The Historical Brewery Tavern Schlenkerla has been serving its smoke beer since 1678. (Dan Blottenberger / S&S)
The Historical Brewery Tavern Schlenkerla has been serving its smoke beer since 1678. (Dan Blottenberger / S&S)
A bartender at the Schlenkerla fills several glasses of the brewery’s famous Rauchbier, or smoke beer, from a wooden keg, which is an age-old tradition for the brewery. (Dan Blottenberger / S&S)
Scene, Sunday, May 24, 2009
As you walk toward Bamberg’s Sandstrasse with its bars, clubs and restaurants, it is hard to miss the smell of burning wood outside a beautiful half-timbered house.
"It’s like a barbecue ham, bacon flavor," Pvt. Joseph Machtemes said, referring to one of the products sold inside the building.
"A lot of people don’t like it the first time they try it, but I thought it was good," added Pvt. Demont Aaron. Both arrived in Bamberg about two weeks ago.
The item the two were talking about was not a pig product. Rather it is one that tourists from around the world come to Bamberg to try.
It is a local brew called Rauchbier — or smoke beer, in English. The beer gets its unique taste by using malted barley dried over an open flame.
After the first sip, your mouth is left with a strong bacon flavor. After a few more sips, you start to enjoy it. It’s the taste that for centuries has been bringing people to the Schlenkerla Rauchbier Brewery, which was founded in 1678. Its tavern, which lies in the shadow of the city’s mighty cathedral, serves the original smoked beer directly from a wooden barrel, just as it has for years.
The name Schlenkerla is derived from the Frankish vernacular, in which schlenkern is an expression for not walking straight. Allegedly one of the former owners had a funny way of walking due to an accident. Or maybe it was due to the beer. Stumbling could be one of the things you find yourself doing if you drink too many of these fermented beers with 13.5 percent original extract, which is equivalent to an alcohol content of 5.1 percent.
To go along with the beer, the brewery serves typical German food in its cozy, wood-beamed dining area.
Ask the friendly waitress what she recommends and you may find yourself eating a giant Fränkische Bierhaxe — a local version of pig’s knuckle that will fill you up. The tavern also serves jellied pork, pork and sauerkraut, beef and horseradish, schnitzels, wurst and salads. For those who want to be sure of what they’re eating before it arrives, the brewery has menus in English.
So if you are looking to experience the historic city of Bamberg to the fullest, make sure you stop by the brewery, because, according to the brewery’s Web site, anyone who does not come here to try the strong, unmistakable taste of Original Schlenkerla Smoked Beer cannot claim to have been to Bamberg.
Historical Tavern Brewery Schlenkerla
Directions: The tavern is at Dominikanerstrasse 6, near the city’s cathedral and the intersection with Oberesandstrasse.
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily; kitchen closes at 10 p.m.
Clientele: Locals, Americans and tourists of all kinds.
Food and drink: Typical German food. Average plates range between 6 and 14 euros. I recommend the Fränkische Bierhaxe. The famous Rauchbier"or Rauchweizen, a smoked Hefeweizen, cost 2.30 euros and 2.45 euros, respectively for a half-liter glass.
English-language menu: Yes
Web site: www.schlenkerla.de, includes an English version.
