Medieval Germany and Its Legacy of Barley

Hello! Welcome to this medieval beer route, and thank you for signing up for this fun journey!
If you're here it's probably because you appreciate all the aspects that go hand in hand with beer: the tradition, the quality, the flavour and the great atmosphere that always comes with it. Well, that's what the proposals of each place are all about!
Ah! Why do I recommend you to leave your car here? Well, it's close to several important places in Munich, mainly the great Hofbräuhaus!

To start getting in the mood, one thing you can't miss in Munich is this famous market, where you can get whatever you want and have lunch while you stroll around. It has a beer garden with the most delicious sausages I've ever tasted in my life!
In fact, I suggest you eat at one of the market stalls, they make some amazing Bratwurst!! Believe me…
As soon as I entered the market, I was tempted by one of the first stalls selling these sausages (huge, by the way). So, I bought it and went happily munching away. I couldn't finish it, but it was so tasty that I held it in my hand for a long time, while walking around, thinking seriously about putting it in my backpack to finish it later. Common sense won out, I threw away the rest of my Bratwurst and everything in my rucksack was saved from smelling like sausage forever.
...I still remember with nostalgia that piece of sausage falling into the bin... hahaha....
The market is active and full of life from Monday to Saturday from 8:00 to 20:00 hs (exceptions apply for florists, restaurateurs and bakers). Some stalls are closed on Mondays.

Before you get to the great medieval brewery of Hofbräuhaus, you have to see this square. It is the most important and famous square in Munich, where the dominant building is the Altes Rathaus, the gothic town hall. A beautiful building with a tower where, at certain times, a carillon dances with figures telling the story of when Duke Wilhelm V married Renata of Lorraine in 1568, after the Bavarian knight beat his opponent from Lorraine in a jousting tournament.
That's why you are on this square at this time, not by chance, but because the carillon of figures in the tower of the new town hall begins its dance at 12 noon.
(Every day it is performed at 11:00 and 12:00 h.) From March to October it is also added at 17:00).
At 21:00 h. every day Music of Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms is played here.
At the end of the square you'll see the old town hall (in case you're wondering, "what's that building that looks like a Disney castle"... like I did... hahaha).
Well, let me know when the figures are done dancing because I want to suggest you to do something while your head is still clear (and your balance intact, let's say... hahah)... I suggest you go up to the lookout point of St. Peter's tower to see amazing views of the square, the city and .... to infinity and beyond (i.e. the Alps on a clear day)....

If you are here and see the narrow staircase... with more than 300 steps leading up to the observatory, you will understand why I suggest you do this before going to the most famous brewery in Central Europe.
The best thing about it? The great views you'll see from the top and the fact that, having done so much exercise, you'll feel more like drinking a nice, cold mug of beer afterwards (all to yourself, as it should be!).
Shall I tell you? Yes… why not My inspirational story...
The first time I travelled to Munich, climbing this staircase, about halfway up I came across an old lady sitting on a step of the stairs with clear signs of tiredness. I asked her if she was feeling well, and she said she was resting, apologized for sitting and invited me to walk past her, telling me that she was simply struggling to get to the top. I offered if she wanted me to help her down, and she said NO, that she would go up to see the view even if it took her time to get up there. By this time, a line was forming behind me of people waiting while I was talking to the lady.
"I'll go with you and help you!" I stood my ground in the face of her refusal, told the people in the queue to pass by our side, and we went up at the pace this lady could... (that is to say very very slowly and sitting down every now and then).
An eternity and a half later, we arrived at the viewpoint.... I can't explain the feeling of joy, when I saw the face of that woman having reached her goal and enjoying the views... I was more moved by that than by the views themselves, to be honest. She told me that when she was little, her father had taken her there, that she was visiting Munich and that she could not leave the city without going up to that place again.... How sweet! Isn't it?
I tell you this because… it was something wonderful because it has a great second part (which I will tell you about later) and because... if that lady could get to the top, so can you!
Visiting hours to the tower are daily from 9:00 to 19:00 h. (last entrance 30 minutes before closing time).
You can buy your ticket at the church itself, and here is the official website if you want more information.

Now yes!!! The drum rolls are ringing because you have finally arrived at the most famous and most beautiful tavern in the world! Yes, I say it openly, I'm in love with this place! And I'm sure the same thing will happen to you when you get to know it: the atmosphere, the people, the music, the beer, the person sitting next to you who you don't know, but after 10 minutes is your best friend in the whole world.... Everything is great here!
Well, but I must calm down to tell you what you will find... First of all, you don't need to book if your idea (which is the one I suggest) is to go to the halls where the party, the music, the joy and the shared tables are.
You can make reservations in two rooms with conventional tables, which work like any other restaurant, but if you've come to the great Hofbräuhaus, it's to have fun and enjoy yourself in the Schwemme hall or, perhaps, in the Biergarten if the weather is nice (and no booking is possible neither of the two places).
I was in the Schwemme hall, it was very crowded, but that didn't matter because the gigantic waitresses (I'm 5'6" tall....) know very well where you are and what you have ordered....
I sat at a long table next to people I didn't know, the music was upbeat and there were a few people dancing near where the band was playing. I was finishing my first pitcher... already quite happy and somehow speaking German when I had never studied it (things that happen when you drink beer...) when suddenly! Someone tapped me on the shoulder...
I turn around, and a young man says to me: "that lady asked me to call you..." and when I looked, I saw that the same old lady, who a few hours before I had helped to climb up to St. Peter's lookout point, was with her friends, at a table behind me.
Well, I'll give you a summary of what happened next: I went to greet her, very happy to see her there again, I moved to her table, she invited me several more mugs of beer and drank with me, we danced with her and her friends. It was so great! I had come in, just to try a beer, and stayed for more than 2 hours enjoying the atmosphere and the company.
A day I'll never forget... (and a day I can't believe to remember so well, after all those beers... hahaha).
Here are some fun facts and some disgusting ones (let's face it): The brewery was established in 1589 to supply the German royal family. And it continued to do so until 1828 when it was moved and, by order of King Ludwig I, it was opened to the public and prices were lowered so that everyone could drink here.
Apparently, this king was very fond of popular festivities and in fact it was his marriage that gave rise to the Oktoberfest we all know today. (I'm fond of this king...)
Here comes the disgusting part:
After being a place exclusively for royalty, it became very popular when it opened its doors to the general public. Every day they were overflowing with customers, many standing around drinking and waiting for a table to become available for seating. After drinking a lot of beer, the urge to go to the toilet soon followed, but people started to urinate under the tables so as not to lose the place.
Yes, very practical.
For this reason, the brewery had made gutters under the tables so that the urine would run into the street.
As the splashing among the customers, together with the level of alcohol brought big fights, the brewery provided the customers with wooden tubes so that they could urinate without splashing. In fact, people brought their own tubes to avoid using the communal ones.
How nice!! Don't you think? ... There was such a fragrance in this salon back then.... Surely there was no French scent to cover that... hahaha !!!!
In 1945, the bombing destroyed it completely and in 1958 it was rebuilt (fortunately without gutters!).
This establishment was always an important meeting place for the main characters of this city, so much so that here the "Soviet Republic of Munich" was proclaimed, and Adolf Hitler declared the program that gave birth to the Nazi party.
Important facts: The tavern is open daily from 11:00 to 00:00. The kitchen is open from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. (a bit early, I know! That's why I have recommended you to eat something earlier at the Viktualienmarkt) You can always order Pretzels with your mug of beer... they're delicious here!
"Music please!" The live band plays every day from 12:00 to 16:00 and from 18:00 to 23:00.
To find out more click here.
And now less reading and more "beering"!!!! Enjoy!
(Keep in mind that in the afternoon you will be heading to Nuremberg, so calculate what you drink or take turns with whoever will be driving)

Munich has many interesting places that you won't be able to cover today, but if there's one thing you can't miss, it's the surfers of the English Garden. At the Eisbach Wave, waves are formed and surfers take advantage of them at any time of the year to have fun and have a good time surfing in the middle of Munich.

On the way back to the car park, I recommend you stop for a coffee and a good sweet dessert at this pâtisserie.
It has real delicacies!
Opening hours: Monday - Friday: 07:30 - 19:00 Saturday: 08:00 - 19:00 Sunday: 09:00 - 16:00
For more information, here is their sweet website.

Back to the car park to continue the journey.

Yes, I know you are on your way to Nuremberg, but I suggest you make a short stop here to show you an interesting fact about the city of Ingolstadt.

This large square with a beautiful fountain is located at the foot of the castle. In 1516, the Beer Purity Law was signed in this castle next to the Danube River, by Duke Wilhelm IV and his younger brother Ludwig X. It is the oldest law in the world still in force today that regulates a consumer product.
According to this law, only three ingredients are permitted for brewing beer: barley, hops and water. Yeast is not mentioned because it was only discovered in 1852 by Pasteur while researching, precisely, on beer.
The important thing is that this law has been the emblem and banner of beer quality for the Germans for centuries. Over the course of time, modifications have been made, such as the use of wheat to make beer, which this law was intended to prevent, so that the price of bread would not rise, and the people would continue to be fed with it.

I suggest you make a brief stop at this restaurant that is over 500 years old to taste the local Herrnbräu beer.
This brewery dates back to 1527 and for centuries they have taken the purity law to the letter, and from the beginning they have used spring water for brewing the beer, which they say, is thousands of years old, is extremely pure and is the secret of its flavour.
Please bear in mind when you're drinking that it's still a bit of a drive to Nuremberg. There you'll dine in an iconic tavern, drinking the city's emblematic red beer.
Opening hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 17:00 - 22:00 Saturday - Sunday: 11:00 - 21:00 Monday - Tuesday: closed
More information here.

Heading for Nuremberg!

One of the most convenient car parks. Open 24 hours a day.
Now you can stroll around Nuremberg in a relaxing way and enjoy the city!

In this old building, that used to be the city customs house, you'll find one of the most traditional breweries in Nuremberg, brewed on the premises. Their beers are craft beers, they have a great variety and the typical dishes are delicious... (veal in sauce with potato dumplings ... mmmm, don't miss it).
From the outside, the building doesn't look like much, but I recommend you not to let yourself be carried away by appearances.
Don't forget to try the cloudy, unfiltered red beer. I loved it, I highly recommend it!
Opening hours: Monday - Friday: 15:00 - 23:00 Saturday: 11:00 - 23:00 Sunday: closed
For more information and reservations, click here.

Ideally located to reach it by crawling, if necessary, from the brewery... Don't get me wrong!!! I mean that you may leave the brewery so "tired" that it's good to have the hotel close by ...
It's advisable to check in before going to the brewery, at least that's what I did, and I left in peace at night.
The check-in time is from 15:00 h and check-out until 11:00 h.
Rest assured, you still have a lot of Nuremberg to see tomorrow, you haven't seen anything !!!!
Sleep well!