Trip's Beer Trips

Yes, a couple beers currently on tap, which were a little rough, and a couple still in bright tanks. I think they're still learning their equipment's nuances.

 

I always have to do things the hard way.

 

Sunday -
Took a chartered bus to Wolnzach to see the hops museum there. It was interesting but had to spend time translating the signs to understand the various displays. It was a rainy morning, so another indoor event was welcome.

Left there to have lunch as Gasttehaus Siebler in the country where hops fields were everywhere. They're in the middle of harvest, and even on a rainy day there was some work going on. It was a very good meal (these Germans really know how to cook!)

From there we went to Entla's Keller and biergarten, which brews their beers inside the mountain. We had their rauschbier and kellerbier along with a charcuterie plate after the tour inside the tunnels of the mountain. Candles lit the path of the tunnels for some drama, but our tour group also had to hold hands to follow the leader in total darkness during one stretch which I'm guessing was around 50 yards or so with some turns into different passageways. It was very enlightening. In preparing for this trip I watched many YouTube videos, and this Keller tour was among them. If you’re curious do a search on YouTube using Erlangen Keller tour as your search words. Entla's Keller might be more specific.

After the tour, beers and snacks we traveled to Erlangen for dinner and beers. It was supposed to be at a brewery but the plans changed and we ended up at a nice Italian restaurant. So much for a German-themed tour.

We'll overnight here in Erlangen and head to Forchheim to tour the Kellerwald tomorrow. It's a 17 kilometer beer trail of killers, and that's the only thing on the agenda, so beer and walking is in my future.

 

Entla's Keller Biergarten


Brewing system inside the mountain

 

Inside a tunnel


Some of the other kellers along the row:

 

Cellars! Cellars! Not killers! Damned auto-correct!

 

Well, they were really good, and 'killer' could apply.

 

Monday-
Well the best laid plans.... We overnighted in Erlangen and our tour guide was notified that the person who was going to be our guide at the Forschheim Kellerwald broke his foot yesterday and had to cancel our visit there.

Our guide scrambled and found a brewery in Nurnberg, Orca Brau, that usually sets up benches/tables in their parking lot 'biergarten' (on I think weekends only), would permit us to visit there as long as we were okay with drinking beers from bottles/glasses (no tap system at all) in their loading dock area (it was raining). So we clogged up their work area and had to dodge a pallet jack a few times. (This place is so small that their cases of empty bottles are stored on stacked pallets in the parking lot.)

So our group opened the bottles of our choice from the coolers (est 10-12 different styles, plus a similar number of guest beers) and shared bottles so that we had an opportunity to try many beers. I made notes on 7 of them and gave all of them a 4.0 rating except a 4.25 for the bock, a 3.75 for one of their IPAs (they brew a mix of German and 'American' styles), and a 3.5 for an NA beer. It was kind of a 'hardship' visit since we had to serve ourselves in a cramped environment, but we drank beers and we didn't have to sit in the hotel lobby while twiddling our thumbs with nothing else to do.

We then went to a restaurant in nearby Neunhofer that was having a festival in a large tent next to their building (parking lot?) for lunch and another bier. They were serving St.Georgen Brauerei beers (we each had a helles) and traditional German foods on the menu. No German oompah band played during the meal, but afterward we stood outside and watched a 30-minute parade of an 8-piece band and around 20 teen (?) dancers perform on the plaza while parading around in a circle (Betzenaustanz dance). The street parade was led by two young boys who had a sheep on a leash, and they just stood in the middle of the plaza circle while the performance occurred. Everyone was dressed in costumes for the event. Great experience!

Then it was on to Brauerei Josef Greif in Forschheim for a quick bier in their small biergarten. When we finished there our bus took us up one of the Kellerwald mountains as far as permissible for that vehicle and we finished walking to the top and then down the other side so that we could experience a portion of the Kellerwald. Cool experience for a walk in the woods, but no biers. Most biergartens were closed (seasonally or weekend only?).

Then it was back to the hotel in Erlangen to freshen up before a walk to an Erlangen brewery, Steinbach Brauerei, for more beer and food. My wife and I had to back out of that because we weren't hungry and didn't have the energy for the walk. So that ended our day.

Drinking on the loading dock:


An Orca beer

 

The bar at the festival


Part of the festival parade

 

Biergarten at Josef Greif


Map of the Kellerwald

 

A view of a couple biergartens


A walk in the woods

 

Our guide at the Entla's Erlangen Keller said their fest draws a million folks each year, and it is older than the Munich Oktoberfest. The Germans (and you too) love their festivals and their beer.