General Information
What to expect:
These tours are more than „just“ beer and breweries and are quite an experience! We will visit historic and cultural sites which are intertwined with local culture and world history! You will be accompanied by a local national guide fluent in German, certified Doemens Academy Beer Sommelier, World Beer Awards Judge and native English speaker on all tours…me!
I offer day tours, 5-day tours and customized tours to fit your shedule!
The tours are designed to give the participant a general picture of the specified area and locales of that certain tour. We will go into more detail at the breweries themselves. We will not just drink various beers at the breweries, but also learn the background and history of that particular brewery, beer style and the specific beer.
We will do some walking on all tours. Depending on the fitness level of participants and obviously WHAT tour you book, there will be different levels of walking. While a certain level of physical fitness is necessary, there are usually alternative methods of reaching any destination!
In Bamberg itself, most tours will be walking and using public transportation. Most of the 15 breweries are within a walking distance of a few minutes of each other or can be reached by bus/taxi. We won’t go very long without drinking a beer!
Once we get out into the countryside we will still do some walking, but will rely more on public and when possible, private transportation. There are some regions that have a large cluster of breweries while in other areas the breweries are situated more sparsely across the villages.
On these tours, you will visit some of the oldest breweries in the world in a region whose recorded history dates back over a thousand years. The atmosphere is one of a kind and reminiscent of something out of fairy tales, Dungeons & Dragons and Lord Of The Rings! Castles, inns, cathedrals, churches, breweries, markets, mystical forests, holy druid sites, old villages and cities are all things you may see on these tours!
We will take tours of some of the breweries, try a selection of beer at each brewery, talk to some of the brewers, eat at the breweries and learn a lot about the history of Bamberg, Franconia and the breweries, while we are taking the tour.
While we will generally eat at the breweries themselves and many of them have typical Franconian cuisine (pork, dumplings, sausages, sauerkraut etc.) they all have enough alternatives (fish, beef, chicken, vegetarian meals, salads, cheese etc.) so that there is something on the menu for everyone!
On each day of the multiple day tours, we will meet in the morning (between 09:00-10:00) and get started. Tours will last into the evening, with some free time added in to look around and explore, depending on where we are and what tour you are taking.
Bamberg and Franconia are in many senses a very traditional town and area, especially when it comes to beer! You will find mainly lagers here. Many will taste similar AT FIRST, but as you actually start to realize WHERE you are drinking the beer, the taste will unfold and you will start to realize the small differences the locals used to have fist fights over. There is MUCH MORE to Bamberg & Franconia than typical lagers when it comes to beer though…
Rauchbier, or smoked beer, is a specialty of Bamberg. It has survived here for centuries, while it was forgotten by the rest of the world until the craft beer revolution brought it back to the attention of beer drinkers! Two breweries in particular are famous for their „Rauchbier“: Schlenkerla (Brauerei Heller) and Spezial.
What about craft beer? It’s ALL craft beer here. It always has been. These breweries never stopped brewing the old fashioned way. Most have modernized their equipment and processes, but still brew amounts considered tiny by the standards of better known US craft breweries! As mentioned in the „About Bamberg, Germany“ section, the popularity of newer styles of beer like American IPA’s and barrel aged beers have not gone unnoticed here. Many breweries brew a decent selection of traditional and modern styles…
We will not just visit the „regular tourist attraction“ breweries, but also the smaller lesser known ones, that may not always be on a non-locals radar. The beer scene here has been constantly changing these past few years. New breweries, new beers and new operating hours. Many breweries don’t have well kept internet sites, so it may be hard for someone from outside the area to find out exact opening times and offerings. Many close short notice for special events. One of the worst things that can happen when going to a small out of the way brewery, is getting there thirsty and anxious for a legendary local beer…and finding out the place is closed! I am in constant contact with the breweries. I won’t let that happen to us on our tours!
What better way to experience this unique and exciting area of the world!
The Tours
These aren’t your quickly booked, spur of the moment 2 hour beer tours, where you are rushed through the city and breweries by someone who just read up on the subject that summer and is hard to understand due to his accent-heavy English!
I offer various tours. One day, five day, hiking and customized tours to fit your shedule and interests! The main focus is the city of Bamberg, Germany (THE beer Capital of Germany!) and the surrounding region of Franconia in Bavaria.
You could come back to Bamberg and Franconia MANY times and still not have seen all the breweries or drank all the beers! Bamberg, despite having 15 breweries and being considered THE beer city in Germany, is only the tip of the iceberg. The relatively small region of Franconia has HUNDREDS of breweries. I have been visiting breweries here for YEARS and still haven’t made it to all of them!
Bamberg alone will take 2-3 days. The district around the city alone, has many more great breweries. Many have their own Gasthaus (Inn) and have been family owned for generations. The next bigger cities are also quite interesting. Nuremberg to the south has an ever growing craft beer scene with many new brew pubs and breweries having been founded within the last few years.
Kulmbach was also a big beer town in it’s heyday. It still has a few breweries and a very interesting brewery/beer museum.
Bayreuth is home to Maisel. A relatively big and well known brewery in Europe, but still small enough and down to earth to run an awesome brewpub with hundreds of international beers and their own traditional „Maisel“ beers and very popular „Maisel & Friends“ modern beer creations.
In between all these cities is the Franconian countryside. A beautiful and historic area with breath taking views, great food, amazing beer and colorful history! To the West are rolling hills along the Main River with even more vineyards than breweries. To the North is Bad Staffelstein, a spa town with one of the three „holy mountains“ of Franconia…the Staffelberg. Surrounding that are another nine breweries. To the South we go through Forchheim, another historic small town with four breweries. To the East and Southeast is one of the greatest beer and outdoor regions in the world. Franconian Switzerland (German: Fränkische Schweiz). It was named so, due to its castles, towns and landscape reminiscent of parts of Switzerland. This area has some of the smallest and hard to get to breweries with great beer and food. The atmosphere here while drinking a beer is undescribable!
Taking part in these tours will create memories that will last a lifetime and make you wanting to come back for more!