The Best Craft Beer Bars in Munich

Crew Republic is the brewery that put Munich craft on the international map, and their taproom in Eching — technically outside the city ring but easy by S-Bahn — is the best place to experience the full range. The Drunken Sailor IPA built their reputation; the lager series demonstrates that they understand Bavarian tradition as well as any conventional brewer. Weekend tours run at noon and are worth booking.

Order: Drunken Sailor IPA — the beer that started it all, still one of the best IPAs brewed in Germany.

Twenty-two taps in the student district, with a rotation that leans toward Bavarian and Austrian craft alongside a well-curated international selection. Tap-House München is unpretentious and relaxed — this is not a place for beer tourism, it is a place where local drinkers come regularly. The outdoor seating fills fast on summer evenings and the price-to-quality ratio is the best in the city centre for craft beer.

Order: A Bavarian craft Helles — the low-ABV golden lager is underrated in the craft context and several local producers do it exceptionally well.

Weihenstephan is the oldest working brewery in the world, and their Braustüberl in Freising is a forty-minute train ride that every serious beer drinker should make. This is not craft beer in the modern sense — it is the source material. The Vitus Weizenbock is one of the greatest beers made anywhere in Europe, and drinking it in the brewery's own restaurant, with a view of the hill it has occupied since 1040, recalibrates your understanding of what beer can be.

Order: Vitus Weizenbock — 7.7% ABV, banana and clove nose, silky body. A benchmark beer drunk at its source.

A small bar in the Glockenbach quarter with sixteen taps and a bottle selection that covers German craft thoroughly and ventures into Scandinavia and the UK. Piggyback draws a younger crowd and stays open later than most competitors — the kitchen closes at 10pm but the taps keep flowing until 2am on weekends. Our pick for a late session that starts with beer and ends with something stronger from the short spirits list.

Order: A German-hopped pale ale — several excellent examples from smaller Bavarian producers circulate through this tap list regularly.

Part specialist bottle shop, part bar — Bierothek in Schwabing is the best single retail destination for German craft beer in the city. They stock over 400 bottles, maintain a rotating tap selection of eight to twelve handles, and allow drinking on premises from the retail stock at a modest corkage. The staff have clearly tasted everything on the shelves, which makes their recommendations reliable.

Order: A bottle from the Bavarian wild fermentation shelf — a small but growing section featuring some of the most interesting beers produced in Germany.

Not a craft bar in any modern sense, but an essential stop for anyone serious about Bavarian beer. Augustiner is the oldest Munich brewery still owned independently, and the Bräustuben in Neuhausen is where their workers drink — which means the beer turnover is high, the quality is consistent, and the prices are reasonable. The Edelstoff export lager here is better than any glass you will find at the Marienplatz tourist circuit.

Order: Augustiner Edelstoff from the wooden barrel — they rotate it through certain evenings and it is the best version of this beer available.

A natural wine and craft beer bar that splits its allegiances evenly and manages both well. NANA sits in the Glockenbachviertel and draws a crowd who treat drinking as a cultural activity rather than a social lubricant. The beer taps carry a tight selection of European craft with a particular interest in low-intervention brewing — spontaneous fermentation, mixed cultures, and unfiltered conditioning. Not for everyone, but essential for the right drinker.

Order: A mixed-fermentation farmhouse ale — they source from small German and Benelux producers and rotate constantly.

A Haidhausen neighbourhood bar that has been running a solid craft tap list for six years without chasing trends. Hopfenhäcker stocks sixteen handles — eight Bavarian craft, four German, four international — and a bottle fridge that rewards the systematic browser. The food menu is simple and honest: good pretzels, cheese, and charcuterie that pair well with the beer selection. Arrive before 7pm on weekdays and you will usually find a seat at the bar.

Order: Whatever Bavarian craft lager they have on — the diversity of Munich-area lager styles in the craft context is genuinely exciting and underexplored.