Quench
Berlin: Beer
Amy Harrison experienced Berlin’s nightlife...
By Amy Harrison
When the moon comes out in Berlin, the city really comes to life. But there is none of that namby pamby getting to a club at 10.30 after spending hours in a pub playing ‘drink while you think’.
When in Berlin, it’s best to do what the Berliners do. Cue the Bier, the Berliner Weisse and crazy shots.
As a country famous for its bier, there is a wide variety to choose from varying in strength with some as strong as 14%.
The alchopop of the bier world, the Berliner Weisse, is regarded with disgust by true bier drinkers as the sharpness and acidity is destroyed by the sweet syrups. If you order one of these the response will be ‘rot oder gr”un’. The gr”un (green) being bier flavoured with Woodruff syrup and the rot (red) with raspberry syrup.
As the evening wears on, the best plan is the super-sour lemon shots with ground coffee sprinkled into them. This fine Berlin shot guarantees to have you dancing until the clubs close.
As you sit back in the bars enjoying the ambience, the chilled out music and the bier, the binge-drinking culture of the UK seems a world apart.
This relaxed atmosphere means it is not too unusual to find yourself sitting in a bar until two or three in the morning before even considering which club to head to.
Clubs stay open until the last person leaves which can be as late (or as early) as 9am. Don’t be surprised to find yourself crawling between clubs at 6am.
The mainstream clubs offer a variety of music styles including R&B, techno, house, trance, dance.
Whilst some clubs are found in old warehouses others occupy floors in office tower blocks.
Much of the German club scene is kept underground. As a visitor to Berlin the chances of getting into the best clubs can be hard. Texts containing the name of a venue and a secret password are sent out to an inner circle of clubbers who then circulate the message. This results in the best parties with a select group of clubbers rather than the mainstream offerings.
No matter how late you leave the clubs the Berlin munchie scene is booming. As well as the most delicious kebabs from the standard kebaberys you will find grounded trains turned into burger vans. Chips covered in the Berlin peanut butter ketchup type sauce are highly recommended.
Bars
Cafe Zapata is a funky bar with cool decor on Oranienburger Str. and hosts live music and DJs. Oscar Wilde Irish Pub is a tourist haven for those who desire to go all the way to Berlin to enjoy their Guinness. Located on Friedrich Str., Silberfisch is an underground club which feels like a real Berlin club and has live DJs every night. It is open till 8am on weekends. OstZone is a raw Berlin experience and avoids being unnecessarily stylish. It hosts live music as well as DJs and is free on a Saturday night. One of the best things about the club is it stays open all weekend.
Clubs
2BE Club attracts long queues every weekend and has two rooms playing R&B, hip-hop and reggae. This club even has a courtyard where you can take a breath of fresh air from the sweaty dance floor. Week-end on the 12th floor of Haus des Reisens this club provides the best views of the city at dawn. It has a massive bar in the middle and attracts excellent DJs. Maria is a great venue for live music and is highly respected. There are lots of bars spread across several rooms. Matrix is spread over three floors and is home to various themed music nights including rock, 60s and heavy metal. The club has an amazing cocktail list too.
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