Bamberg, Germany

Like Rome, Bamberg is built on seven hills. Bamberg, too, welcomes a steady stream of pilgrims every year. These pilgrims aren’t the somber type that goes trudging into the Vatican, though. They come to the Franconia region of upper Bavaria for one reason: They’re wicked thirsty.

With 10 breweries and brewpubs serving just 70,000 residents, Bamberg boasts one of the world’s highest levels of per capita beer production. Most of these institutions have plenty of practice, too: Benedictine monks came to Bamberg in 1008, and began brewing beer shortly afterward. Bamberg’s purity law predates the Reinheitsgebot by more than 20 years. Several breweries in town can trace their history back centuries. The 1,000-year-old city was spared Allied bombing, and so its ancient breweries—along with the neighborhoods they inhabit, full of spectacular Romanesque and Baroque architecture—remain unspoiled. And August is a perfect time to take it all in—the biergartens are humming, and late in the month, the Sandkerwa festival fills the city streets with revelers (and gallons of fresh beer).

We’ll start in the old clerical city, built on the high ground to the west of the River Regnitz. Its center is the Domplatz—the square ringed by Bamberg’s imperial cathedral, the massive New Residence palace, and the former bishop’s palace, the Old Court. Around the corner is the Schlenkerla—the brewery that best embodies Bamberg’s brewing tradition. Founded in 1678, it is most responsible for sustaining Rauchbier, and continues to produce one of the style’s finest examples. Further down the river is Villa Concordia, the magnificent waterfront Baroque castle, and the Klosterbräu brewery, which sits in a building that dates to 1533 and was once a brewhouse belonging to Bamberg’s prince-bishops. Martin Luther likely wasn’t a fan, but you will be when you try the Pilsner and the Schwarzbier.

From Klosterbräu, head to the high ground at Stephansberg. Before refrigeration, Bamberg’s brewers would house their beers in cellars they’d dug into this hillside; today, the sites are home to Bamberg’s best biergartens. The cellars belonging to Grieflenkau, Mahrs Bräu and Spezial are must-visits.

Bamberg’s best breweries lie across town—past the old merchant’s island that forms the modern city center, and on the eastern banks of the Regnitz. (Be sure to hit the Green Market on your way over.) Brauerei Spezial proves that smoked malts aren’t just for Rauchbiers, while Brauerei Keesman brews up the baddest Pilsner in town. And Mahrs Bräu—a Bamberg institution since 1602—cranks out beers that put the big boys in Munich to shame.

Schlenkerla / Brauerei Heller-Trum
Bamberg in a glass. Schlenkerla has been brewing for well over 300 years, and they’re the only brewers in town still using 100-percent smoked malt. Their Rauchbier is shipped across the globe, but it’s best—and smokiest—at the source.

Das Ambräusianum
A light, airy and thoroughly modern brewpub in the heart of the old city, Das Ambräusianum offers a solid Weizen—and a respite from the crowds across the street.

Brauerei-Gaststätte Klosterbräu
Goat skulls on the walls, fantastic Pilsner and Schwarzbier on tap, heaping plates of sausages and a warm-weather courtyard for soaking it all in.

Brauerei Greifenklau
One of the newbies on the block—they’ve only been brewing for 200-odd years—Greifenklau serves Helles, Weizen and Pils in a biergarten built over their original lagering cellar.

Maisel Bräu [closed]
Maisel Bräu assumed control over the recipes from the old Benedictine brewery at Michaelsberg 40 years ago; today, they brew St. Michaelsberg lagers in the monks’ style, as well as their own Maisel label.

Brauerei Fässla
After the Thirty Years War, guys got thirsty. (Three decades of slaughter will do that.) And thus, we have the Fässla brewery. Their Bambergator Doppelbock is the strongest beer in town, and when it’s in season, it’s a must-try.

Brauerei Spezial
Spezial has been brewing Rauchbier longer than nearly everyone else in town—since 1536. In addition to the traditional Rauchbier lager, Spezial also brews smoked bocks, Weizens and Märzens.

Spezial Keller
This hilltop biergarten, offering spectacular views of the city below, sits atop Spezial’s original lagering cellars. A bit of a hike to reach, but well worth the effort.

Brauerei Keesmann
Keesmann lies across the Regnitz and to the south of the city center, but its renowned Herren Pils—one of the best in town—rewards adventurous travelers. Don’t miss their Munich Dunkel either.

Mahrs Bräu
One of Germany’s greats. Nobody else in town brews this many styles so consistently well. The Weisse Bock, Helles, and unbunged Ungespundet-Hefetrüb are all must-tries.

Mahrs Bräu Keller [closed]
Another gorgeous biergarten built atop an ancient hillside beer cellar—this one featuring Mahrs Bräu’s excellent lagers, a fine menu of cuisine à la bière and pizzas from an outdoor, wood-fired stone oven.

Kaiserdom
A relatively modern brewery in the suburban neighborhood of Gaustadt, Kaiserdom brews solid Helles and Keller Biers.

Café Abseits
Café Abseits is an enjoyably eclectic, if mildly confusing, place. Billed as the oldest student café in Bamberg, Abseits serves dozens of local and regional beers in the bottle (the largest selection in town) alongside coffee, espresso, breakfast, and, improbably, Italian and Tex-Mex dishes.

Franconian Brewery Museum
Michelsberg 10f
Benedictine monks were brewing at the monastery on Michelsberg in the 12th century. Today, the site contains a museum dedicated to the region’s rich brewing history. And, obviously, a biergarten. ■