Berner Brauereispaziergang – brewery hopping in Bern

The Brauerei Felsenau is the oldest independent brewery in the city of Bern. Over 140 years after its foundation in 1881 by Johann Gustav Hemmann, the brewery on the banks of the River Aare is still going strong. It is also where the most famous of Bernese beers, the blonde “Bärner Müntschi” (“Bernese kiss”) with its unmistakable label, is made.

What began ten years ago as a hobby in a garage has turned into something iconic: Barbière, a trendy pub with in-house microbrewery, produces high-quality speciality beers and ales with influences from Belgian, English and American brewing culture. Stop by to taste the refreshing house beers and the latest creations exclusively directly from the tap.

Braukunst at Libellenweg 8 in Bern’s Galgenfeld was founded in 2016 by beer connoisseurs Alex and Mattias. They produce eight different house beers and have also developed signature beers for Bistro Viktor and Jack’s Brasserie at the Schweizerhof hotel. Iconic and worth a try: searching for the perfect beer on their website with the help of a colour spectrum.

Bern, bears and beers go together like hops, water and malt! Every year, 3,100 hectolitres of beer are brewed just a few steps away from the famous BearPark, a 6,000 square metre nature reserve that is home to Bern’s bears Finn, Björk and Ursina. The brewery is the heart of the restaurant and brewery Altes Tramdepot: its “Tram beers” are brewed in the huge shiny copper kettles in the centre of the restaurant and in the brewing room, which you come across on your way to the loo. The beers are unfiltered, natural, and chemical additives-free.

Schuum started in a small apartment, then moved to a laundry room and finally became a full-fledged micro brewery, with professional brewing and experimenting going on in its home at Stöckackerstrasse 50c (right next to the Weyermannshaus outdoor pool). The range of beers is varied: from bock and pilsner to stout, red, brown, pale and summer ale, there is something for every taste.

Started in 2017 in the kitchen at home in Holligen, since 2022 in Köniz at the historic ”Brauereifenster”. Brewed in small batches, whatever takes your fancy, rarely the same thing, mostly hoppy beers but also dark and sour beers. At the moment, production is concentrated on the twice-weekly tap at the “Brauereifenster” - where it tastes best - freshly tapped.

The popular Wabräu beer has been brewed in the former Gurten brewery’s old washhouse since 2004 – in brewing equipment built by the founders themselves. By the way: every Friday, the brewery hosts the legendary “Wabräu Fyrabebier” (Wabräu after-work beer), complete with freshly tapped beer, handmade pretzels and white sausages from a regional butcher’s.