Munich + Bamberg trip report

I spent a few days in Munich and Bamberg earlier this month. My goal was to hit up some old favorites and to try some new places in the surrounding areas. Recap as follows.

Munich Day One:

Dropped my bags at the hotel after arriving at MUC Airport in the a.m. Went straight to Schneider Bräuhaus aka Weisses Bräuhaus and enjoyed a proper Bavarian breakfast of Weißwurst and Tap 1 Weißbier. Excellent breakfast beer: Subtle and delicate fruit esters with a light phenolic finish.

Traveled 50 meters across the street to Tegernsee Tal Bräuhaus and ordered their Spezial Export Lagerbier. Very impressed. Pretzel-dough malts balanced by a soft herbal hop finish. Extremely süffig and delicious. So good that I had to have a second helping. Sitting outside on the front terrace of Tegernsee is a great spot to people watch, by the way.

From there I traversed through the Marienplatz and found a spot outside at Donisl where they serve Pschorr Edehell (Helles) fresh from wooden cask. A little pricey (4.90 EUR for a 500 ml) but I’m sure that’s due to the location. Hacker-Pschorr’s Helles when served from wooden cask is top-notch, in my opinion. Soft doughy malts enhance the drinkability. Always look forward to draining a glass or two when I’m in town.

Made my way back to the Hauptbahnhof and headed west to Augustiner-Keller. Went with my go-to “Edelstoff” fresh from wooden cask teamed with Obatzda and a pretzel. A damn fine combination with the exceptional weather and idyllic biergarten surrounding in the middle of the city. Feeling very fine.

After a quick nap once the adrenaline switched off and the jetlag kicked in, I decided to hunker down at Ayinger am Platzl. Lo and behold, they still have a Maibock available vom Fass! That goes down nicely – notes read “sticky, honey white-bread malts and light cereal grain balanced with spicy noble hops. Delicate and balanced.” I followed up with a Bairischer Pils which is always a favorite.

On my way back to the Hauptbahnhof, I make a mandatory stop at Nürnberger Bratwurstglöckl. The place is packed due to the nice weather and it being a Friday evening, but I find an empty seat outside and promptly order some Nürnberger sausages and a Helles (Augustiner, of course). My German tablemates swear the Augustiner tastes best in this spot since the casks are stored in the cool cellars beneath the restaurant. Who am I to disagree?

For a nightcap, I make my way to Andechser am Dom, which is slated to close at the end of June, for a Doppelbock Dunkel, one of my favorites in Munich. The beer never disappoints and I am satiated after a very efficient first day in München. More to follow.











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Munich Day Two:

Started out again at Weißes Bräuhaus but opted for the Leberkäse with fried egg with a side of potato salad instead of the traditional Weißwurst breakfast. I love starting my day at the Weißes Bräuhaus – a wonderful place for a little bit of Frühschoppen.

Afterwards, I headed south through the Viktualienmarkt and stopped by Die Bierothek where I picked up a few cans and bottles – a NE style DIPA (Four Horsemen) from FrauGruber, a newish modern craft brewery from Gundelfingen, and an Imperial Stout with brett (Käte) from Brauerei Flügge out of Frankfurt. Both exceptional beers.

With the fantastic weather, I decided to check out some biergartens. First was the Wirtshaus am Bavariapark. A beautiful biergarten located near the entrance of the Bavariapark just minutes from the Schwanthalerhöhe U-Bahn stop. They offered Augustiner on tap and I had the Dunkel which was drinking great in this setting: “Toasted malt, rye bread crust, hint of chocolate, earthy, slight chalk finish, sweet malt character.” They also had the Augustiner Helles and Weißbier available on tap (no cask offerings). I highly recommend this stop due to the fantastic atmosphere / environment and its relatively close proximity to the Hauptbahnhof (only two stops with the U-Bahn).

Next stop was Seehaus im Englischen Garten. I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that this was my first time to the English Gardens. I’m not sure why but it probably has to do with my limited time in Munich on previous tours and the number of beery places to visit near the center of the city. Seehaus boasts a gorgeous spot on the river bank with a decent-size shady garden adjacent to the waterfront. Paulaner is the beer being served and I had the Helles - soft, bready, balanced and very drinkable – to accompany a small snack of thinly-sliced radishes.

Tillmans new spot, “Frisches Bier”, just south of the Theresienweise was the next destination. Frisches Bier offers 14 lines with a healthy mix of Tilmans own beers as well as guest taps from regional and international breweries. The focus is on “craft” beer or modern takes on traditional continental beer styles. A small but very cool spot with a craft beer bar vibe. Tilamns Das Helle (a Helles lightly hopped with Chinook), Shuba Summer Ale (piney, citrusy, reminiscent of Bell’s Two Hearted) and Tilmans Kulturator Helles Bock (sweet, honey malts, balanced) were consumed. Frisches Bier is located across from the number 68 bus stop, which leaves every five minutes from the Hauptbahnhof. Chill place – recommended, especially if you’re looking for more modern styles.

After Tilmans, I stopped again at Ayinger am Platzl for a Vorspeise of the horseradish soup (Meerrettichcremesuppe) and a Helles from wooden cask (no Jahrhundertbier on cask today). After watching drunken tourists stumble out of the Hofbräuhaus for 30 minutes, I made my way to Nürnberger Bratwurstglöckl for a second evening in a row. I dined on a huge portion of Sülze with the obligatory Helles from cask. All in all, a pretty good day in Munich. To be continued.











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Munich Day Three:

Forschungsbrauerei in the quiet suburb of Perlach was on the agenda today. It’s been several years since I last visited and I’ve heard a lot of positive things about this brewery on the forum recently. Unfortunately, no Blonder Bock available but the beers I had were very good, if not some of the best I’ve had during this trip. Das Helle/Vollbier, Exportbier Helles and Exportbier Dunkel were all tasty and well-executed. My favorite was the Exportbier Helles which had a beautiful grassy hop profile, moderate body and an enjoyable slightly-bitter, herbal finish. Nice biergarten, excellent service, generous food portions at affordable prices for the Munich area. Highly recommend a visit.

From there, I ventured back to the city and visited Altes Hackerbräuhaus which is under new management. Das Hackerhaus sits in a fantastic location on the outer edge of the Viktualienmarkt near the Münchner Stadtmuseum. The Helles is available from tap only (no gravity-fed wooden cask) and they also offer the Kellerbier from the bottle for 5.10 EUR! Unfortunately, I was picking up a little diacetyl from the Helles and decided to head over to Der Pschorr to correct my palate on the same Helles but served Bayerischer Anstich style from wood. Much better at Der Pschorr but my glass appeared to have been pre-frozen as there was a small ring of ice on the lip. Most likely an anomaly. Hopefully, these places near the touristy areas are not giving in to the whims of the hordes of sightseers requesting uber-ice cold beer. The guy on the next table also appeared to be drinking a Helles from a semi-frozen or chilled glass, too. Shit.

A torrential downpour interrupted my tour and thwarted my plans to visit another outside venue. No worries, though, it’s Munich and there’s plenty to partake of indoors. I decided the end the evening in the phenomenal communal beer hall that is Augustiner Bräustuben. After finding a spot on a table of some very accommodating local pensioners, I had a Helles from cask in front of me and all was right in the world. I switched to Edelstoff vom Fass to pair with my Jägersbraten and Spätzle and spent a few hours shooting the shit with the locals and a group of visiting businessmen from Northern Germany. This is why I love Munich and the beer hall atmosphere in general – the communal nature of everything with the constant - beer - bringing everyone together. Next stop: Bamberg and the surrounding area. Prost.

 

Thanks for the information on the glass chiller at Der Pschorr. That makes sense.

 

I speak German so that helps break the ice when sitting at communal tables. Have a nice trip in August!

 

Bamberg Day One:

I arrived in the afternoon since it was a travel day from Salzburg (I spent a few days in Austria). I decided to hang around town and check out the old reliables due to the late start. I was conveniently situated near the old town within spitting distance of my favorite place in Bamberg. Schlenkerla was the first stop, of course, and I was lucky to find a spot in the biergarten. I knew that they were serving Kräusen and that’s what I ordered. Absolutely delicious. Granted, I’m very partial to Schlenkerla’s beers and the Kräusen takes it to a new level in my opinion. This year’s version was tasting fantastic (also had the 2017 version direct from the source last June): Touch of smoked meat, fresh-baked bread malts, herbal and grass notes. Extremely süffig as expected, just the way I like it.

Zum Sternla was the next stop. Too early for seating inside but their “biergarten” patio was open in the back. I was hoping for Keesman Herrenpils as it is usually on tap here, but it wasn’t available. Keesman’s Helles was a decent backup and did the job.

From Zum Sternla on to the Wunderburg neighborhood, home of Mahr’s Bräu, one of my favorite haunts when visiting Bamberg. I settled on “a U” vom Holzfaß but they also had their Pils, Weißbier and Leichtes on tap. “A U” was drinking fantastic sitting outside in the biergarten area adjacent to the pub. Light earthy hops, soft bread malts and through-the-roof drinkability. I ordered a Brettljause of cold cuts, radishes, cheese spread and bread to pair with the kellerbier.

It being Saturday afternoon, Keesman across the street was already closed for the day, so I sauntered back to the old town area and made the small climb up the hill to Greifenklau. I ordered the “Greif-R” which is their Helles Rauchbier and was pleasantly surprised. Very subtle smoke flavors made it much more subdued than Schlenkerla’s offerings and more on par with Spezial’s. My tablemates from the Bamberg area all ordered a round after seeing what I was drinking. I believe Greif-R is a new addition to the Greifenklau beer menu and is definitely worth trying.

I finished the evening at Torschuster where Huppendorfer Lagerbier and Keesman Herrenpils were flowing from the taps. The Huppendorfer was top-notch, as usual, and the Herrenpils tasted as I remember it – one of my favorite German pilsners. Thomas was spinning some classics on the turntable (Roy Harper, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd) and everybody in the small pub appeared to be enjoying themselves. Good times. More to follow.