Food & Beer Culture

Fish is right at home in the north. What pairs with Pils in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern? A fish sandwich at the harbor, filled with Matjes herring, Bismarck herring, or fried fish. The salt and fat of the fish meet the bitterness and carbonation of the Pils, and together they refresh the palate. Smoked fish, in particular, pairs beautifully with the roasted edge of a Schwarzbier.

You'll also find Mecklenburger Rippenbraten on the menu at local inns—a pork roast stuffed with apples and prunes. Its sweet core calls for a beer that won't compete with it. A Pils cuts through the fat, while a Schwarzbier adds roasted notes that complement the flavors of the roast.

Dessert usually means Rote Grütze, stewed berries served with vanilla sauce. Coffee, rather than beer, is the usual pairing here, since the sweetness of the berries and vanilla clashes with bitterness. Beer belongs with the main course, and a classic Pils remains the safest choice.

Celebrations here happen with a view of the water. In Rostock, the Hanse Sail brings together old sailing ships in the harbor. In Stralsund, the Wallenstein Days commemorate the city's siege in 1628. In summer, the Störtebeker Festspiele take place in Ralswiek on the island of Rügen. Both the name and the beer honor the pirate Klaus Störtebeker, whose story sits somewhere between legend and history.

At the harbor, beer is served in 0.3- or 0.5-liter glasses; in the pub, it's often straight from the bottle. There's no established brewpub culture here the way there is in Cologne or Bamberg. The coast's beer is meant for eating and for sitting outside once the evening wind dies down.