🍺 Bier Reisen 2020

2 – 18 February 2020 · the trip that started it
Porto Alegre → Munich → Bamberg → Düsseldorf → La Trappe → Antwerp → Brussels → Ghent → Bruges → Westvleteren → Chimay → Zwiefaltendorf → Munich → Porto Alegre
17 days · 14 nights · 10 bases · 2,089 km driving · 21,422 km flying · 4 countries
🗺️ Route poster (PNG) 📄 Route data (JSON)

17 days, day by day

The trip as it happened: two flights, twelve driving legs, fourteen nights and ten bases across Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

DAY 1 02.02.2020

Porto Alegre → Munich

✈️ Flight day · overnight
📍 Google Maps
DAY 2 03.02.2020 🇩🇪 Munich (arrival) · 1 night

Arrive Munich

📍 In place · no driving
📍 Google Maps
DAY 3 04.02.2020 🇩🇪 Bamberg · 1 night

Munich → Bamberg

🚗 Munich (arrival) → Bamberg · 232 km · 2 h 31
📍 Google Maps
DAY 4 05.02.2020 🇩🇪 Düsseldorf · 2 nights

Bamberg → Düsseldorf

🚗 Bamberg → Düsseldorf · 425 km · 4 h 25
📍 Google Maps
DAY 5 06.02.2020 🇩🇪 Düsseldorf · 2 nights

Düsseldorf

📍 In place · no driving
📍 Google Maps
DAY 6 07.02.2020 🇧🇪 Antwerp · 1 night

Düsseldorf → La Trappe → Antwerp

🚗 Düsseldorf → La Trappe · 141 km · 1 h 45
📍 Google Maps
DAY 7 08.02.2020 🇧🇪 Brussels · 2 nights

Antwerp → Brussels

🚗 Antwerp → Brussels · 47 km · 0 h 49
📍 Google Maps
DAY 8 09.02.2020 🇧🇪 Brussels · 2 nights

Brussels

📍 In place · no driving
📍 Google Maps
DAY 9 10.02.2020 🇧🇪 Bruges · 1 night

Brussels → Ghent → Bruges

🚗 Brussels → Ghent (lunch) · 59 km · 0 h 56
📍 Google Maps
DAY 10 11.02.2020 🇧🇪 Chimay (Poteaupré) · 1 night

Bruges → Westvleteren → Chimay

🚗 Bruges → Westvleteren · 72 km · 1 h 06
📍 Google Maps
DAY 11 12.02.2020 🇩🇪 Zwiefaltendorf · 1 night

Chimay → Zwiefaltendorf

🚗 Chimay (Poteaupré) → Zwiefaltendorf · 573 km · 6 h 54
📍 Google Maps
DAY 12 13.02.2020 🇩🇪 Munich (return) · 4 nights

Zwiefaltendorf → Munich

🚗 Zwiefaltendorf → Munich (arrival) · 186 km · 2 h 12
📍 Google Maps
DAY 13 14.02.2020 🇩🇪 Munich (return) · 4 nights

Munich

📍 In place · no driving
📍 Google Maps
DAY 14 15.02.2020 🇩🇪 Munich (return) · 4 nights

Munich

📍 In place · no driving
📍 Google Maps
DAY 15 16.02.2020 🇩🇪 Munich (return) · 4 nights

Munich

📍 In place · no driving
📍 Google Maps
DAY 16 17.02.2020 🇩🇪 Munich (return) · 4 nights

Munich → Airport

🚗 Munich (arrival) → Munich Airport · 39 km · 0 h 35
📍 Google Maps
DAY 17 18.02.2020

Home

✈️ Flight day · overnight
📍 Google Maps

The route in Europe

Numbered in visit order, from Munich to the airport. The Porto Alegre legs are flights and sit outside this frame.

Germany Netherlands Belgium

🏆 Per-City Brewery & Bar Rankings

38 venues across 12 stops, ranked 1..n per city, with what to order at each one — the beer worth the detour, not just the closest bar.

🇩🇪 Munich (arrival) 1 night · Stop #2

Hotel Royal, the first night, and the Altstadt on foot.

🍻 Famous for: Helles and Weißbier
1
🇩🇪 Munich (arrival) · #1 of 4

Augustiner-Keller

Munich's oldest brewery and the locals' choice; Edelstoff from wooden barrels under the chestnuts.

🍺 Order this: Edelstoff by the Maß, and stay for the second
📍 Google Maps
2
🇩🇪 Munich (arrival) · #2 of 4

Schneider Bräuhaus

The original wheat-beer house; Aventinus is the benchmark Weizenbock.

🍺 Order this: Aventinus, then the Eisbock if it is listed
📍 Google Maps
3
🇩🇪 Munich (arrival) · #3 of 4

Hofbräuhaus

Brewing since 1589 — go once for the room.

🍺 Order this: Hofbräu Original in the main hall, with the brass band
📍 Google Maps
4
🇩🇪 Munich (arrival) · #4 of 4

Giesinger Bräu

Garage-to-glory craft brewery in the south; Erhellung unfiltered Helles.

🍺 Order this: Erhellung, the unfiltered Helles
📍 Google Maps

🇩🇪 Bamberg 1 night · Stop #3

Ibis Styles, the UNESCO old town, and five breweries within walking distance.

🍻 Famous for: Rauchbier
1
🇩🇪 Bamberg · #1 of 5

Schlenkerla

Rauchbier since 1405, beechwood-smoked malt from oak barrels in a medieval vaulted cellar.

🍺 Order this: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen, beechwood smoke from the oak barrel
📍 Google Maps
2
🇩🇪 Bamberg · #2 of 5

Spezial

The locals' rauchbier — subtler smoke than Schlenkerla.

🍺 Order this: Spezial Rauchbier Lager — the locals' answer to Schlenkerla
📍 Google Maps
3
🇩🇪 Bamberg · #3 of 5

Mahr's Bräu

The legendary 'aU' Ungespundetes, naturally carbonated and unfiltered.

🍺 Order this: aU Ungespundetes, the reference Franconian lager
📍 Google Maps
4
🇩🇪 Bamberg · #4 of 5

Fässla

Zwergla dark lager, brewery tap opposite Spezial.

🍺 Order this: Zwergla, dark and quaffable
📍 Google Maps
5
🇩🇪 Bamberg · #5 of 5

Greifenklau

Beer garden with the best view over the city.

🍺 Order this: Lagerbier on the terrace — the walk up is the point
📍 Google Maps

🇩🇪 Düsseldorf 2 nights · Stop #4

Altstadt Hotel Rheinblick, in the middle of the Altstadt's Altbier mile.

🍻 Famous for: Altbier, poured straight from the barrel
1
🇩🇪 Düsseldorf · #1 of 4

Uerige

The reference Altbier: copper kettles, waiters who never stop pouring, and a house bitter enough to reset your palate.

🍺 Order this: Uerige Alt — bitter, copper-brewed, and the waiter never stops pouring
📍 Google Maps
2
🇩🇪 Düsseldorf · #2 of 4

Brauerei Schumacher

Oldest Altbier brewery in the city, blond and spritzy, in a tiled 19th-century hall.

🍺 Order this: Schumacher Alt, then the Jubiläums-Alt if it is on
📍 Google Maps
3
🇩🇪 Düsseldorf · #3 of 4

Im Füchschen

Altbier and Rhineland food in the Altstadt's busiest corner.

🍺 Order this: Füchschen Alt with a plate of Rheinischer Sauerbraten
📍 Google Maps
4
🇩🇪 Düsseldorf · #4 of 4

Zum Schlüssel

Brewpub with a copper kettle in the cellar and a quieter room upstairs.

🍺 Order this: Schlüssel Alt, from the copper kettle in the cellar
📍 Google Maps

🇳🇱 La Trappe visit · Stop #5

The only Dutch Trappist brewery, at Berkel-Enschot near Tilburg.

🍻 Famous for: Trappist ale — Witte, Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel
1
🇳🇱 La Trappe · #1 of 1

Brouwerij La Trappe

The only Dutch Trappist brewery, at Berkel-Enschot near Tilburg: Witte, Blond, Dubbel, Tripel and the barrel-aged Quadrupel.

🍺 Order this: Quadrupel, and the barrel-aged version if the shop still has it
📍 Google Maps

🇧🇪 Antwerp 1 night · Stop #6

Hotel Banks, the cathedral quarter, and the deepest beer cellar in Belgium.

🍻 Famous for: Vintage bottles and 700+ beer lists
1
🇧🇪 Antwerp · #1 of 3

Kulminator

700+ bottles with vintages going back decades; the cellar list is the reason to come.

🍺 Order this: A vintage gueuze or an old Duvel from the cellar list
📍 Google Maps
2
🇧🇪 Antwerp · #2 of 3

Billie's Bier Kafétaria

300+ beers in a cosy neighbourhood room, staff who know the list.

🍺 Order this: Whatever the staff recommend from the 300 — tell them what you liked last
📍 Google Maps
3
🇧🇪 Antwerp · #3 of 3

De Koninck City Brewery

The Antwerp classic, Bolleke in its bowl-shaped glass.

🍺 Order this: Bolleke, then the brewery tour through the koelschip
📍 Google Maps

🇧🇪 Brussels 2 nights · Stop #7

Ibis Brussels City Centre; Cantillon on one side, the Grand Place on the other.

🍻 Famous for: Lambic and gueuze
1
🇧🇪 Brussels · #1 of 4

Cantillon

The last traditional lambic brewery inside the city: coolship, barrels, Gueuze and Kriek with no sweetening.

🍺 Order this: Gueuze 100% Lambic Bio, then the Kriek at the barrel room
📍 Google Maps
2
🇧🇪 Brussels · #2 of 4

Moeder Lambic

40 taps of rare Belgian craft; the best introduction to the modern scene.

🍺 Order this: Something sour on tap — ask what is open from the wood
📍 Google Maps
3
🇧🇪 Brussels · #3 of 4

A la Mort Subite

1928 Art Deco café; order the house gueuze at the bar.

🍺 Order this: House gueuze at the bar of the 1928 room
📍 Google Maps
4
🇧🇪 Brussels · #4 of 4

Poechenellekelder

Puppet-themed pub opposite Manneken Pis, 100+ Belgian beers.

🍺 Order this: A Trappist or a Flemish red, opposite Manneken Pis
📍 Google Maps

🇧🇪 Ghent lunch stop · Stop #8

An afternoon between Brussels and Bruges: herb beer and the Graslei.

🍻 Famous for: Gruut — beer brewed with herbs instead of hops
1
🇧🇪 Ghent · #1 of 3

Gruut Stadsbrouwerij

City brewery using a medieval herb-and-spice mix instead of hops.

🍺 Order this: Gruut Wit or Blond — the medieval herb mix is the house signature
📍 Google Maps
2
🇧🇪 Ghent · #2 of 3

De Dulle Griet

500 beers on the Vrijdagmarkt, and the shoe-in-the-basket ritual.

🍺 Order this: Anything from the 500-bottle list, with your shoe in the basket
📍 Google Maps
3
🇧🇪 Ghent · #3 of 3

Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant

Canal-side beer hall, around 170 beers.

🍺 Order this: A Flemish red on the canal
📍 Google Maps

🇧🇪 Bruges 1 night · Stop #9

Martin's Brugge, the Markt at night, and De Garre down an alley.

🍻 Famous for: Brugse Zot and the 11% house tripel
1
🇧🇪 Bruges · #1 of 4

De Halve Maan

Only active brewery in the historic centre; Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik, with the 3 km beer pipeline.

🍺 Order this: Brugse Zot blond, then Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel
📍 Google Maps
2
🇧🇪 Bruges · #2 of 4

De Garre

Hidden alley café, house tripel at 11%, maximum three per person.

🍺 Order this: The house Tripel with the cube of cheese — and stop at three
📍 Google Maps
3
🇧🇪 Bruges · #3 of 4

't Brugs Beertje

300+ bottles, the classic brown bar of Bruges.

🍺 Order this: A vintage Flemish red from the 300+ list
📍 Google Maps
4
🇧🇪 Bruges · #4 of 4

Café Vlissinghe

Oldest pub in Bruges (1515), bocce court in the garden.

🍺 Order this: A West Flanders blonde in the 1515 room, then bocce in the garden
📍 Google Maps

🇧🇪 Westvleteren visit · Stop #10

Sint-Sixtus Abbey and In de Vrede — the reason this road exists.

🍻 Famous for: Westvleteren 12
1
🇧🇪 Westvleteren · #1 of 2

In de Vrede

The café opposite Sint-Sixtus: the only reliable place to drink Westvleteren 12 on tap, with the abbey cheese.

🍺 Order this: Westvleteren 12 by the glass — the 8 if you are driving — and the abbey cheese
📍 Google Maps
2
🇧🇪 Westvleteren · #2 of 2

Sint-Sixtus Abbey

The Trappist monastery itself — no tours, but the gate and the shop are part of the pilgrimage.

🍺 Order this: Whatever the gate shop allows — six bottles per person, booked ahead
📍 Google Maps

🇧🇪 Chimay (Poteaupré) 1 night · Stop #11

Auberge de Poteaupré, the abbey's own inn at the edge of the forest.

🍻 Famous for: Chimay Blue and the abbey cheese
1
🇧🇪 Chimay (Poteaupré) · #1 of 2

Auberge de Poteaupré

The abbey's own inn and restaurant, a few hundred metres from Scourmont; Chimay Blue with abbey cheese.

🍺 Order this: Chimay Bleue with the Scourmont cheese board
📍 Google Maps
2
🇧🇪 Chimay (Poteaupré) · #2 of 2

Chimay Scourmont Abbey

The largest Trappist brewery; the Espace Chimay explains the brewing and the cheese.

🍺 Order this: The Espace Chimay flight — Rouge, Blanche, Bleue side by side
📍 Google Maps

🇩🇪 Zwiefaltendorf 1 night · Stop #12

Bauer am Bach on the Danube, dinner at a village brewery.

🍻 Famous for: Swabian Landbier
1
🇩🇪 Zwiefaltendorf · #1 of 1

Blank's Brauerei

Village brewery and Gasthof on the Danube — Swabian Landbier, roast pork and no pretence.

🍺 Order this: Blank's Landbier and a Schnitzel; the drive is tomorrow
📍 Google Maps

🇩🇪 Munich (return) 4 nights · Stop #13

Hotel Royal again for the long finish, with Andechs as a day trip.

🍻 Famous for: The full Munich range, one last time
1
🇩🇪 Munich (return) · #1 of 5

Augustiner-Keller

Wooden-barrel Edelstoff under the chestnuts; the locals' answer to every tourist beer hall.

🍺 Order this: Edelstoff, again, because it is the best thing in the city
📍 Google Maps
2
🇩🇪 Munich (return) · #2 of 5

Schneider Bräuhaus

Wheat-beer masters, Aventinus and the original Tap7.

🍺 Order this: Aventinus Eisbock if it is on
📍 Google Maps
3
🇩🇪 Munich (return) · #3 of 5

Hofbräuhaus

The room everyone has heard of; go early or late.

🍺 Order this: Dunkel this time, in the upstairs room
📍 Google Maps
4
🇩🇪 Munich (return) · #4 of 5

Giesinger Bräu

Munich craft with a neighbourhood taproom.

🍺 Order this: The seasonal, whatever it is
📍 Google Maps
5
🇩🇪 Munich (return) · #5 of 5

Kloster Andechs (day trip)

Benedictine monastery brewery above the Ammersee — Doppelbock Dunkel, 45 km from the city.

🍺 Order this: Doppelbock Dunkel on the terrace above the Ammersee
📍 Google Maps

Beer guide

Five beer regions in seventeen days: Bavarian lager, Franconian smoke, Rhenish Altbier, Trappist and lambic, and a Swabian village brewery on the way home.

RegionStyles to look for
BavariaHelles · Weißbier · Doppelbock · Festbier
FranconiaRauchbier · Ungespundetes / Kellerbier · Pils · Bock
RhinelandAltbier
Brabant & FlandersTrappist (Westmalle, Westvleteren, Chimay) · lambic / gueuze · Flemish red · witbier · gruut (herb beer)
SwabiaLandbier · Export · Hefeweizen

What to order, stop by stop

StopStart hereWhy
Munich (arrival)Augustiner-KellerMunich's oldest brewery and the locals' choice; Edelstoff from wooden barrels under the chestnuts.
BambergSchlenkerlaRauchbier since 1405, beechwood-smoked malt from oak barrels in a medieval vaulted cellar.
DüsseldorfUerigecopper kettles, waiters who never stop pouring, and a house bitter enough to reset your palate.
La TrappeBrouwerij La TrappeWitte, Blond, Dubbel, Tripel and the barrel-aged Quadrupel.
AntwerpKulminator700+ bottles with vintages going back decades; the cellar list is the reason to come.
BrusselsCantilloncoolship, barrels, Gueuze and Kriek with no sweetening.
GhentGruut StadsbrouwerijCity brewery using a medieval herb-and-spice mix instead of hops.
BrugesDe Halve MaanOnly active brewery in the historic centre; Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik, with the 3 km beer pipeline.
WestvleterenIn de Vredethe only reliable place to drink Westvleteren 12 on tap, with the abbey cheese.
Chimay (Poteaupré)Auberge de PoteaupréThe abbey's own inn and restaurant, a few hundred metres from Scourmont; Chimay Blue with abbey cheese.
ZwiefaltendorfBlank's BrauereiVillage brewery and Gasthof on the Danube — Swabian Landbier, roast pork and no pretence.
Munich (return)Augustiner-KellerWooden-barrel Edelstoff under the chestnuts; the locals' answer to every tourist beer hall.

Drive times

Every distance below is OSRM car routing, measured after the fact. The two flights are great-circle distances; the times are in the air, not door to door.

2,089 kmdriving
25 h 29behind the wheel
21,422 kmflying
14legs
ModeFromTokmtime
✈️ flightPorto AlegreMunich (arrival)10,69813 h 35
🚗 driveMunich (arrival)Bamberg2322 h 31
🚗 driveBambergDüsseldorf4254 h 25
🚗 driveDüsseldorfLa Trappe1411 h 45
🚗 driveLa TrappeAntwerp811 h 03
🚗 driveAntwerpBrussels470 h 49
🚗 driveBrusselsGhent (lunch)590 h 56
🚗 driveGhent (lunch)Bruges470 h 41
🚗 driveBrugesWestvleteren721 h 06
🚗 driveWestvleterenChimay (Poteaupré)1892 h 32
🚗 driveChimay (Poteaupré)Zwiefaltendorf5736 h 54
🚗 driveZwiefaltendorfMunich (arrival)1862 h 12
🚗 driveMunich (arrival)Munich Airport390 h 35
✈️ flightMunich AirportPorto Alegre10,72513 h 37

Distance matrix

Car kilometres between every pair of land stops, from matrix.pairs.

From \ ToMunichBambergDüsseldorfLa TrappeAntwerpBrusselsGhentBrugesWestvleterenChimayZwiefaltendorfMunich
Munich—2326147657887918498889317051870
Bamberg232—4255755986016596997426523050
Düsseldorf614425—1411912022523003422704840
La Trappe765575141—811241421672252406090
Antwerp78859819181—47621031461666300
Brussels79160120212447—59971401226370
Ghent8496592521426259—47961736900
Bruges8886993001671039747—721957210
Westvleteren9317423422251461409672—1897770
Chimay705652270240166122173195189—5730
Zwiefaltendorf187305484609630637690721777573—0
Munich00000000000—

If you had one more day

Detours that were on the list and did not fit — measured from the nearest base.

FromDetourkmtime
BrugesRoeselare (Rodenbach)380 h 35
BambergAufseß (four-brewery loop)290 h 34
Munich (return)Andechs (Kloster Andechs)450 h 45
Chimay (Poteaupré)Orval Abbey1201 h 40
BrusselsWestmalle Abbey701 h 05

What this trip taught us