The Best Craft Beer Bars in Berlin

Fourteen taps, zero distractions. Protokoll sits in a long, narrow room on Weichselstrasse with chalked boards and a crowd that knows exactly what it wants. The rotation leans heavily toward German-style sours and Belgian-influenced saisons, with the occasional DIPA from a local contract brewer. Get there before 8pm or expect to drink standing against the wall.

Order: Whatever the guest keg is. They change it twice a week and it is always worth trying.

A 22-tap tap room attached to a small brewing operation that produces around 400 hectolitres per year. The house lager is crisp and properly carbonated, but the real reason to come is the small-batch Kellerbier served unfiltered from a tank behind the bar. Wednesday evenings bring a mix of regulars and off-duty chefs who have figured out this is the best value pint in Prenzlauer Berg.

Order: Unfiltered Kellerbier, half litre, no ice.

The most technically accomplished bar on this list. Bräukiez runs a micro-brewery in the back and sells only its own beer at the bar, supplemented by three rotating guest taps from German and Scandinavian producers. The IPAs are exceptionally well-balanced, the nitro stout is the best in the city, and the staff can explain the brewing process without making you feel like you are in a lecture.

Order: Kreuzberg Nitro Stout, served slightly warmer than fridge temperature.

Named after the Edinburgh original, Muted Horn Berlin took the concept and added 30 taps and a 600-capacity courtyard. The beer list focuses on European craft and American imports, with particular strength in Pacific Northwest IPAs. It runs loud on weekend evenings but the outdoor courtyard provides a quieter option almost all year round thanks to industrial-grade heaters.

Order: Any West Coast IPA from the rotating American section.

Set in a 19th-century postal building with exposed brick arches and tiled floors, August Beer Hall bridges the gap between traditional German beer culture and the modern craft movement. The menu lists 18 German craft beers by the glass, with tasting notes written by the bar's in-house brewer. Pretzels come from a bakery two streets away and they are worth ordering.

Order: The house Märzen, paired with a pretzel and strong mustard.

The most westerly bar on this list and the one most likely to appeal to visitors staying near the Kurfürstendamm. Schwarzer Adler is a proper craft beer bar with a wine-bar approach to service: small tasting flights, detailed beer menus, and a knowledgeable team that will steer you toward something unexpected. The Belgian lambic selection is the best in Berlin.

Order: Three-beer Belgian tasting flight, starting with the gueuze.

A semi-basement space with eight taps and a door policy that involves ringing a doorbell. Gärtner's Keller has been operating since 2016 and is the cheapest good beer in the city. The owners brew two of the eight beers themselves in a facility in Brandenburg; the rest come from small German producers. Cash only. No food. The best pils in Berlin for 3.50 euros.

Order: House pils. Two glasses minimum.

A small bar that opened in 2019 and has quietly built the most loyal regulars base of any craft beer bar in Berlin. The owner spent time at a Scandinavian brewery and the influence shows in the hazy pale ales and dry-hopped lagers that dominate the tap list. The room fits 35 people comfortably. It is almost always at exactly that capacity by 7pm on Fridays.

Order: Hazy pale ale. They change the batch every two weeks.

Despite the name, the beer here is serious. Pils and Punks runs 20 taps with a focus on West Coast American styles that rarely make it to Europe: old-school IPAs, California commons, and cream ales. The crowd skews young and loud, the music is always too loud, and the beer is always worth the noise. Thursdays through Saturdays get crowded by 9pm.

Order: California common or the rotating US guest IPA.

Rollberg Keller is the only bar on this list that brews its own berliner weisse to the original, genuinely sour recipe — not the sugary tourist version. Set in a former cellar below a Neukölln apartment building, it seats 40 people at wooden benches with a blackboard menu that changes every Thursday. The owners are former homebrewers who turned professional in 2017 and have not lost their edge.

Order: Berliner Weisse, traditional, without the syrup. Let it be sour.