Monday 29th November 2010

Bob Thompson

This pub is in former West Berlin in the Kreuzberg district. It's just by the U-Bahn station at Sudstern.

On my visit I was lucky enough to speak with brewer Torsten Schoppe. When I entered the pub, there was a TV crew from the Pro Sieben station doing an interview and he was tasting a beer, and forming an opinion on it on camera.

So after they had finished recording, I asked him what it was all about and it transpired that, on a long sea journey, somebody fermented beer from Muesli, and the reporter from the TV company's program that deals with science in the home, wanted an expert opinion of the product.

Torsten invited me to try it and it was pretty awful, no bitterness! He thought it was about 2.5% alcohol. It reminded me of Kvass, the Russian low alcohol drink fermented from bread.

Back to the real thing, Südstern brew three regular beers, Heller Stern, Dunkler Stern and Stern Weisse (wheat). I can't comment on the latter but the other two are superb.

There's always a seasonal and recently I've had Heller Bock, strong but bitter, superb, and Märzen, an excellent example.

The pub has a small outside terrace at the front and a large garden at the rear that backs onto the Hasenheide, a wooded park. The name means "The Heath of Hares" and is also the name of the road in front of the pub.

Important Information:

Brauhaus Südstern, Hasenheide 69, Berlin 10967. Tel: 030 6900 1624

Open: Monday to Saturday 14.00-24.00; Sundays and Holidays 10.00-24.00

The pub is less than five minutes from Südstern U-Bahn station on line U7.