If you are a history or architecture buff, Iran (and dare I add Iraq as well) is the place to go. Unfortunately, it is off limits to most, including me so far

The national carrier of Iran is not surprisingly called Iran Air. They offer service to many cities in Europe including FRA, AMS, CDG, IST, London, and Geneva. Published airfares are not that cheap. You may want to consider using some FF miles on BA, LH or OS. From London, it is more than 8 hours one way. Frankfurt and Brussels are apparently good places to get fares, perhaps in the USD 500 r/t range if you are lucky.

You can get more info about Iran Air and its routes at http://www.iranair.co.uk

The only issue is getting a visa, which is nearly impossible if you are a USA passport holder, even with connections locally. Fairly difficult if you are British. Probably easy if you are from anywhere else. Going through a travel agent always helps. Still, it may take a while (read several weeks) to get, so combining a visit with the Altbier in November trip may be difficult. The winter is cold. Mid-April is probably the best time to go. There is a big holiday in late March which may make traveling logistically challenging.

My Iranian friends tell me that the must-see places other than Tehran are Isfahan, with its old square, mosque and bazaar, and Shiraz, which is right near the ancient (ruin-ed) city of Persepolis, capital of all of Persia.

Before you go, you may want to go to the local video store and check out recent Iranian films, such as "The White Balloon" (1995), a movie about a young girl and her random encounters in Tehran. Lately, Iranian films have been getting good critical acclaim internationally.

Lonely Planet finally updated their Iran guide two years ago (May 1998). I am not sure if anyone else has anything more recent.