Heading Back to Munich/Bamberg at last

Yes, I've never had the impression that Kaiserdom enjoyed the same level of renown that the other breweries enjoy. In fact, the only and only time my local Kaufland (Heidelberg) ever had anything from Bamberg it was Kaiserdom's Premium Lager (is that what it was called?) in one liter cans. I passed.

 

Special Keller is my favorite place on Earth, bar none (well, maybe tied with Schlenkerla' s tavern). NO trip to Bamberg would be complete without a stop there. Absolute must visit, rain or shine. And, yes, there is a nice (albeit hilly) shortcut from Spezial to Greifenklau through the Obereseelgasse to Obere Kaulberg and then Laurenziplatz. Living vicariously through you already....

EDIT: Chris, for reference, the cover photo on my Facebook page was taken at Spezialkeller. See what I mean?

 

Kaiserdom was the first ever Rauchbier I had back in 1984... yes, '84, when they were being imported by Merchant du Vin. My first ever beer tasting at a local spot that was pushing good beer as much as good wine (really, in 1984).

I hated it. All of the BA geeks who talk about "liquid bacon" have never tried this beer -- admittedly, in the bottle. It's what made me hesitant to visit Bamberg, but I'm so glad I did to discover all of the other good beer that's available there.

Also admittedly, I sort of wish I'd tried the Kaiserdom there to see if it was better than import, but I wasn't disappointed with any of the other spots I hit.

 

I had that beer around 1987 and had the same reaction. Absolutely hated it. I never saw nor tried it in Bamberg, and I'm pretty sure they stopped making it sometime around the late 80s early 90s (Weiss Roessl also used to make one that disappeared around the same time...it was actually pretty good). That said, a lot of breweries are beginning to brew the style again, including Greifenklau, Hoenig, Weiherer, Rittmayer, Hummel, Sauer in Gunzendorf, and Roebersdorfer. Then there are the ones who never stopped such as Drei Kronen in Memmelsdorf, Fischer, and the must-visit Barnikel in Herrnsdorf.

 

What is different about the style? I guess I figured it was just another Rauchbier based on a Dunkel or Märzen (I remember it being pretty dark).

 

Didn't mean to imply that these places are brewing the "style" of Rauchbier that Kaiserdom once brewed, rather that for a while the Rauchbier style was pretty much limited exclusively to Spezi and Schlenk in Bamberg, and Fischer and Barnikel in the outlying region. (Also, as you know, "styles" as they are widely understood by U.S. "craft" brewing don't really fit in Franconia. Wish I could locate the term used to describe the types of highly individualistic brews you find throughout Franconia where each brewer purposefully cultivated a house/village character -- much of which is still to be found. I think the term is something like Stetbier...maybe Ron can chime in and help.)

All that being said, the Kaiserdom seemed to me at the time exceptionally dry; and while Bamberg's beers typically tend toward the dry side, the Kaiserdom had almost a pils-like dryness to it. It was almost like a Schwarzbier with an intense, almost harsh smokiness. The question I now have is where did they obtain their smoked malt? It was definitely not like Spezial's, nor was it like Schlenkerla's...not like Weyermann's either. Weird stuff that I'm actually not sad to see gone.

 

I once brought a bottle to Matthias Trum (of Schlenkerla) as a gag -- he said they actually brewed it for Kaiserdom and it was primarily for export. The bottle was so old it still said "Bamberger Burgerbräu" on the label with Kaiserdom stamped over it.

If the weather is half way decent, do not miss Spezial Keller. Kaiserdom is ordinary. Unless you really are a "ticker" there is no reason to trek out to Gaustadt. The combination of the view and the beer just cannot be beat.

 

Now THAT is an interesting story. Would love to know more about the recipe, process, etc. The bottles were 12 oz. ones even then, while Schlenkerla's are/were the classic 0.5 l ones. I assume that Schlenkerla just came to Kaiserdom's facility and brewed there, with K'dom handling all the bottling, etc. Now I, too, am kicking myself for having avoided seeking it out over there, and I wonder how old the bottle I picked up here actually was, as it was definitely not a pleasant experience (that said, neither was my first -- or second -- experience with Schlenkerla Maerzen...and I still will say that the bottled versions are a shadow of the stuff served fresh from the wood). Either way, wow. Thanks for sharing.

 

Just looked the Kaiserdom up and saw the green bottles. I wonder if this fact didn't contribute to what seemed like a significant deterioration in the bottle I tried.

 

For the Munich portion of your trip. Prost!

 

I just remember getting a glassful and getting a real strong smokiness from the nose and the same with the flavor. I finished my sample, and probably tried one or two over the years, but was never comfortable with the strong character.

When my friend said he wanted to take a side trip to Bamberg from Munich I was a little hesitant, but wanted to visit Franconia because of the concentration of breweries. I was thrilled when the Rauchbier was so smooth and mellow -- drank my fill. For that trip.

 

I remember that beer (I think?). Wasn't it in a bottle with a light blue label? I didn't care for it at all. A couple of months ago I was thinking I hadn't seen that beer in a long time.

 

When did you hear this? Up until a few years ago, Greifenklau only brewed the Lager and Bock and they absolutely did so in-house (I toured the brewery and spoke to the brewer). There are TONS of silly rumors -- frequently propagated by the locals themselves...I once heard a local cop say that Kraus in Hirschaid is actually brewed by Warsteiner! -- floating around about all of this. The only beers I know that are contract brewed are admittedly so (Wilde Rose Kellerbier being the most famous).

 

Looks like it's been rumored for a while now: http://www.franconiabeerguide.com/GreifenklauW.asp. I'm still not sure I buy it (especially since the original rumor was about Maisel contract brewing it, and Maisel is now defunct). Like I said, I used to -- and still do -- hear rumors like this all the time.