Trip's Beer Trips

I was looking around at the festival that I attended yesterday, and was surprised that most beers I saw were 0.5 liter, and it was a mixture of holding styles with that size. However, I saw one guy hold a Maßkrug the way I did it in my picture, and he held it long enough to crush the last third of the beer in his mug. But he was a BIG boy and had big hands and the strength to 'handle' it.

I presume that you're advocating the style where four fingers go thru the handle loop and around the glass? I saw a lot of that with the option for the thumb to finish encircling the mug, or to put the thumb on the glass area above the handle loop and to drink from the lip more to the front of the mug rather than the side. I agree that 'wristng' it like I was doing takes a special strength.

 

Tuesday -
After overnighting in Erlangen our bus got us to our hotel in Bamberg where we dropped off our luggage. Then on to Mahr's Brau for lunch and a beer. I had the Pils and my wife had the 'U' bier. The U was too mild for my liking, and the Pils was balanced a bit too far to the hops side but without it being a hoppy beer. Lunch was very good - I had the schnitzel and fries and my wife had a salad.

Then we walked across the street to Keesman and had a bier in the biergarten. I had the Herren Pils, and my wife had the Keesman Lager (amber). I liked this pils so much better because the unique flavor of the pilsner malt was very noticeable.

A tour of Weyermann Malting was the next event. I've done this tour before, so I only looked forward to the tasting afterward. A pils and a festbier were what we chose. Both were good but unexciting.

We returned to the hotel to check-in, freshen up, etc. and that was followed by a brief walk to Schlenkerla for dinner. The place was jammed but our group had reserved a private room with one large table where we could actually talk with one another.

I had the Schlenkerla a' la Grodziskie, and my wife chose the Weichsel Red Lager (smoked with cherry wood). Both were excellent beers. For dinner I chose the Bamberg Onion (thanks @steveh for the recommendation) which was outstanding, and my wife had a pasta dish.

The itinerary had us going next to Spezial Keller and then Wilde Rose Keller. It was raining/sprinkling on/off all day so Wilde Rose was closed, but the group headed for Spezial without three of us who weren't up for that uphill climb.

Tomorrow's schedule will be a ountryside tour with stops at three breweries in nearby small towns, so that sounds like a relaxing day without so much walking.

Mahr's Brau Pils

 

Weyermann Malting


Bamberg Onion and a Grodziskie

 

Bamberg scenes

 

I haven't talked specific opinions, but everyone is rating beers on Untappd.

 

Wednesday -
Well, the best laid plans.... Yep, again our tour's itinerary for today ended up being changed since the original itinerary link that is in post #2 in this thread. Dont't know when these plans changed, but we did get a revised itinerary a few days ago.

We were supposed to visit three breweries in the countryside area around Bamberg, but instead we visited two breweries that were around a 45 minute drive away, and only one of them was in the list of the three in the original plan, Brauerei Gasthof Zum Grunen Baum. The other brewery was newly listed, Brauerei Witzgall.

Witzgall was the first place this morning, and we only had one bier in their biergarten, a Vollbier, which I think is a spin-off of the helles style. It was poured from a bottle by the bartender then brought outside. (Not available in kegs?) It was delicious. Our Untappd associates on the tour with us said the Vollbier is the highest rated in this style in Germany. (These two Untappd associates had a hand in selecting the breweries for this tour.)

To add a filler into the itinerary until we would be expected at Grunen Baum, we did a touristy event and stopped at a place called Treetop Path. A walk into the forest on an elevated deck/walkway (150' ? up but still not higher than the trees) led to a walkway tower, a wood and steel circular structure with a path that wound around the tower's outer edge until you end up at the top and then much higher than treetop level. Well worth the walk for the view!

The second brewery, Grunen Baum, is female owned. Our tour guide is an owner and the head brewer, and doubles as a server in the restaurant. During the tour we were able to sample the Landbier directly from the lager tank. Later we also sampled their historical beer, a Knörzla, also from the lagering tank. And these were the two beers that my wife and I chose to go with our dinner.

The day then ended for us once we got back to the hotel. Tomorrow we move on to Nurnberg.

Biergarten at Brauerei Witzgall:


Vollbier bottle (forgot to take a pic of the bier)

 

Treetop tower

 

Looking down thru the tower


Brauerei Grunen Baum

 

Brewing kettle and mash tun


Lagering tanks