Hops and Barley

Imagine a traditional German pub with modern sensibilities, popular with locals and visitors, and with their own brewery. Hops and Barely is all of these things in one brightly lit location. Hops & Barley, not far from Boxhaganer Platz, has been serving up their own craft beer and cider to thirsty locals since 2008. Homemade cider and several types of beer on tap make it worth a visit. Check out this craft beer pub in Berlin’s Friedrichshain neighborhood.

Basic Details

Type of place: Brewery, Taproom
Allows smoking?: Not in the main room, but there is a separate smoking room
Food options: Small menu of bar snacks, like sausage or a sandwich

What kinds of craft beer does Hops and Barley have?

In Short: Several taps of their own brewed beer including their own cider

Hops & Barley enjoy trying different ingredients and different types of hops to brew unique beers, and you’ll find something new there almost every week. Their beer is not filtered, which enhances the beer’s natural taste.

They have four standard beers on tap: a pilsner style, a dark beer, a wheat beer (weizen), and their own cider. Beyond this they have several taps for seasonal beers. On our visit, the seasonal beers included an amber and a stout. I tried both and very much enjoyed them.

The blackboard menu lists the taps along with alcohol percentage and the BE values. BE stands for Bitter Units in German, and the higher the number, the more bitter the beer is supposed to be.

Non-Beer Options

Hops and Barley has their own brewed cider on tap. This is unique as often bars offer only bottled cider. Like their beer, it’s also unfiltered, so it’s a bit cloudy.

Beyond this, they have a menu of wine, spirits, and soft drinks. So if you’re bringing a friend who doesn’t drink beer, there are other beverage options to enjoy.

Price?

At the time of writing, it was 3.80 euro for a pint of their own standard beer including the cider. The seasonal specialties were a bit higher.

What is the place like?

This is a place to enjoy beer with friends and almost everything aims toward this purpose.

Two front rooms with windows to the street have a handful of tables. Behind the fairly small bar area the place goes back to more seating. The decor is not fussy with clean green walls and white trim. This might be the most German of places. Functionality and purpose take a back seat to overdone decoration.

We counted a rough 20 tables. Some are big enough to share with other visitors. Lighting is bright and welcoming, especially on a dark winter evening. Although I’m sure you could order at the bar, we were served at the table by an efficient and yet pleasant guy. There wasn’t any music that we could notice. It was quite filled with people, so it wasn’t silent at all, but we could still easily have a conversation.

Hops & Barley often shows certain football (soccer) games on projection screens. They also offers brewery courses and brewery tours. Check their site for more information.

Overall this is just a really nice laid back place to have a good beer with some friends. Try the long table outside in the summer.

What makes it unique?

• Cider on tap
• Bright lighting

How to Find Hops and Barley

URL: hopsandbarley.eu
Open: Monday–Friday from 5pm, Saturday/Sunday from 3pm
Address: Wühlischstr. 22/23, 10245 Berlin
Closest transport: Wühlischstr./Gärtnerstr. on the M13