Try craft beer & street food in Düsseldorf's old town

Are you interested in making beer and would like to refresh your beer knowledge? Then welcome to our beer tour! Taste your way through the city's home breweries with us and then experience the diverse flavors of craft beer! If you fancy Altbier and Pale Ale (in that exact order), the "Craftbeer & Streetfood" tour is for you!

All good things come in threes? Someone must not have thought about beer! Because exactly four ingredients (hops, malt, yeast and water) are enough to brew Germany's most popular alcoholic beverage. And where does it taste particularly good? That's right, in Düsseldorf! In terms of taste, there is no way around Alt, which is still brewed in the heart of the city. On the "Craftbeer & Streetfood" tour, you will not only take a unique look behind the scenes of the home breweries, but also sample a variety of specialties: from Alt and Pale Ale to varieties that have found their way to NRW from Scandinavia.

Uerige

Wine or beer? A question you don't have to ask yourself in Düsseldorf! Because pretty much every brewery and bar has both on the menu. One of the city's five best-known breweries even started serving red and white beer. In 1862, master brewer Wilhelm Cürten took over the "Heidelberger Fass", but quickly turned his attention to hops and malt. And the people of Düsseldorf soon flocked to him in droves. The name of the establishment changed due to the behavior of master brewer Cürten, the exact details of which can be found on the tour. But the crowd has remained the same. Even during the week, nothing speaks against enjoying a well-chilled Alts, which you can try for yourself at the start of the "Craftbeer & Streetfood" tour, weather permitting, in proper style outside at one of the many beer tables.

From the "Uerige", continue towards the Rhine, which is just a two-minute walk away - and opens up a view of another of Düsseldorf's gastronomic worlds. Many restaurants and bars await you at the Kasematten, providing the perfect combination for a successful evening: Beer plus an incomparable view of Father Rhine.

Brewery zum Schlüssel 

Why is Altbier actually called Altbier? You can find out at the legendary Hausbrauerei zum Schlüssel. For more than 170 years, this traditional establishment has been delighting Düsseldorfers and guests from all over the world alike. Is it natural for you to enjoy a beer in a cozy pub atmosphere and ask yourself which taste buds the specialty tickles in you? Do you find the finish of the Alts rather fruity? Or bitter, because of that hint of coffee that some people think they hear? Talk to the other tour participants and then learn lots of exciting facts and details about the ten-stage fermentation process of Altbier in the Schlüssel Sudhaus. You will also find out what the top-fermenting yeast and the Rhinelander have in common, how many thousands of liters of beer are produced on site in just one day and which ingredient the brewers have to dig deepest into their pockets for.

Ham Ham/Short Street

Fat or lean? With coleslaw or without? Fat and with coleslaw, lean and without? Questions upon questions that your guide will ask you before turning into Kurze Straße. Here at "Ham Ham bei Josef" you can taste the classic of the famous Old Town street food cuisine: a pork roll! Josef Miletic has been serving this special spit-roasted snack since 1961, to which absolutely no one except vegetarians will say "no". In the meantime, his son, former professional footballer Marinko Miletic, has taken over the preparation. A thick slice of the delicious grilled meat, embedded in a crispy baked roll and refined with mustard or ketchup, forms the basis for the coming hours, during which you can try a wide variety of beers. 

Kurze Straße is also home to another address known beyond the city limits: The Kürzer brewery brews its much sought-after beverage here, in the middle of Düsseldorf's bustling old town, in several converted old residential buildings. And compared to the other home breweries, it has only been doing so for a modest ten years. However, the daily rush of mainly young Alt drinkers testifies to the quality of the Altbier. You can also find out on site which clubs that have been established for decades still see queues forming weekend after weekend.

Ratinger Straße/Kreuzherrenecke

Have you ever heard of Ratinger Straße? Even visitors from far away often know not only Düsseldorf's Königsallee, but also "Ratinger". It is not only home to restaurants, pubs, bars and the Ratinger Hof, the birthplace of the Toten Hosen, but also one of the city's most famous breweries: Füchschen. Kreuzherrenecke is almost as popular, although Düsseldorfers like to dispense with the last "e" and affectionately say "Kreuzherreneck". The old and young, locals and newcomers, party-goers and relaxation-seekers all enjoy a shot with their Alt. A Salmiakki, a schnapps with liquorice, is at the top of the list for many. 

On the way through the most popular nightlife district in the North Rhine-Westphalian capital, you will also find out why the shape of the beer glass has a significant influence on the taste of the drink, why a home brewery has theoretically been using yeast for more than 100 years and in which German states the purity law still applies today.

Holy Craft

With an alcohol content of 7.5%, imported from Finland and heated with an iron rod: if you can't try a beer at Holy Craft, then it probably won't taste good. The beer bar, which opened in 2017, stocks pretty much every conceivable variety: classic Alt brewed in Düsseldorf, but also Pale Ale, IPA and Stout - to name just a few. With a few nuts in your hand, it's easy to spend an hour or two in the immediate vicinity of the tap - especially as this stop on the tour provides you with plenty of beer knowledge along the way. For example, what special features the Belgians use in their beer, why it's best to keep your hands out of reach of the beer glass belly (i.e. transfer as little heat as possible to the drink) or why in Germany the veterinary office (yes!) decides on the approval of a new craft beer in case of doubt. Taste your way through the Holy Craft line-up, which offers you more than 60 varieties from all over the world, a dozen of them fresh from the barrel alone. Typical phrase from the staff: "With 7.5% alcohol content, imported from Finland, made hot with an iron rod."

Cover picture: Düsseldorf Tourismus

If you want to find out more now, you can find more information here!