Kronprinz Bamberg

Kronprinz is a little bit outside of the altstadt, and thus maybe or maybe not worth the trip depending on your tastes and how much time you have. It's very "American" looking inside with a lot of black/grey/white/silver and exposed brick and reclaimed wood. The floors are wood, and the bartop is wood encased in a black metal surround. Backless stools complete the scene. There's also a nice outdoor area with red and white umbrellas, and if you go at night you'll see blue lights glowing inside the brewery. A stop downstairs to the bathroom will also show some of that off, and there are some interesting hop shaped lamps that glow green.

The beer, like the interior design, is also far from traditional, or even modern, German. Here are some examples of what they offer: American Pale Ale, New Zealand IPA, Bourbon Whisky Ale, Black Pearl IPA, Columbian Coffee Stout, Red October Wheat Dry Hopped, Hazelnut Porter, Bunahabhain Whisky Ale, and Hoppy Jack. Being in Bamberg they produce several smoked beers, as well as a handful of more traditional beers such as European Amber Lager, Sonnenprinzpils, Blond Munich Style, and Fastenbock.

The service is good, and it's a pleasant and comfortable experience. Again, and I don't mean this in a negative way, but it's not traditionally German.

The food is also decidedly not traditional, and fairly international. Some examples include tortilla chips (5,40€), Hokkaido cream of pumpkin soup (5,40€), tandoori chicken (15,40€), pulled pork (14,40€), burgers (8,90-13,40€), and steaks (21,40-21,90€). What I had was perfectly executed and tasty, but not exactly thrilling at the same time.

The beers are OK, and some were better than others, but there was nothing that I found great. The state of "craft brew" in Germany is improving, and these were certainly better than what I'd originally found in say 2013, but I feel that the Kronprinz is lagging behind those at the front of the pack.

So, would I go back? Yes, I think I enjoyed myself enough that I'd repeat the experience, and I am quite interested to see how they've come along. Time would be an issue for me as there are so many small breweries dotted around Bamberg proper, but I think it would be worth it.

Definitely one of the most unique brewpubs I've encountered in Germany. It resembles the of the kind of place you'd encounter in LA or Miami more than Bamberg.
When approaching from the southwest, it looks relatively unassuming until you're almost past it. Just a grey'ish building with minimal signage. You can see their brewing equipment if you peer into the window, but it isn't an obvious brewpub. However you can't miss the a massive outdoor patio with very modern looking benches and tables on the north side. That area is mostly open air minus random umbrellas. Inside features modern wood paneling and actually reminds me a lot of the Wynkoop in Denver. The brewing equipment and fermenters are displayed throughout. The lighting has a pretty cool bluish tint and it's an elegant looking place throughout. While a little odd for Bamberg, it's actually the kind of place most American brewpubs would kill to look like.

The food menu features a ton of American-style brewpub dishes. Pizzas, loaded baked potatoes, nachos, and even BBQ. Since we'd eaten already, we went for a dessert - a brownie and ice cream. It tasted just how you'd expect. The other dishes looked like what they claimed to be. The evening we were there it looked like most people were sharing appetizers or eating light (salads).

Beer-wise, things continue with the American brewpub theme. They're definitely going the American "craft" beer route. They had a coffee stout, a bourbon-barrel aged double stout, a scotch-barrel aged double stout, an amber lager, a helles, and a wit. I think there might have been one more beer, too. There were 6-7 in total. On the menu they listed everything from the beer style to the type of yeast, malts, bitterness, ABV, flavor profile, and more. Definitely something you don't usually see on German beer menus. Everything was served as a 1/4L-1/3L pour in Teku glasses as well. The glassware looked worse for wear...I don't think the Germans are used to such fragile beer glasses. We went with the coffee stout, IPA, and a BBA double stout. The coffee stout was so-so. The yeast tasted muted (most likely alt yeast) and the coffee notes were Sanka instead of Starbucks. The IPA was basically just a stale tasting spin on something like Hop Devil. The BBA stout wasn't bad, though. It isn't exactly one of the better ones I've had, but it was drinkable. In some places these might be worth seeking out, but in Bamberg they're really just a change-up if you're tiring of lagers. Prices were STEEP, though.

Service was also super attentive, but I'm not sure if that's because we were very clearly Americans and they thought we might expect it. Either way, it's not the kind of place where the waitstaff is difficult to locate.

In general, I'm not sure what to think of the Kronprinz. If I lived in town I'd probably love it because it's so different. It's a great change of pace. It's also really cool looking. The polish and presentation are wonderful. At the same time, the beers were pretty "meh" in a town where nearly everything is extraordinary. I get that they're taking things in a VERY different direction, but I don't think they're there yet. Either that or they might be dialing-in what the local audience is ready for. German "craft" beer is such a weird thing, it's hard to tell what's intentional and what isn't. It'll be interesting to see where they're at in a few years. Bamberg is a pretty traditional town and this place is not.

EDIT: I returned in 2019 and am happy to report that the beers were a bit better this time. I was able to try a pair of hoppy beers that tasted basically just like that type of beer would taste in the US. That's actually quite the compliment in Germany, since most miss the mark. Prices were still steep (and the way they operate is confusing), but the beers were definitely improving.