Have Beer Will Travel

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Our Last Day in Bamberg

We just walked around to our favorite places and had a few quiet beers. Then we met at Spezial for our tradition last night in Bamberg dinner. I took no pictures, so just click on posts from previous years. By this time you should know what a glass of Spezial or Schlenkerla looks like.

Next is Salzburg. It's been 6 years since I was there so I am interested in what may have changed.

Walking around Bamberg drinking (mostly) Bock Beer

We started off the day at Cafe Abseits for a bock tasting. We are a little early in the bock season here, so Gerhard arranged something special for us -- Three different years of Mönchsambacher Weihnachtsbock (Christman bock).

We started out with our usual Mönchsambacher Lager and Huppendorfer Vollbier to wake beer taste buds.

It was lunch time, so he all had the traditional Schnitzel Sandwich...

... and the Rossdorfer Bock from Braurei Sauer.

Then the Weizenbock from Antla in Kronach. This was a collaboration beer with a group of local homebrewers formulating the recipe. Only 300 liters were brewed and where was about 5 liters left in the last keg so we got a sample. Sadly ( has happens to home brewers) everybody was having so much fun brewing they can't find the paper with the recipe details.

Next week opened 2008, 2010 and 2012 (last year) bottles of the Mönchsambacher Christmas bock. The 2008 and 2010 bottles were stored at the brewery at near to freezing. These beers are also unfiltered, which helps in preservation. All were wonderful, even the 2008. That years version was 9% (the others closer to 8%) so it is not surprising it would age well.

We next had a sample of Weyermann's Barley Wine. This comes in at 11.5% and most of it went into various barrels for aging but Gerhard got a keg of it before the barrel aging. A very nice beer.

We were in need of some fresh air and walking to clear our heads a bit, so we wondered off to Mahrs Bräu to try their bock. I started with an U (which was good) but some of the others had the bock. I tasted theirs and decided I didn't really need one. It was OK, but nothing special. It has been better in the past.

a U

We headed back to the Altstadt and at Eckerts say that they were serving a bock. So we stopped. It would have been rude not to.

It is brewed by Drei Kronen Memmelsdorf (who does their house beer) and it was fine, but nothing special. I enjoyed the Gänstaller Zwickel-Pils we ordered with bock much more.

Around the corner from Eckerts is Klosterbräu. I needed to see if their Braunbier had gotten any better since May. It had -- it went from "dump this beer" to "could finish it if thirsty" which while an improvement, is not a whole lot better. We moved on.

Klosterbräu Braunbier

Walking along I spotted a small (seemed to be about 8 oz) bottle of Mahrs U -- clearly packaged for as a tourist souvenir

Also noticed that the renovation of the old Einhorn/Nelson Lounge building on Sandstrasse is about down. The pub is supposed to open soon. Hopefully there will be some good beer.

It was getting dinner time so we walked up the hil to Stöhrenkeller for some good Penang Curry and a glass of Friedel Vollbier from Zentbechhofen. Both were delicious.

The last beer of the night was a Keesmann bock. It was better than the Mahrs and the Schlenkerla so that makes it the best Bamberg bock so far, but it too seemed a bit ordinary. Maybe my expectations are too high?

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Merkendorf, Memmelsdorf and Strassgiech

We caught a bus at the ZOB at 10:00am and a half hour later we were at Brauerei Wagner in Merkendorf.

Wagner, Merkendorf

They only had 7 different beers on draft: Weizen, Lager (Ungespundetes), Märzen, Jubilaumsbier, Pils, Festbier and Richard Wagner Dunkel.

Beers of Wagner Merkendorf

Most chose the Lager as their second beer.

I especially like the entrance mosaic, as the initials are the same as mine...

Entrance Mosaic

Then it was down the street to Brauerei Hummel. Six draft beers here.

We had lunch and another beer. Then it was time to catch the bus back to Memmelsdorf, were we had a quick beer at Höhn.

Brauerei Höhn

I haven't had their beer in a few years. It was perfectly drinkable and I can see why some people find it to be a favorite.

Then it was couple doors down to Drei Kronen where they had three beers on draft, a "Frankisches Altbier" (FrAlt), the Keller-Pils and Stöffla (their lightly smoked lager). Herr Straub stopped by for a hello and then rushed back to the business of running a brewery.

Then it was back on the bus for the short ride to Strassgiech and Andy Gänstaller's tap room at the old Drei Kronen pub.

First up for me was the Kellerbier, while other's had the Zwickel Pils

Gänstaller Kellerbier

Treberschnitzel

Soon after dinner, the Zwickel Pils ran out and Andy tapped his latest experiment, a stein bier. This was his second version, called "Rocks II"

Gänstaller Rocks II

There was a bit of smoke character, from the hot rocks and a nice bit of caramel from the caramelized wort on the rocks. A very drinkable and interesting beer.

We were staring at the chalkboard menu which had a strudel listed so most of us broke down and ordered one.

Andy then brought out some of his more exotic beers, a 8+% highly hopped smoked lager he calls IPS (India Pale Smoked). I didn't think smoke and hops went together, but he mad it work.

India Pale Smoked Lager

Then he brought some bottles of his Baltic Porter (has a long name with "Riga" in it but I was too busy drinking). We had this last December when it was fairly new and it has only improved with time.

Baltic Porter

By now we were ready for a cab back to the rooms and we were so beer and fooded out it was straight upstairs, do not pass go, do not drink a beer at Spezial.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Arrived in Bamberg

Not too much about this -- there are a bazzillion pictures of Bamberg and Bamberg beer on this blog already.

Spezial Lagerbier

Schlenkerla Märzen

Schlenklerla Ur Bock

Spezial U

Jägerschnitzel

Walking Around Cologne Drinking Beer

My well laid plans went astray when I realized the first place on the list didn't open until 3pm. So we just winged it.

We walked down the Rhine for a while, then turned inland until we came to Heumarkt, home of Malzmühle.

Brauerei zur Malzmühle

We all ordered a Kölsch and a bowl of soup (most of us had potato, some goulash )

Mühlen Kölsch

Many years ago this kölsch was darker and maltier but in recent years it has moved more towards the "standard" -- to their detriment I think but it is their brewery.

They were heavily advertising "Van Mühlen" -- a champagne style beer. At €20/bottle for 750ml it is a bit expensive, but we all chipped in a got a glassful.

Von Mühlen

It actual was much nicer than I had figured. It us 7.1% abv and tasted a bit like a Belgian Triple. It appeared to be filtered and they had no mention of "méthode champenoise." If it buy was half the price I might occasionally buy one.

They also had a wheat beer so we tried it. it was a well made, Bavarian style wheat beer. Can recommend it to those who like that style.

Mühlen Weizen

We moved on to Pfaffen. At one point this was "Päffgen in der Altstadt" until the owner argued with his brother (the owner of Päffgen) and built his own brewery. Unfortunately, it was too far from Cologne so he can't legally call his beer a "kölsch." Ooops.

Pfaffen

Originally there were some problems but now the beer is very good, not matter what you call it. They also have a seasonal bock, which while tasty was a bit too sweet to enjoy more than a small glass.

Pfaffen Bockbier and non-Kölsch

We moved down the street to Bierhaus in der Salzgasse, the current Päffgen outlet in the old town. They tried calling at "Brauhaus in der Salzgasse" but since it wasn't and had never been a brewery that was not allowed. Oops.