Beer, Bratwurst and Bavaria
An enthusiastic and slightly mad group of CAMRA members recently undertook a trip to indulge in Bavarian history, culture, food and drink. Over an epic thirteen days, it involved fourteen trains as well as busses, taxis, boats, an electric street train plus plenty of walking....
It‘s early July and day one of our trip, a train to London was followed by Eurostar to Brussels and an overnight stay. The next day a journey through rural Belgium and Germany took us to Frankfurt, where we changed trains, before arriving at the first stop of our trip, Regensburg, Bavaria.
Originally founded by the Romans in 179 AD and now a Unesco World Heritage site, Regensburg is a well preserved medieval city situated on the Danube. The first evening found us at the Star Inn Hotel on Bahnhofstrasse, sampling beers from Thurn & Taxis Brewery. Although no longer an independent brewery (now owned by Paulaner), the range included Helles 4.7%, Dunkel 4.8% , Weizen 5.2% and Roggen (rye) 5.3%. The last is the one that stands out, full of rich and complex flavours. We later walked through the city centre to the Brauerei-Gaststätte Kneitinger on Arnulfsplatz. Here we quaffed Edel Pils 5.5%, a clean, refreshingly bitter pilsner and Dunkel Export 5.5%, a nutty and malty dark lager, both from the local Kneitinger Brauerei, founded in 1530. Our first Bavarian meal was enjoyed here and involved pork knuckles, schnitzels and plenty of bratwurst! We then headed back to the hotel to finish our first day in Bavaria with more Thurn & Taxi beer.
The third day of our trip began with a visit to the Regensburg local history museum, a fascinating collection of artefacts and information from prehistoric through to modern times. Sufficiently educated, we popped around the corner to a traditional local, the Goldener Ochs at Schwanenplatz, and enjoyed more Kneitinger beers. This was followed by one of the highlights of Regensburg, a tour of the Thurn & Taxis Palace, still home to members of the Thurn & Taxis family who at one time were the richest family in Europe. The palace complex was remarkable and we only viewed a small portion of it. Opposite the palace, the former coach house has been converted into the Fürstliches Brauhaus, a bright and cheery brewpub with a centrally located micro plant. Here we enjoyed a range of unfiltered beers, Regensburger Original 5.3%, Marstall Dunkel 5.5%, Brauhaus Weisse 5.3%, Postmeister Dopplebock 7.3% and Fürstengold Märzen-Festbier 5.7%. It was also here that Graham decided to initiate a quest to try every type of German sausage that he could possibly find…starting with weisswurst…
Visits to two 12th century Regensburg marvels followed, the imposing St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Steinerne Brücke, a huge stone bridge which straddles the Danube. With the temperature rising (during the trip we experiemced temperatures up to 41 degrees Celsius) a great thirst overcame us, so Bischofshof Zoigl 5.1%, (unfiltered Keller beer) and Hefeweiss 5.1% in the beer garden of the Bischofshof Hotel at the Krautermarkt were most welcome. We then crossed the Steinerne Brücke to the Spital Keller, which is situated directly on the banks of the Danube. At 750 years old, Spital Brewery is one of the oldest breweries in the world and certainly the oldest in Regensburg. Here Helles 4.7%, Dunkel 5.4% and Weizen 5.5% were on offer in litre glasses. The Helles was hoppy and refreshing and the Dunkel malty and slightly chewy. We enjoyed an excellent session in this lively beer garden before wandering back across town. We dropped into the Kneitinger Beer Keller on Galgenbergstrasse, “Gallows Hill”, a pleasant place that has served Kneitinger beers since 1862. Here, underneath the stars, we enjoyed Edel Pils and Dunkel as well as plates of Bratwurst to finish our short but enjoyable visit to Regensburg.
On day four, a short train and bus ride south west took us along the Danube to the town of Kelheim. Situated just outside the walls of this pretty medieval town, the Hotel Brauerei Aukofer on Alleestrasse provided a traditional, if somewhat quirky, place to stay. Sadly, it seems that Aukofer no longer brew. Schneider & Sons dominate the area and it was Schneider Weisse Original 5.4% we enjoyed during our lovely boat ride with Schiffarht Schweiger through the Danube Gorge on our way to Klosterbraueri Weltenburg. Dating back to the year 1050, this monastery sits directly on a bend in the Danube and boasts a spectacular church and a famous brewery. Although the last monk to actively brew retired in 1971, the brewery is owned and ably run by “lay” brewers from nearby Bishofshof Brewery. There‘s a small museum to visit as well as a beer garden, an atmospheric place to sample the beers on offer. Barock Hell 4.9%, Dunkel 4.7% and Weisse 5.4% were all excellent, the soft chocolaty Dunkel being one of the outstanding drinks of the trip. Lynda’s favourite, I think! The boat ride back to Kelheim offered more beautiful scenery, followed by a wander through the quiet streets of the walled old quarter and a visit to local hostelries: the Schwan and Gastwirtschaft Berzl. The former served up excellent dishes based upon products from the pub‘s own butcher shop. Yet more sausages I hear you say…
The morning of our fifth day found us on an electric street-train riding up the Michaelsberg to visit the Hall of Liberation. A huge rotund monument, it dominates the Kelheim area and was built in the 1840s by King Ludwig 1st to commemorate the Bavarian people‘s victories over Napoleon. The view of the Danube from Michaelsberg was quite impressive. We then headed back into town for a tour of Schneider ∓ Sons Brewery. A modern brewery (Schneider was based in Munich up until WWll), it boasts a sound tradition and now produces up to 60 million bottles of wheat beer a year. An enjoyable and informative tour was followed a self-bottled Schneider Original to take away and a sampling of all of their bottled beer “Tap” range in their brewery tap, the Weisses Brauhaus. Beers sampled were: Tap 1- Mein Blondes 5.2%, Tap2-Mein Kristall 5.3%, Tap 3- Mein Alkoholfreises (yes, we tried alcohol free beer!), Tap 4-Mein Grunes 6.2%, Tap 5-Meine Hopfenweisse 8.2%, Tap 6-Unser Aventinus 8.2% and Tap 7-Unser Original 5.4%. Add to that a batch of fresh pretzels and a determined go on the Kegelbahn (skittles to you and me): we had an excellent day at the Schneider complex. The North Yorkshire Kegel team narrowly defeated West Yorkshire... Okay, okay. It was by 22 points!
On the sixth day, our itinerary took us north east by train, away from the Danube to a small town called Windisheschenbach, home to one of the rare communal Zoigl Breweries. The history of Zoigl beer is centuries old and today there are only five Bavarian towns which retain their communal breweries. Locals work the wood-fired brewing equipment, then tank the cooled wort to their individual homes, where it is fermented and lagered. Each house takes it in turns to open on weekends and serve their subtly different tasting beers. We stayed at the Oberpfälzer Hof on Hauptstrasse, a welcoming and traditional hostelry, which always offers Zoigl beer. We really enjoyed the beer here, clean, refreshing and slightly cloudy with a nice hop bite. We then ventured across the street to Braugasse and the very busy Wolfrahmstubn where they brew Zoigl with their own on-site equipment instead of at the communal brewery. The beer here was a bit sweeter and we complimented it with a huge platter of local meat and bread. I’m sure there were some smoked sausages involved here, a big thanks to Graham and Trish! We then walked to Stadtplatz and Da Roude, a basic and very traditional Zoigl outlet. Thei slightly drier beer, served in tall, lidded steins, was very good indeed. Our first day of Zoigl ended at the Weisser Schwan on Pfarrplatz, a local that also has Zoigl beer available.
On day seven we walked up the hill to Neuhaus, a village which has had a communal brewery since as far back as 1420. The Hotel Zum Waldnaabtal was our first stop. It is a regular Zoigl outlet, but believe it or not, our drink of choice was Apfelschorle (apple juice with mineral water) because of the extreme heat. Imagine us going into a pub and not drinking beer… When we were suitably refreshed we walked to the Schoilmichl Zoigl house on Marktplatz, situated just around the corner from the Neuhaus communal brewery. Here we sat in a shaded drinking area and enjoyed their tart cloudy beer. Still with a bit of time before our train, we re-visited the Oberpfälzer Hof and consumed even more of their delicious Zoigl whilst listing to lofty organ music from the church next door.
After departing Windischeschenbach by train we stopped at the town of Weiden and paid a visit to the Brewery Brauwirt at Unterer Markt in the old quarter, very near the impressive Old City Hall. This modern micro brewery produces commercial versions of light, dark and wheat Zoigl which went very well with home-made späztle, soft German noodles. What no sausages I hear you say? Yet another train took us to Marktredwitz where we visited the family owned Nothhaft Brauerei on Ottostrasse. During a short stay at the Am Strand brewery tap, we enjoyed bottled Edel Pils 5.0% and Rawetzer Zoigl 5.0%. We were then collected by the taxi that serves as a bus service on weekends and travelled to the town of Mitterteich, whose claim to fame lies within the porcelain industry. But we were only there for the beer, more Zoigl beer that is.
The Zoiglfest Am Anger is a street party held every July in Mitterteich, which celebrates and serves the beer from three local Zoigl houses. In the beer tent we enjoyed an evening of a slightly hazy and refreshingly bitter Zoigl, sang loudly to badly played classic American songs (an incongruous change from the beautiful organ music earlier in the day), enjoyed Regensburger sausages in rolls (yes, more sausages!) and even watched the World Cup play-off game between Germany and Uruguay alongside a large group of young men in Lederhosen. What an interesting way to celebrate the joys of Zoigl…
Day eight found us compelled to return to the Zoiglfest for Sunday lunch (which included Helen’s favourite food of the trip, the infamous kloss knödel) and yet more Zoigl, which was clean and crisp with a hint of lemon (Doug’s favourite of the trip). The beer of the journey came next at Hösl, an independent brewery situated town centre on Bahnhofstrasse. A visit to the Hösl Brauereigasthof found us enjoying Helles which was rich and fruity and the bottled Dunkel, (Abt Andreas), that was complex with liquorice and vine fruit, quite delicious! Possibly my favourite beer of the trip…I can never make up my mind… After an excellent meal and more beer there, we wended our way back to our hotel, the Miratel, where we finished the day with yet more Zoigl, this time a bottled commercial version from nearby Schlossbrauerei Friedenfels.
On day nine of the trip, we said our farewells to Zoigl land and headed north by train towards Bamberg. A short stop in Kulmbach allowed us a visit to Kulmbacher Kommunbräu on the edge of town. This decade old micro brewery served up a very clean, slightly chocolaty Dunkel 4.9% and malty Helles 4.9% as well as a monthly special. After enjoying lunch, (it‘s possible that there were sausages involved,), we continued on to the beer capital of Bavaria, Bamberg and checked into our rooms at Fässla Brauerei on Obere Königsstrasse. Founded in 1649, its large front doors lead into the covered courtyard (the “Schwemm”) which gives the impression of the days of horse and cart deliveries. A very welcome half litre of their refreshing Pils 5.5% golden and hoppy and very quaffable Lagerbier 5.5% helped to alleviate the symptoms of the intense heat we were still suffering from.
Suitably revived we went across the road to Spezial Brauerei. The impressive frontage leads via a covered courtyard into an establishment founded in 1536. It was here we enjoyed our first smoked beer of the trip. Their Lagerbier 4.7% is lightly smoked and delicate in taste, a good one to start with before trying the more challenging smoked beers. Next, a walk into Bamberg city centre found us at the world famous Schlenkerla Brauereiauuschank on Dominikanerstrasse where Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier 5.1%, a dark aromatic smoked beer, is sold straight from the cask. Heller Brewery creates wonderful smoked beer (the malt is roasted over beech wood) and also offers Märzen and Weizen versions. We enjoyed a meal there, which I&lsquom sure involved sausages…and more smoked beer to finish the evening with.
On day ten, after an afternoon of wandering the fascinating streets of Bamberg, which is also a Unesco World Heritage site, the Beerkellers opened. Now beer gardens, they were originally sites where caves were built into the hillsides and used to “lager” the beer during the hot summer months. Visits to the Wilde Rose Keller and Mahrs Keller on Oberer Stehpansberg didn‘t disappoint. The Wilde Rose Keller sits high upon the hill overlooking the historic centre of Bamberg and offers Kellerbier, Pils, and Weizen. We enjoyed these sitting under ancient chestnut trees along with hundreds of locals enjoying the summer weather. The Mahrs Keller is a smaller more intimate garden. It offered a Helles 4.9% but is particularly famous for its Ungespundet (unbunged) Keller Bier 5.2%, unfiltered, less gassy and hoppier than the other helles or lagers of the area. We finished our day at the Stohrenkeller on Oberer Stephansberg, where we enjoyed Keesmann Sternla Lager 5.0%, an unfiltered beer with a reddish hue.
On day eleven we walked up Michaelsberg and paid a visit to the Franconian Brewery Museum. Set up in 1984 by professional brewers it is housed in the renovated historical vaults of a former Benedictine Abbey. Thousands of brewery artefacts from the local area are on view, as well as displays of the entire malting and brewing processes. It is well worth a visit. A stroll back down into city centre found us at the Kachelofen on Obere Sandsstrasse which offers the very hoppy St. Georgen Bräu Keller Bier 4.9% and their Pilsner, clean and pleasantly bitter. Then a visit to one of my favourite pubs in Bamberg Klösterbrau Brauereigastätte at Obere Mulbrücke, an atmospheric building situated in the heart of the city which houses the oldest (1533) of Bamberg’s breweries. Here we tried the Bamberger Gold 5.0%, Braunbier and Schwarzla (little black beer), a unique beer for the area, rather like a dark mild. We then moved away from the city centre to the far side of the river and canal to Mahrs Brewery which was founded in 1602. Situated in a residential area we supped more Ungespundet under the chestnut trees in the very busy beer garden of the brewery tap. The Keesmann Brewery founded in 1867 and still family owned, is very close by and Herren Pils 4.5% and Sternla Lager were consumed. We enjoyed an excellent meal here, this time not sausages, but meltingly tender beef liver! Our final visit in Bamberg was to the Maisel Keller on Moostrasse, at the far side of the railway tracks. Now owned by Fässla and called Gasthaus Fässla-Keller, this offered more of their thoroughly enjoyable Lagerbier.
On the twelfth day we said a sad goodbye to Bamberg, headed back by train through Frankfurt to Brussels for another overnight stay. Eurostar on day thirteen brought us back to London and eventually home to Yorkshire.
I do believe that Graham is still seeking some currywurst…so here’s to our next visit, Prost!
Printed in Alesman, Winter 2010
