Bitburg

Bitburg is home to the Bitburger Brewery, founded in 1817 by Johann Peter Wallenborn and still one of the largest privately-owned breweries in Germany today. "Bitte ein Bit" is one of the country's most recognizable beer slogans, and Bitburger Pils holds the title of Germany's top-selling draft beer nationwide -- an impressive feat in a country as beer-serious as Germany. The actual production brewery sits in an industrial area and isn't open to visitors, but the Bitburger Beer Experience nearby offers a well-styled showroom, a guided or self-guided tray tour, and a tasting with pretzel sticks at the end, plus a small gift shop. Worth knowing going in: the guided tour is conducted in German, with information displayed in German inside the interactive rooms -- manageable if you don't mind missing some detail, but not a fully English-language experience. Beyond the brewery, Bitburg itself is a pleasant, low-key Eifel town, and its very short distance from Spangdahlem AFB makes it one of the easiest possible outings from base -- a quick stop for a tasting rather than a full day trip commitment.