Ich Bin Ein Berliner IPA

Recently, there's been an insurgence of American influence (read: American grown hops) on the international beer scene in general, and in particular the historically conservative German beer scene.

Hops &Barley

Over the last seven years, Germany has seen a steady decline in overall beer consumption, a shift that has seen a newfound interest in alternative spirits such as wine and harder alcohol. This brings German brewers the need for new approaches to the industry, and they are looking to one place where new approaches are thriving: the United States. American Craft Beer is a hot ticket in an overall stagnating market; according to the Brewers Association, craft brewers gained 14% of the $100 billion (yes with a B!) total market share last year. And, while US total beer sales fell at about 1.9%, American craft beer sales grew about 17%. These are the type of numbers that turn heads and change approaches. German brewers are following the American lead in creating bolder flavored beers and deviating from the typical pilsners their parents and grandparents drank.

When I started coming to Germany five years ago, one was hard pressed to find a beer outside of the "big three": pilsner, hefeweizen, dunkel. Now it's becoming more and more common to see some American style IPAs crop up at both bars and stores (and talk about globalization: a German beer that takes its cues from an American interpretation of a English beer that was historically shipped to India).

This summer I spend a couple of months in Berlin and got the chance to experience some of these new trends first-hand, heres a list of some good places one can go to find some of these bitter flavored beers that hop heads crave:

Bars

Vagabund Brauerei (Antwerpener Straße 3, 13353 Berlin) www.vagabundbrauerei.com/
Run by three American expats who have a passion for beer. A wonderful spot that opened in 2013 in the Wedding neighborhood that has 5 draft lines and a solid selection of bottles.

Beer to try: American Pale Ale- Vagabund  4.7% abv. A well balanced Pale Ale that has three American hops (Cascade, Williamette and Simcoe) no compromise on flavor or nose with this one, a full body, easy drinker.

Pfefferbräu

Pfefferbräu (Schönhauser Allee 176, 10119 Berlin) www.pfefferbraeu.de/
Not only do they make their own, top quality beer, their food is wonderful. Their clean, state of the art brew house on the inside is complemented by their welcoming beer garden that sits atop the well trafficed street.

Beer to try: Wet Hop Pale Ale- Pfefferbräu

Hops & Barley (Wühlischstraße 22-23, 10245 Berlin) www.hopsandbarley-berlin.de/ 
This brew pub, named after the English punk band' Leatherface song of the same name, which opened in 2008 is housed in a former butcher shop. They have a several classic German styles with their own twist like Freidrichshainer Pilsner their unfiltered Pilsner that's both thirst quenching and flavorful. In addition to their normal draft selection of Pils, Dunkel Weizen and Cider, they have a dedicated line that is one of their rotating line up of 15 different beers.

Beer to try: Bernstein-Hops & Barley A highly session-able Red Lager that has some pleasant hop character and a clean finish.

Hopfenreich (Sorauer Straße 31, 10997 Berlin)
This is one of newer beer bars to open in Berlin. A strong and varied rotating draft line-up of 14 lines as well as a great selection of bottles.

Beer to try: Holy Shit Ale -Schoppe Bräu 10% abv An Imperial IPA that you've got to be careful with, its alcohol burn is masked by a very hoppy nose and overall good malt/hop balance.

Heidenpeters

Heidenpeters (Eisenbahnstraße 42-43, 10997 Berlin) http://heidenpeters.de/
Tucked in the back corner of the Markt Hall Neun, a world class food market open Thursday through Saturday with different food stalls that would make any foodie's mouth water, this brewery is turning out some vibrant, flavorful beers. Every Thursday they unveil a new brew.

Beer to try: Black IPA- Heidenpeters 5.6% abv Cascadian Dark Ale with a great mix of roasty malt flavor and some hop kick to it, think: hoppy stout that has a lingering hop character.






Bierkombinat Kreuzberg aka BKK (Manteuffelstraße 53, 10999 Berlin) www.bier-kombinat.de
A Fußball bar with a sort of dive bar/welcoming feel to it. 

Beer to try: XPA- Shoppe Bräu 7% abv American Pale Ale that has exactly what you are looking for in the style.

Beer Shops

Berlin Bier Shop (Kirchstraße 23, 10557 Berlin) www.berlinbiershop.com/

This shop is a cornerstone of the Berlin craft beer scene. Great selection of German, European and some American Beers. Decent prices and a very friendly staff who can make some great recommendations. 

Hopfen und Malz (Triftstraße 57, 13353 Berlin) www.hopfenmalz.de/

Great selection and well organized shop of German, some other European and a few American beers.


Do you have any places you'd add to the list? Let me know, I'm always looking to find some new spots.