Beerista: A peek inside Berlin’s craft brewing scene

When it comes to beer – in Germany – tradition rules. The home of fine pilsners and weissbeers has been slow to show interest in hoppy pale ales and wacky experimental beers – but that may be starting to change.

"The German craft beer scene is still young," says brewer Richie Hodges who works with one of Berlin's newest craft breweries, Berliner Berg. "It's still trying to find its way," he says.

Located in a former lard factory, Berliner Berg’s new craft bar Bergschloss is on a quiet backstreet in Neukolln. It was pretty full early on a Saturday evening when I visited recently, mostly with English-speaking twentysomethings.

The large number of expats living in Berlin, says Hodges, is driving much of the interest in craft offerings. "They are often responsible to turning other [German] friends on to craft beer," he says.

The Berliner Berg range of beers include a traditional American pale ale – their bestseller – an Irish stout, a lager and a particularly tasty California Wheat. They also have plenty of rotating specials and one-offs on tap at the bar.

Hodges, originally from Virginia in the US, became a brewmaster after studying at Bavarian State Brewery Weihestephan and later at the Doemens Akademie. He also worked with one of Germany's most successful craft breweries CREW Republic. He believes a lack of experience is leading to poor-quality craft beer – which is interesting for a country with such a strong brewing culture and its 500-year-old Reinheitsgebot or what Hodges describes as the "freedom robbing" purity law.

There’s also plenty of competition from imported craft beers and “their very, very competitive prices”. (The iconic Stone, from the US, also recently set up a brewery in Berlin.)

“But the excitement is here in Berlin,” he says, “the interest and demand is here. And it’s growing.”

@ITbeerista beerista@irishtimes.com