Pubs / bars / beer gardens in Leipzig - any tips?

Geuze

Travelling to Leipzig for two nights.

Looking for advice on pubs / bars / beer gardens.

I'm not in my 20s, no interest in niteclubs/dancing, etc.


I have been reading this: http://lostinleipzig.com/

and it outline five areas for going out:

GOTTSCHEDSTRASSE
KARL-HEINE
THE KARLI
MÜNZGASSE
ZENTRUM

I have also read this:

http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/leippubs.htm

I would be very grateful for any tips on good pubs, and especially beer gardens.

Thanks

irish_goat

Gosenschenke, first spot on that beer guide list is decent. Spent a few hours there in 2012, nice gose and the staff are all sound. Staff were very friendly, I don't think they get a lot of English speaking tourists in Leipzig (compared to the rest of Germany) so they were quite interested in chatting to us. They do a nice apfelwein as well.

Herb Powell

Yo, sorry if this is too late, just spotted your thread now, but I can hopefully give you some useful info. I lived in Leipzig for a while, absolutely loved it, and there's plenty nice beer gardens and opportunities for outdoor drinking.

The city centre is where you'll be paying the most for your pint, but to be fair, there's plenty opportunity to sit outside and enjoy it in the sun.

Also in the city centre, by the university, is the Moritzbastei, part of the old city walls reconstructed by students as a pub. Food is served during the day, and there's outdoor seating. Inside is massive and cavernous. Not sure I can really do this place justice with words, it's one of the most unique drinking spots I've been to, and it's worth seeing. Avoid it at night though, it turns into a student club.

Karli (Karl-Liebknecht Str. ) doesn't have a whole lot in terms of nice beer gardens. Some good pubs there alright though, just take a stroll down it (it's looooooong) and see what takes your fancy.

Karl-Heine Str. is somewhat more hip, there's a range of things on this street. You might have heard of the Westwerk art studios and gallery spaces, that's on this street. It's in the Plagwitz area, lots of old factories repurposed like Westwerk, the biggest probably being the Spinnerei. They have an open-air cinema here, weather permitting, and beer is served.

irish_goat recommended the Gosenschenke Ohne Bedenken, and it's nice, but imo even better is the Gose brewery/brewpub/beer garden at the old Bayerischer Bahnhof, at the end of Windmühlenstrasse. The Gose is so fresh, you can order it with various flavourings, but tbh I always drink mine plain. That beer garden got me through a particularly intense heatwave

In the summer in the big parks, for example Clara-Zeltkin Park, any establishments there usually have big beer gardens set up. There's a temporary beer garden set up by the horse-racing track. Might be worth a look if you plan on strolling through the parks.

I went to too many places to name them all, you should have a good time any way. To be honest with you though, one of my favourite things to do in Leipzig if the evening is nice, is to grab a few cold beers from a shop (dirt cheap), get a kebab from Tamer's at Waldplatz, and go eat and drink down by the Elster river at Sportforum. Massive green space overlooking the river, with a nice buzz about it.

For beers themselves, they're mostly all good. The Gose is a must-try. Ur-Krostitzer and Radeberger are the two most commonly sold beers in pubs around Leipzig, both tasty lagers imo. Also widely sold is Köstritzer Schwarzbier, a lovely dark pint.

Go mad, try it all. Hope you have a good trip.