Beer Travels Day 1

“Landed in Munich, dropped our bags, and within an hour had our first helles lager in hand. From Ayinger to Augustiner, here’s how our Bavarian adventure began…”

Back In Munich!

Day 1 – Munich Arrival & First Beers 🍻

After landing at Munich Flughafen (MUC), we hopped on the S-Bahn train straight into the city and checked into the Eden Hotel Wolff, a beautiful historic hotel right across from the main train station. The journey barely started before we found ourselves enjoying our first beer in Germany — a MaxlRainer Helles in the hotel lobby. Light, crisp, and clean — exactly what a German lager should be.

Not long after, we wandered next door to the Ayinger Rechthaler Hof, styled like a rustic hunting lodge. Here, we tried another Helles Lager from Ayinger, one of Bavaria’s most respected breweries. The atmosphere, with its warm wood and Bavarian charm, was the perfect welcome to Munich.

In the afternoon, we walked down to the Oktoberfest Grounds (Theresienwiese) for a behind-the-scenes tour. Even though the guide spoke only German, kind locals helped us translate, and it was fascinating to get a look at what goes into preparing the world’s most famous beer festival.

Of course, no Munich beer day is complete without a stop at Augustiner Bräustuben / Das Bad just across from the festival grounds. We had a freshly tapped Edelstoff vom Fass — straight from a traditional wooden barrel. Paired with Obazda (a Bavarian cheese spread), it was an unforgettable combination. Sitting outside in the beer garden with a view of the Wiesn felt like the most authentic start to the trip.

We ended the evening at the legendary Augustiner Keller, one of Munich’s largest and most historic beer halls. Once used as underground beer storage cellars, it now houses a sprawling restaurant, beer garden and beer hall. We sat in the traditional Keller room (cellar) underground where they used to lager the beers. Here we tried both the Dunkel and Helles, along with Nürnberger sausages and sauerkraut. The grumpy server scolded us for ordering food so close to the end of the day (apparently, some traditions die hard 😅), but the location and atmosphere were absolutely epic.

A perfect Bavarian first day — landing in Munich, raising steins of helles, dunkels, and Edelstoff, and soaking in the history that makes this city one of the great beer capitals of the world.

📍 Map of Day 1 Stops - map here

• Eden Hotel Wolff

• Ayinger Rechthaler Hof

• Theresienwiese (Oktoberfest Grounds)

• Augustiner Bräustuben / Das Bad

• Augustiner Keller

  
  

🍺 Beer Highlights – Day 1

• MaxlRainer Edel Helles – crisp, clean welcome beer at the hotel

• Ayinger Helles – smooth, malty, Bavarian classic

• Augustiner Edelstoff (wooden barrel) – bright, slightly stronger lager, unforgettable

• Augustiner Helles – timeless Munich staple

• Augustiner Dunkel – malty, toasty, perfect with sausages

🍺 Best Beer Of Day 1 - Augustiner Edelstoff

• At the Augustiner-Keller, you can enjoy Edelstoff freshly tapped from wooden barrels all year round. In the beer garden as well as in the dining rooms of the restaurant or on the terraces. Something really special.​

• Beer from wooden barrels is smoother because of its lower carbonic acid content. It flows fresh and cool from the barrel, and only under the pressure of its own weight. This is also what gives it its characteristic mildness, something that beer connoisseurs appreciate about beer from wooden barrels.​

• In addition, wooden barrels create a great atmosphere. The wooden barrel's dispenser contributes significantly to that traditional Bavarian atmosphere in the Augustiner-Keller. Especially in the beer garden, where the wooden barrels are tapped on so-called ganders so that they can be seen by all guests and each new barrel is celebrated with the old ritual of ringing bells.

• Schäffler, who still make wooden vessels such as beer barrels by hand, were among the most important craftsmen in earlier centuries. After all, there were no plastic buckets or jars. In the meantime, there are only a few who practice the Schäffler's handicraft. For example, our barrels are from the Wilhelm Schmid barrel factory in Munich.

Map Of Entire Trip And Places We Missed For Next Time here