German Beer In Nyc: Where To Buy?

German beer is a beloved beverage around the world, and New York City is no exception. The city's German beer halls and gardens offer a wide range of German beers, from the well-known brands to the more obscure. Here's a guide to help you find the best spots to enjoy a refreshing German beer in NYC.

German beer gardens in NYC

If you're looking for German beer gardens in NYC, you're in luck! The city has a range of options to choose from, each offering a unique experience and a taste of Germany's beer culture. Here are some top spots to check out:

Loreley Beer Garden

Located in the Lower East Side, Loreley Beer Garden is the first of its kind in New York City. Modelled after the "Brauhaus" in Cologne, it boasts the largest heated outdoor beer garden in the area. They offer 12 imported German-inspired beers on tap, along with specialty cocktails, wines, and spirits. The kitchen serves elevated bar food and German favourites like pretzels, schnitzel fingers, and Frankfurter sausages. Loreley is perfect for a casual dinner or a special celebration.

Radegast Hall & Biergarten

Radegast Hall & Biergarten in Williamsburg is the home of Oktoberfest in New York. It captures the character and ambiance of German beer gardens, offering a wide selection of German pilsners, Belgian strong ales, porters, and weiss beers. They also have beer cocktails for those who want to mix things up. Pair your drink with their Bratwurst pork sausage or Angus cheeseburger from the grill.

Heidelberg Restaurant

Heidelberg Restaurant in Yorkville takes you back to the days when the neighbourhood was known as Germantown. The restaurant is named after the Heidelberg University, which was the setting for the popular operetta "The Student Prince." Enjoy your beer from a glass stein shaped like a boot and indulge in appetizers like liver dumplings and pickled beef tongue. Their mains are hearty and generous, including jaeger spätzle and schweinshaxe.

Bierhaus NYC

Just two blocks from Grand Central, Bierhaus NYC is a Bavarian-style beer hall that brings the spirit of Oktoberfest and Hofbräu bier to Midtown Manhattan. They offer authentic German cuisine and beer by the boot, along with live music. Sip on crisp Hofbräu bier and transport yourself to the tents of Oktoberfest in Munich.

Reichenbach Hall

Reichenbach Hall, located in the heart of Midtown, is a German beer hall owned by Willy Reichenbach and his family of German emigrants. The space is lined with communal tables, making it perfect for after-work gatherings. They offer a variety of German beers on tap, mainly in lager or pilsner styles, served in one- and two-liter mugs. Pair your drink with their extra-large pretzels, chicken wings, or wursts, including a vegan option.

These German beer gardens in NYC offer a delightful combination of atmosphere, food, and, most importantly, an excellent selection of German beers. Each establishment has its unique charm, so be sure to explore and find your favourite!

German restaurants in NYC

If you're looking for German restaurants in NYC, there are plenty to choose from. Here are some options:

Rolf's German Restaurant

Specialising in Southern German and Bavarian cuisine, Rolf's is known for its festive decor, with Christmas lights, ornaments, dolls, wreaths, and artificial fir trees. The menu includes Wiener Schnitzel, Sauerbraten, potato pancakes, and apple strudel, and the drink selection features imported German beers like Hofbrau lager, Radeberger, and Weihenstephaner Weissbeer.

Loreley Beer Garden

This 19-year-old beer hall is modelled after a tavern in Cologne, Germany, and features a heated outdoor beer garden. The menu includes a range of schnitzels, soft pretzels, tacos, hamburgers, and sandwiches, and there are 12 imported German beers on tap.

Heidelberg Restaurant

Heidelberg is one of the oldest family-run German restaurants in the US, dating back over 100 years to when Yorkville was a bustling German neighbourhood. The restaurant retains its old-world recipes and atmosphere, with a bar and interior that capture the magic of the golden age of Germantown. The menu offers traditional dishes like liver dumplings, pickled beef tongue, jaeger spätzle, and schweinshaxe, and you can drink beer from a glass stein shaped like a boot.

Schaller's Stube Sausage Bar

Sponsored by the city's foremost maker of German sausages, Schaller & Weber, this stroll-up sausage bar offers currywurst in a pretzel bun, and sausage sandwiches with various themes like chicken club, Texas barbecue, and Reuben.

Max Bratwurst und Bier

With perhaps the city's largest selection of German sausages, including kalbsbratwurst, geflugelbratwurst, grobe bauernbratwurst, and scharfe bauernbratwurst, Max Bratwurst und Bier pairs its sausages with German brews. If you're tired of sausages, they also offer light and airy potato pancakes served with apple sauce.

Reichenbach Hall

Conveniently located in Midtown, this beer hall features communal tables and a menu of extra-large pretzels, chicken wings, and wursts, including a vegan variety. They have 14 German beers on tap, served in one- and two-liter mugs.

Black Forest Brooklyn

Owned by a German couple who met in the Black Forest, this biergarten and kaffeehouse specialise in flammkuchen (German pizza), which is made with bread dough, crème fraiche, thinly sliced onion, and bacon. The menu also includes burgers, sausages, and jerk chicken, and there is another location in Cobble Hill.

Die Stammkneipe/Der Schwarze Kölner

This Fort Greene pub offers a rotating selection of 18 draft and 20 bottled beers, including pilsners, weizen, bocks, and ciders. The food menu centres on sausages, with 10 varieties, three of which are vegan, as well as other German classics like kase spatzle.

Hofbräu Bierhaus NYC

A branch of Munich's famous 400-year-old Hofbräuhaus, this restaurant features massive trestle tables and a menu that includes modern twists on Bavarian classics, like deep-fried sauerkraut balls, lentil and bratwurst soup, and a veggie burger. They offer 10 or so beers from a single German brewery, including seasonal selections.

Radegast Hall & Biergarten

This German-Czech beer hall opened in 2007 and quickly became a key Brooklyn drinking institution. The space is unfussy and sprawling, with a profuse selection of tap and bottled beers, and a grill that turns out burgers and brats. The kitchen also cooks up Hungarian goulash and cassoulet.

Gottscheer Hall

A charming neighbourhood bar founded in 1924 by a group of German-speaking settlers, Gottscheer Hall offers fine, oniony potato pancakes, beef goulash, fish and chips, an Angus burger, and a pork schnitzel sandwich. They have a selection of German and American beers on tap.

Zum Stammtisch

Located in Glendale, Queens, this restaurant caters to newer German immigrants, with the mother tongue spoken as often as English, and German tap beers dominating the bar. The menu is exhaustive, including appetizers like head cheese and goulash soup, and mains like sauerbraten, sausages, schnitzels, and kassler rippchen (smoked pork loin). The premises resemble a Bavarian cottage and double as a soccer sports bar.

These are just a few of the many German restaurants and beer halls that NYC has to offer, each with its own unique atmosphere, menu, and selection of German beers.

German beer halls in NYC

German beer and food are not hard to come by in New York City, where German immigrants were once the dominant group. Here are some of the best German beer halls in the city:

Loreley Beer Garden

Located in the Lower East Side, Loreley is a 19-year-old beer hall named after a famous German myth about sirens luring sailors to their deaths. The venue is modelled after a tavern in Cologne, with 12 imported German beers on tap and a heated outdoor beer garden. The menu includes a range of schnitzels, soft pretzels, tacos, hamburgers, and more. Loreley is a great spot for a leisurely afternoon of day drinking.

Radegast Hall & Biergarten

When it opened in 2007, Radegast instantly became a key Brooklyn drinking institution. The German-Czech beer hall's exterior has a decrepit, century-old warehouse look, and the interior is a sprawling, unfussy space. The tap and bottled beer selection is extensive, and the food menu includes burgers, brats, Hungarian goulash, and cassoulet for two.

Heidelberg Restaurant

Heidelberg is an 83-year-old restaurant in Yorkville, which was once known as Germantown. The restaurant serves German bar food and beer and is decorated with steins and other German paraphernalia. Try the liver dumplings, pickled beef tongue, jaeger spätzle, or schweinshaxe.

Bierhaus NYC

Bierhaus is a Bavarian-style beer hall located just two blocks from Grand Central. It serves authentic German food and beer, including Hofbräu bier, and often has live music. The hall is spacious and features communal tables, making it a good spot for large groups.

Reichenbach Hall

This Midtown beer hall is conveniently located for after-work festivities. It features communal tables, extra-large pretzels, chicken wings, and wursts, including a vegan variety. There are 14 German beers on tap, mainly in lager or pilsner, served in one- and two-litre mugs.

German grocery stores in NYC

German food and drink are not hard to come by in New York City, and there are several German grocery stores to choose from.

Schaller & Weber

Family-owned and operated, Schaller & Weber has been a fixture of Yorkville since 1937. They have a butcher shop, market, and a stroll-up sausage bar, Schaller's Stube, with a small dining room and sidewalk tables.

Stammtisch Pork Store

Located in Glendale, Stammtisch offers fresh, authentic German food. It's a popular spot for newer German immigrants, with the mother tongue spoken as often as English.

Old German Bakery

Although not much information is available about this bakery, it does offer German pastries.

Schmalz’s European Provisions

Schmalz’s offers a wide range of European imported foods, including many tasty German items.

Grand Central Market

The German deli at Grand Central Market offers delectable meats sliced in neat shapes and not often found in grocery stores.

International Grocery

International Grocery in Astoria is a good spot to find German chocolate such as Milka and Ritter Sport.

705 BRBR

705 BRBR in Murray Hill offers snacks, beverages, and supplies. They have a wide selection of products to choose from.

German beer brands

German beer is a popular beverage in New York City, with many bars, restaurants, and beer gardens serving up a variety of German beer brands. While some establishments offer a range of international beers, including German options, others are dedicated German spots, featuring traditional food and drinks. Here is an overview of some popular German beer brands that you can find in NYC:

Bitburger:

Bitburger is a well-known German beer brand founded in 1817 in Bitburg, Rhineland-Palatinate. Their flagship beer, Bitburger Premium Pils, is a crisp and pale golden lager with a subtle hoppy bitterness. They also offer an unfiltered version, Bitburger Premium Pils Unfiltered, and a non-alcoholic option, Bitburger Drive 0.0%. Bitburger is one of the dominant brands in the German beer market and is the nation's leading draft beer.

Köstritzer:

Köstritzer is one of Germany's oldest Schwarzbier (black beer) producers, dating back to 1543. Their Köstritzer Schwarzbier is a dark beer known for its distinctive roasted malt character and is loved by beer enthusiasts worldwide. In addition to their Schwarzbier, Köstritzer offers a range of other beers, including Kranich-Bräu, Edel-Pils, and Bibop (a unique blend of cola and beer).

Wernesgrüner:

Wernesgrüner has a rich history, dating back to 1436, and is known for its Pilsner, a bitter specialty beer that gained popularity during the communist era in East Germany. The Wernesgrüner Pilsner is crafted with meticulous attention to quality and purity, following the traditional German Beer Purity Law. The brewery also produces other styles, such as Schwarzbier (dark lager) and Weizenbier (wheat beer).

Erdinger:

Erdinger Weißbräu Werner Brombach GmbH, founded in 1886, holds the title of the world's largest wheat beer brewery. They offer a diverse range of wheat beers, including their flagship Weißbier, a golden, cloudy delight with a 5.3% ABV. Erdinger also has a non-alcoholic option, Alkoholfrei, and their beers are popular choices for athletes as post-workout drinks.

Franziskaner:

With roots tracing back to 1363, Franziskaner is one of the oldest German beer brands. They are renowned for their wheat beers, particularly the Franziskaner Hefe-Weißbier, a hazy, golden beer with a hint of fruity goodness. They also offer a dark wheat beer, Dunkelweizen, and a crystal-clear option, Kristallweizen. Franziskaner is unique in that they use open fermentation tanks, giving their beers an unmistakable character.

Diebels:

Diebels, founded in 1878, is known for its Altbier, a top-fermented brew following the German Beer Purity Law. Diebels was a pioneer in the Altbier market and quickly gained a significant market share. Their Altbier has a dark amber colour and a crisp, distinctive flavour. In addition to their Altbier, Diebels also offers a Pilsner-style beer.

Spaten:

Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu is a well-known German beer brand that traces its origins to 1922. They offer a variety of beers, but their Spaten Münchner Hell is a standout. This pale lager has a 5.2% ABV and a subtle blend of malt and noble hops, with delicate citrus and fruity notes. Spaten also brews a seasonal beer, Spaten Oktoberfestbier, specifically for Munich's iconic Oktoberfest celebration.

Beck's:

Beck's Brewery, founded in 1873, is a German beer brand known for its distinctive green bottle. Their superstar, Beck's Pilsner, is a classic German-style pilsner with a 5% ABV. They also offer Beck's Gold, a premium beer with a blend of hops and barley malt, and Beck's Blue, a non-alcoholic option. For a fruity twist, there's Beck's Green Lemon, brewed with natural lemon juice.

Schöfferhofer:

Established in 1806, Schöfferhofer is a German beer brand that whips up a variety of brews, including their classic Schöfferhofer Hefeweizen, a wheat beer with a 5% ABV. They are known for their innovative blends, such as Schöfferhofer Grapefruit and Schöfferhofer Pomegranate, which mix wheat beer with natural fruit juice.

Löwenbräu:

Löwenbräu has a long history, dating back to 1383, and is recognised for its iconic lion symbol. Their flagship beer, Löwenbräu Original, is a classic German-style lager with a 5.2% ABV. They also offer Löwenbräu Gold, a premium brew, and Löwenbräu Radler, a unique blend of beer and lemon soda.

These are just a few examples of German beer brands that you can find in New York City. Each brand has its own unique history, brewing techniques, and range of beers, contributing to the diverse and vibrant German beer culture celebrated in NYC and around the world.

Frequently asked questions