 37 degrees during our stop!

MITTENVALD is a scenic village surrounded by mountains, with plenty of places to eat and drink, including the Mittenvald Brauerei. The weather when we arrived was warm and sunny so we sat outside in the small café. We noticed a sign on the wall that we interpreted to read “ring bell for service”.  Our Deutsch is far from perfect but we were thirsty, so we pressed the bell.  Within minutes we had our first beers…talk about beer culture!

BERCHTESGADEN is located in the Southeast corner of Germany.

This city is known from WWII because of Hitler’s Eagle Nest residence high in the mountains above the city.

In the city there is a great brewery named Hofbrauhaus Berchtesgaden, brewing since 1645.

The beers are available all around the city but it’s always nice to drink it at the source.

The great rooms inside and several small patio areas outside look and feel like many, many parties have been held here

ERDING was our last stop.  It’s located just a fifteen minute drive to the Munich airport.

It’s also home to the Erdinger Weisse Brauerei and Hotel, celebrating 125 years, and specializing in wheat beers.

These beers are top quality and available in five different styles; Classic Hefeweizen, Dunkel, Ur-Weisse, Crystal, and Weizen Bock. Our day of arrival was rainy so we decided to stay indoors and had an opportunity to sample all of them.  In fact it was our duty.

The Brauerie restaurant serves great food and with our hotel room just upstairs, what a perfect combination!