[quote=“bbrew”]
We are planning a trip to Germany this summer as we have a new baby due any day now and my wife’s family all live there. We are coordinating some “us” time and it looks like Bamberg is the first/primary destination. If so, I’m excited about visiting Mahr’s and the other breweries/pubs and stopping by Weyermann’s (do they give any kind of tours?). Do you have any other recommendations for the area? We’ll spend a few days there, then I’m working on the last day or two in Wolznach to see some hops before we head to the airport.
I had another few Spaten this evening and, while it is well made, it’s not putting me over the top on uniqueness, creativity and maltiness. I do need to try some different local versions (German and here in the U.S.). I also had a Gaffel Kolsch in the mix and it was different, but pretty similar overall. Several month old (likely) filtered/pasteurized beer in a bottle is what it is I guess.[/quote]
I’d recommend trying to reserve a room to stay at one of the breweries. My friend and I stayed at the Bamberger Weissbierhaus, which we luckily got a room a few days before arriving (not sure if they actually make beer there), but I know Fassla and Spezial also rent rooms (they are across the street from one another). Nothing like walking downstairs to some of the best lager in the world, or having your bedroom close after one too many half liters.
This was primarily a beer trip, so although we walked around town to check out the historical buildings, the main goal was to try and walk to a bunch of breweries. Don’t have much else, although we did walk by a historical beer museum that could be fun.
Advice would be to map out all the possible breweries before you visit so you can plan your walking adventure and don’t get caught wandering aimlessly expecting to magically find breweries with no prior knowledge of the city.
We’ll have our 3 year old daughter and 3 month old baby with us. And, though my daughter would appreciate the brewery (she knows what hops are and has claimed ownership of one of the plants, can identify barley, and says “papa bier” when I’m brewing or drinking beer), staying at a brewery may be a bit too much. We are looking at rental homes in the “island” part of town, so close to the scene but still a few blocks away from most things. It sounds like a great beer and history town and should be a fun place to chill for a few days with something for everyone.