Saturday, May 2

It is a gorgeous day, though it looks like it might rain tonight. After getting my chores done (putting the bike together, grocery shopping, etc.) I started off for a ride. My initial goal was Cafe Abseits for a Mönchsambacher Maibock, but I had to ride by Spezial so I stopped for a bowl of soup and a beer. The beer was as wonderful as ever so I had another.

Lunch at Spezial

Bike Friday at Spezial

Then it was off to Cafe Abseits. Since the weather is nice the biergarten was open. My original idea was to have the Lager first then the Maibock, but I was feeling (just a bit) the two beers at Spezial so I went straight for the Maibock. It was wonderful. Slightly hazy (all their beers are unfiltered) and a pleasant touch of sweetness in the finish to go with enough bitterness so you want another sip. And the alcohol was well hidden. It would be too easily to drink two or three of these and then fall off your chair.

Mönschambacher Maibock

The Garden at Cafe Abseits

After suitable rest, I decided to be a bit more adverertous for my first day (I had planned to just ride around town). I came to the Regnitz and took the river bike train south towards Hirschaid.

I am out of shape in more ways than one -- a knee injury and bad weather (by LA standards) had kept me off my bike for a while so my conditioning was off. And I haven't done much in the way of beer/bike combo's recently either, so I was feeling the beer. And I've lost all the calouses on my butt so it was complaining as well. But its a beautiful day and there is beer to be drunk so I am pushing on. At least I wasn't passed by little old ladies on the way home from the market -- that is embarrassing.

Brauerei Kraus in Hirschaid has a nice beer garden out back. But trees are shedding and I while I have a cover (bierdeckel) for my beer, I have nothing for my keyboard. Very irritating.

Lagerbier (you have to trust me) from Brauerei Kraus in Hirschaid

The Garden at Brauerei Kraus, Hirschaid

I am off to Buttenheim to one (or both of the kellers there). I may wimp out and take the train back. Depends on how many beers :)

Update: It started raining fairly hard when I reached the Buttenheim train station (which is not actually in Buttenheim). Ducked in to a pub across the street (serving Löwenbräu Buttenheim) to escape the rain. While there a couple of hiking Brits came in, also seeking shelter from the elements and it turns out the had a copy of my "Beer Drinker's Guide to Bamberg." The world is small and its even smaller when I tell you the "rest of the story" in another post."

Löwenbräu Buttenheim Lagerbier

The Gaststätte where I shelter from the rain

Oh, I ended up taking the train back to Bamberg. But I did pennance by stopping at Fässla for a beer on the way back from the train station.

Fässla Pils