Bars and Breweries in Bamberg, Germany

Sep 10, 2011
Steve Rogerson

Schlenkerla is famous for its dark, smoky beer - Photo by Steve Rogerson

At the heart of Germany's brewing industry is the lovely city of Bamberg in Bavaria. Here is a guide to some of its bars and breweries.

The Bavarian city of Bamberg in Upper Franconia, Germany, is a beautiful city famous for its brewing heritage, and that is a major achievement in a country noted for making beer. The city is built around the Regnitz river and the Main-Donau canal. Buildings in the city survived almost unscathed during the second world war and so much of the original architecture remains.

There are around eight or nine breweries or brewpubs but the city’s most famous beer is the smoky dark rochbier style, the original coming from Schlenkerla’s Heller-Bräu brewery.

Fässla, Obere Königstraße 19

This old multi-room bar, hotel and brewery serves two of its own beers – Gold Pils and Lagerbier, both at 5.5%. The pils was sharpish but not overly so and the lagerbier had slightly more flavour, with a notable maltiness.

Schlenkerla Heller-Bräu, Dominikanerstraße 6

This is the brewery tap of the Schlenkerla brewery, about half a kilometre away. It is famous for its very pleasant, dark, smoky beer, known as Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier.

Ambräusianum, Dominikanerstraße 10

Almost next door to the Schlenkerla, this pretty brewpub displays its two brewing vessels openly opposite the bar. Lots of greenery gives the inside an outside feel. Three beers are brewed here – helle, dunkel and weizbier. The dunkel is lighter than one would expect and the weizbier darker, but both are full of flavour.

Hofbräu, Karolinenstraße 7

A largest pub and restaurant near the upper bridge, Hofbraü serves about five or six beers including brands from Tucher and Schlenkerla. The Zirndorfer Urhell beer is recommended. Unusually, it also sells Guinness on draught. Strange animal paintings, which are for sale, adorn the walls. There is extra seating outside.

Eulenspiegel, Obere Brücke 10

A narrowish town centre pub, this bar specialises in beers from Buttenheim, including St Georgenbräu Pils and Dunkel. The Dunkel is served in a very nice porcelain mug. The pub takes its name from a legendary German jester, and a model of the jester is on the wall.

The Irish Pub (Emerald Isle), Obstmarkt

Though officially called Emerald Isle, this is known almost exclusively as just The Irish Pub, helped by the fact that that is what its name sign says. For late night midweek drinking in central Bamberg, this is the place. As well as the likes of Guinness and Strongbow, there is on draught the pilsner from Kitzmann, a nice tasty German pils beer. The weizbier from the same brewery is also on draught. Live music sometimes provides entertainment from the corner of the L-shaped bar.

Other Pubs and Breweries in Bamberg

Not tried on this tasting session but also recommended is Greifenklau at Laurenziplatz 20, the brewery tap for the small Brauerei Greifenklau. The largest brewery in the city is Kaiserdom, and its brewery tap is at Gaustadter-Hauptstraße 26. The brewery tap for the small Keesman brewery is at Wunderburg 5. A few doors up at Wunderburg 10 is the Mahr’s Bräu brewery tap. The city’s oldest brewery is Klosterbräu, and its tap as at Obere-Mühlbrücke 1.