Beer Travels Day 7

"Another full day of beer, history, mountains, and gemütlichkeit. This time in Tegernsee on a lake, visiting historic breweries, the Beer and Oktoberfest Museum and a classic Bavarian (or Austrian?) dessert"

Lake Tegernsee

🍺 Travel Journal – Day 7: Tegernsee & Munich

After another early start, we boarded a morning train bound for Tegernsee, an upscale lakeside village framed by mountains. The train ride itself set the tone — quiet valleys giving way to peaks, with the lake appearing like a jewel in the distance. Once in Tegernsee, we wandered through the town, stopping by the local church and admiring the alpine scenery. We agreed that next time we’d take one of the boats that ferry visitors to neighboring lakeside towns — the water and mountains together made for one of the trip’s most breathtaking settings.

Our destination was the historic Herzogliches Bräustüberl Tegernsee (HB Tegernsee). A light rain meant the famed beer garden with lake views was closed, but inside we found the atmosphere gemütlich and lively. Lunch here was among the best (& simplest) traditional meals of the trip: smoked fish, house-made sausages with kraut (sweet, studded with smoky ham bits), tangy mustards, and a refreshing plate of shaved radishes (“Radi”) with scallions and salt. To drink, we sampled three house beers — Speziale, Helles, and Dunkel — all outstanding, though not quite reaching the top tier of Munich favorites like Augustiner or Hacker-Pschorr. We ended with a bracing round of wild raspberry and pear schnapps.

Back in Munich, we made a few strategic beer stops. One of our personal absolute favor beer halls is Hacker-Pschorr Donisl on Marienplatz where we enjoyed an excellent Helles, followed by a quick Paulaner en route to the Bavarian Beer & Oktoberfest Museum. The museum was a highlight — small, quirky, and steeped in history. We explored exhibits on the 1516 Reinheitsgebot Purity Law, admired vintage steins and brewery signs, and even saw a festival procession vessel that looked straight out of an “ark of the covenant” scene. The tour fittingly ended in the pub with the perfect refresher: Augustiner Edelstoff.

After a rest at the hotel, dinner plans led us to the legendary Augustiner Stammhaus. The grand interior was elegant yet raucous, packed with locals and travelers alike. We lucked into a table near the entrance and shared a hearty sausage plate with links, patties, and pork chops slathered in German-style BBQ sauce. Our drinks: Augustiner Pilsner and Edelstoff — no surprises, both excellent.

The night wasn’t done, though. We capped it off at Augustiner Klosterwirt, tucked into the Keller for dessert — a decadent Käsespätzle followed by apple strudel. It was the first dessert of the trip, and it did not disappoint.

Another full day of beer, history, mountains, and gemütlichkeit.

📍 Day 7 Map – Tegernsee & Munich Stops

• Tegernsee village & lake

• Herzogliches Bräustüberl Tegernsee

• Hacker-Pschorr Donisl (Munich)

• Paulaner (near museum)

• Bavarian Beer & Oktoberfest Museum

• Augustiner Stammhaus

• Augustiner Klosterwirt

🍻 Beer Highlights – Day 7

• HB Tegernsee Speziale, Helles & Dunkel – clean, balanced, but shy of Munich’s top tier.

• Hacker-Pschorr Donisl Helles – crisp, excellent balance.

• Paulaner Helles – drinkable but average.

• Augustiner Edelstoff (at museum & Stammhaus) – flawless as always.

• Augustiner Pilsner – refreshing contrast, very good.

• Wild Raspberry & Pear Schnapps – bold alpine finish.