Cool space, in a quasi-industrial landscape, not far from the #2 and #3 bus stops. Big enough and…read morecasual/industrial/funky to match many U.S. brewpubs.
When I went there last night, people were cool and laid back. No oom-pah band and locked arms, swaying, and singing (I'm being TOTALLY facetious here). Staff are hip too. About 45 people were in a group at tables getting a beer lecture/tasting.
The hipness, the group tasting - - this illustrates the state of the craft beer movement in Germany today, and the beers reflect that as well: the beers are almost satisfying, almost good expressions of each style, almost worth drinking. I'm sure the 45 people getting the beer lecture/tasting found them curious, if not intriguing. (Reminds me of the state of the craft beer movement in the U.S. 15 or 20 years ago.)
I've had a few of the Hopper before, but they are not something I buy to drink at my home in Hamburg. For someone from the States, who is used to picking up plenty GREAT expressions of the different styles they make, which you can get in many shades of excellence in the U.S., it's not worth committing 12 ounces of palate time and belly space to what are, basically, nice attempts. At the brewpub I had the "Salonsozialist" weizenbock - - it was almost worthwhile, but lacking when compared to such immaculate standards here as the Weihenstephaner Vitus, or Schneider Aventinus. It isn't worth the trek out here to have something not in the same league.
And, overall, unless German craft brewers can start producing really stellar beers, and not just 'almosts', and flawed expressions, hip though it may be, the craft brew movement in Germany will be on shaky footing.
