Bamberg's Specialities

In a word: beer! Bamberg proudly calls itself a bierstadt, whereas the surrounding ancient kingdom of Franconia is more famous for wine – though perhaps not as famous outside Germany as it should be (we think it might be the traditional but slightly awkward saddle-flask shape of our bottle, the Bocksbeutel). But the purity of the river Regnitz’s water and the excellence of Bamberg’s gardeners in growing hops mean that fine beer has been brewed here for at least a thousand years (and, being tidy people, we have the documents to prove it!). In 1516 the famous ‘Decree of Purity’ forbade anything but malt, hops and water from going into Bavarian beer – not that Bambergers needed telling, then or now. By 1818 there were 65 breweries here; there’s been a little consolidation since then (we have twelve) but no drop in quality. And every year Bambergers still drink about 280 litres of it each.

Apart from tradition (and thirst), one reason has to be the sheer friendliness of the local inns, where everyone, young and old, female and male, can drop in at any time of day and share a jar, a bench and a chat with whoever’s passing through. It’s invidious to single one out – but everyone knows and loves the cosy ground-floor rooms in the half-timbered house at No.6, Dominikanerstraße, where at the sign of ‘Schlenkerla’ you can enjoy one of Bamberg’s most distinctive tastes. Founded in 1678, the brewery’s trademark is a dark, smoky beer (‘Rauchbier’). The flavour apparently comes from the beech wood smoke in which the malt is dried and it goes extremely well with the wholesome peasant food also served here (and which is sometimes cooked in it – don’t miss the pork knuckles in Rauchbier!)