Munich + Bamberg trip report

@FrankenBier thanks for the clarification on the Greif-R availability and the Mahr's barrels. Have a great trip to the Bamberg area. You can cover a lot of ground in three weeks!

 

Bamberg Day Two:

I decided to train it 25 km south to the picturesque Franconian village of Forchheim on the second day. Brauerei Neder was the first destination and I found it easily after a 10-minute walk from the train station. Already half full at 10 am on a Sunday morning, I found a spot inside and promptly ordered a Schwarze Anne Schwarzbier. “Toasted malt reminiscent of rye bread crust, touch of caramel sweetness, dry, balanced finish, exceptional beer,” read my notes. The beer price to quality ratio was outstanding in this cozy brewpub – nothing more than 2.30 EUR for a 0.5l pour! The Export Lager was available as the “Faßbier” which meant from gravity-fed cask. Also available were the Kellerbier, Pils, Klassik, Festbier and Anna-Weisse. I went with the Export next and was also impressed – balanced, dry, bready malts, very more-ish and highly drinkable. The pub was starting to fill up with locals there to play cards, read the paper, shoot the shit at the Stammtisch. Very Franconian and my kind of place. I enjoyed it so much I didn’t want to leave!

After prying myself from my seat at Neder, I made my way back to the train station and traveled north to Buttenheim. A 20-minute walk landed me at the Bierkeller crossroads which are St. Georgen Bräu and Lowenbräu, respectively. St. Georgen Bräu was the more scenic of the two Bierkellers but both lcoations offered a pleasant place to re-calibrate and partake of some workmanlike-unfiltered Lagerbier.

A short train ride back to Bamberg and I was off to Schlenkerla again but this time for dinner. Schäufele (pork shoulder) was on the menu and it paired perfectly with the Kräusen while sitting in the Dominikanerklause. After another Kräusen I took an evening stroll to Spezial for a nightcap of their Lagerbier in the Biergarten. It was a nice capper to an eventful day.

 

@Dodger75 Thanks for the kind words. Yes, the Neder I visited is near the center of town. Brauerei Hebendanz is also close by but I didn't visit them so I can't attest to the quality of their beers. I'm sure someone on the forum can chime in about Hebendanz as well as the prices at Annafest. Enjoy yourself at Annafest!

 

Bamberg Day Three:

The last day in Beer City started with a stop at Die Bierothek for some local bottles and then Frühschoppen at Fässla with their Pils. White bread, light herbal hop notes, honey; thin, watery body. Not a huge fan of Fässla’s beers but I do like the character of the place. It’s always nice to order a beer at the Schänke, go stand in the patio aka “biergarten” and sip on their wares before noon with like-minded beer lovers.

I then headed across the street to Spezial to correct my palate on their Ungespündetes Lagerbier: Chewy body, bready malt, lively, erfrischend. I don’t need to extol the virtues of Spezial, but it was nice to sit in the main room in relative solitude among the animal skulls and overall Gemütlichkeit while enjoying this fine brew.

On the road again, this time to Café Abseits where Huppendorfer Vollbier was flowing: Rustic bread crust malt, earthy, soft, complex, light fruit flavor notes, made for drinking. Mönchsambacher Lagerbier was next with its excellent balance of malts and grassy/fruity (grape, citrus) hops. Very nice brewpub with an excellent selection - always worth a stop.

Eckerts Wirtshaus was the next stop where Gänstaller Bräu brews the house amber lager, “Das Eckerts-Bier”. Gotta get some Gänstaller whenever I’m around here. Good news is that the Gänstaller’s Zwickel-Pils is also on tap: A pleasant, hop-forward kellerpils. The emphasis is on the hops for sure: Grassy, citrus hops with a dry, bitter finish.

Dinner was at Schlenkerla once again where I opted for the Bamberger Zwiebeln specialty paired perfectly with the Märzen vom Holzfaß. A nice stroll back to the Wunderburg neighborhood where Keesman was open. Ducked inside for a half liter of Herrenpils which was drinking fantastic and flawless in my humble opinion. I ended the evening across the street at Mahr’s finding a seat inside since it was raining outside. Enjoyed a few Ungespündetes Lagerbiers before the 20-minute walk back to the apartment in the old city.

I am already in the early planning stages of my next trip to the Franconia. I understand that I have only scratched the surface of what this region offers in terms of beer destinations. Witzgall, Hirschaid-Keller, Aufsess Brauereiwanderweg, Drei Krönen Memmelsdorf > Knoblach > Honig, Forchheim Kellerwald, Richter Pretzfeld, Hofmann Gräfenberg, etc. are all on the list. However, I’ll need more time than 2.5 days to hit these spots during the next trip. Can't wait to get back there...

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this excellent forum over the years. Also, a big shout out to Larry Hawthorne’s “The Beer Drinker’s Guide to Munich” for being an indispensable source of information for my various Munich trips over the years. Prost und Servus!

 

Have a nice trip to Europe! Make sure you include a stop at Augustiner Bräu Kloster Mülln while in Salzburg. Also, Hallstatt and the surrounding area in the Salzkammergut is very beautiful. DM me if you want any tips / recommendations for this region (lived there for a short while).