Travel and Tourism
Day Two: Bamberg -10 breweries April 6, 2008 - Pages 1, 3, 4, 5 , 6
Departed Windiseschenbach for Bamberg, with a lunch stop at the Kulmbach Brewery, three hours east by motorcoach. Kulmbach is the home of, among others, Mönchof Schwartzbier. It is described as "the black Pils." We took the Brewery Museum tour, led by a big old man with large hands, who spoke his English very slowly. We were left on our own to watch a 20 minute movie entirely in German, and then to explore 3 floors of exhibits, also all in German. As one member of our group noted, "At least my wife isn't nagging me to quit reading every single display." At the end of the tour there was a mini-bar set up, affording us a chance to have a small sample of one beer. Afterwards we were led to a large banquet hall where we were seated at huge wooden tables, with a plate of schnitzel and pickled potato salad for each of us. Of course I had a half liter mug of the Schwartzbier. That's my place at the table where the mug is almost empty. Following lunch, it was time to exit out the brewery gates where our motorcoach was waiting. Up on the hill beyond the bus is Plassenburg Castle, begun in 1338. But there is no brewery in the castle, so obviously not worth a stop.
Just another 45 minutes of rumbling down the road and we entered Bamberg. For a city of seventy thousand, it could pass for a quarter million. This is really the biggest German city you need. It has more breweries (10) than Munich (6). The Fassla Brewery has a hotel above it, and that's where we stayed.
It was a Sunday, and everything was closed. So we walked a half dozen blocks to the train station, where everything is open. We picked up some bar soap and shampoo, since moderate hotels don't provide these. Then we headed straight to what has been described in some postings as the "high altar of smoked beer" Schlenkerla. Directly across the street from where our accommodations was the Spezial brewery, known for their lightly smoked beer. I've had it in the U.S. But, the flavor and aroma are so slight as to be almost unrecognizable. I had been looking forward to the Schlenkerla for so long that I didn't want to "try the rest and then go for the best." I got out the Google satellite map I had printed at home, and tried to follow it to the brewery. But these narrow, twisting cobblestone streets in the old section of town left me perplexed, since even on the satellite views, all the street names don't show up. Some locals took pity on us and led us to it.
Then finally, we were there. In the great medieval setting, I ordered a wonderful plate of sausages and cheeses, but I can't remember what it was like because all my senses were enjoying the incredible smoked beer. I had two half liter mugs. They say it is drawn from wooden kegs in the cellar. The big surprise was that it tasted just the same as it did from the $4.49 bottle I poured it from back home. The aroma drives me absolutely insane. I had planned to come here again tomorrow for a breakfast drink, but my one regret of the entire trip is that I let my wife talk me out of it as we passed right by there the next day on our early walk around town.
After Schlenkerla, we went next door to a brewery that's been there only a few years, Ambraüsianum,a bright, blonde-wooded place. They had smoked beer on tap, and, thinking it was their own, I had some. It was geat. It tasted just like beer I had next door. Well, that's because it came from next door. I had a sampler of the house beers next, but after Schlenkerla, they were unremarkable. Didn't regret coming in, since the strudel and the serving staff were pleasant.
It was dark by the time we went back outside, and we found our way back to our accommodations. Before retiring, we stopped across the street from where we stayed. Into Spezial we went to see perhaps if the hint of smokiness in their beer would be more pronounced right there were they make it, but it wasn't. Our beermaid was just like those in some movies.a tall, large, old woman big enough to handle 8 steins at a time. For such a person you are inclined to behave.
Next: Day 3. Four Bamberg breweries down, 6 to go. Can we do it?
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