Dresden in the Saxony area of Germany has a wide range of bars ranging from brewpubs to backstreet boozers. Here is a selection for the casual visitor.
At the heart of the Saxony area of Germany (in what was formerly East Germany) on the banks of the River Elbe lies the city of Dresden. Most of the city centre was flattened by bombing during the Second World War and has been completely rebuilt in a mix of modern styles and imitations of the architecture destroyed by the bombs.
Getting round the city is fairly easy thanks to an extensive tram network and the main Dresden Airport is less than a fifteen minute drive from the city centre. Many of the bars serve beer from the nearby Radeberger Brewery or from the city’s own Freiberger Brewery. But there are also microbreweries, as mentioned below.
Gaststätte Zum Bautzner Tor, Hoyerswerdaer Straße 37
This is the brewery tap for the Neustädter Hausbraurerei microbrewery. It serves the Rot (red) and Hell on tap as well as a range of bottled beers, including Lenins Hanf, a 5.2 per cent hemp flavoured beer. For those lucky enough to visit the pub in winter, the Wilder Man 7.0 per cent Winterbock is worth trying. The bar itself is nicely olde worlde with tiled floor and bar stools. Alternatively, to the side of the bar is a large drinking area with wooden floorboards, tables and chairs, jukebox, and pool table. All in all, this is a lovely little boozer.
Hausbräu im Ballhaus Watzke, Kötzchenbroder Sraße 1
A large combined brewpub and restaurant with a beer garden looking out over the River Elbe to the north-west of the city, the venue also doubles as a traditional ballroom. It brews three standard beers under the Watzke brand name plus a beer of the month. There is a good range of traditional German food. The large copper brewing kettles sit inside the restaurant.
Brauhaus am Walderschlösschen, Am Brauhaus 8b
The original Walderschlösschen brewery closed in 1981 but the name was retained when part of it was converted into this very large brewpub, large that is inside and outside. Slightly on a hill, the beer garden has a tremendous view over the city. There are four regular draught beers – Hell, Dunkel, Zwichelbier and Hefeweizen – plus the occasional seasonal beer. The two large copper kettles provide a backdrop to the bar.
Watzke Brauereiausschank am Goldenen Reiter, Hauptstraße 1
This is the city centre outlet for the Watzke brewpub mentioned above. A modern building, it is tastefully decorated with nice people-based murals, such as a barrel maker, musician and so on. A large silver bell forms the centre piece and the same range of beers as in the Watzke brewpub are available. Seating varies from bar stools to normal tables and chairs. The traditional German food menu is popular.
Heavy Duty, Louisenstraße 28
This is a bit of a heavy rock bar and does have live music at the weekends. Really friendly, the chilled bar is well worth a visit if just for the excellent Diebels beer from Dusseldorf. There is a back room with pool table and table football.
The Shamrock, Kleine Brüdergasse 1
As its name suggest, this is an Irish pub, serving Irish beer as well as the local Freiberger brews. There is also an impressive range of Irish whiskey and a smaller range of Scotch whisky. Reasonably sized, it has a big screen for showing sports. Books and beer propaganda line the walls. There are various seating options up to and including bar stools.
Radeberger Spezialausschank, Terrassenufer 1
This riverside outlet for the Radeberger Brewery is impressive for the four large storage tanks behind the bar. Available are both the standard pilsner and the unfiltered Zwickelbier, served directly from the beer tanks. There is bar stool seating along the bar and table and chair seating elsewhere. Extra seating is available upstairs and even further upstairs is a rooftop beer garden. A reasonably priced food menu is also available.
More Places to Drink in Dresden
The area round the junction of Louisenstraße and Alaunstraße is full of little bars and restaurants and is ideal for a bar hopping or pub crawling session. Most of them open till one or two o’clock in the morning and some even later, especially if there are customers ready to spend money.
