Beer is for drinking, of course. But in NRW, you can also savour the drink outside of pubs and breweries - and not only combine enjoyment and history(s), but also gain new impressions in a very relaxed way. Our tips for special beer experiences will take you on hikes with hops and malt, to hotel rooms with taps and to places that invite you to travel back in time to the past of brewing.
Hikes with beer along the wayHop caves and bar with a view
On the beer trail through the Bergisches Land
The Bergisches Land is all about hops and malt. The Beer Trail, one of the Bergische Streifzüge, runs for around 13 kilometres from Wiehl-Bielstein through the countryside and provides insights into the history of the local Erzquell brewery and the art of brewing in general. Cool beer is also available along the way: so-called "hop caves" are embedded in the ground at five locations, which can be filled with Kölsch bottles or non-alcoholic variants if ordered in advance.
www.bergisches-wanderland.de
Hike and enjoy on the beer brewing wonder trail
Over a distance of seven kilometres, the trail leads past ten stations, some of which provide curious and interesting information about the brewing industry, while others are rest stops with a view. Highlights include a viewing barrel and a forest bar with a view, which offers chilled beer at weekends from May to September, without the need to order in advance. The start and finish of the circular walk is Meschede-Grevenstein. The small, somewhat sleepy town in the Sauerland is home to a famous beer brand: the Veltins brewery, founded in 1824 and one of the ten largest breweries in Germany, is still family-run today. However, it will not be possible to visit the brewery again until 2025 due to renovation work.
www.mein-grevenstein.de
Beer-fuelled overnight accommodationRoom with beer tap, bed in a beer barrel
Cold, warm, Kölsch
Anyone looking for suitable accommodation after a brewery tour in Cologne will be in luck at Hotel Zur Malzmühle. The only Kölsch brewery that still brews beer in Cologne's historic city centre offers a unique service in the adjoining hotel. Here, hotel guests in six rooms can tap their own freshly brewed Mühlen Kölsch from a tap in the bathroom - cold, warm, Kölsch and a view of the cathedral included.
https://hotelzurmalzmuehle.de
A bed in a beer barrel
Beer fans will also find the original accommodation at Hotel Beverland in Münsterland a dream: Among the various themed rooms is one in which the hotel beds are built into original beer barrels from the 19th century. They come from the Pott's brewery in Oelde and were in use for a long time.
www.hotel-beverland.de
A visit to the Middle Ages and modernityTime travel with brewing tradition
Like the monks in the Middle Ages
The importance of good food and drink for body and soul was already clear to monks in the Middle Ages. The tavern at Dalheim Monastery near Paderborn is part of this tradition. The Dalheim monastery brew is brewed in its vaulted cellar using original Dalheim water, which the Augustinian canons used for this purpose. On various brewing days throughout the year, the barley juice is produced in the glass kettles according to the monastery recipe. The end product can be tasted directly on site in the monastery pub or taken home in the original bottling.
www.klosterwirtshaus-in-dalheim.de
Taste history at the Dortmund Brewery Museum
The production and consumption of beer also has a long tradition in the Ruhr region, dating back to the Middle Ages. However, the focus of the Dortmund Brewery Museum is on the more recent history of brewing. Exhibits range from machines from industrial production to advertising media from the consumer world. In the former machine house of the Hansa brewery and the neighbouring production hall, visitors can get to the bottom of work steps in the brewing process and get to know some of the most important beer brands in the Ruhr region. There are bottling and bottle washing machines from the 1950s as well as labelling machines, huge barrels and crown cork sealing machines.
www.brauereierlebnis-dortmund.de
