Bamberg’s Beer Gardens: A Bierkeller for All Seasons

The broad verdant valley north of Nürnberg gradually gives way to hillier terrain covered in woods. There’s gold in them there leafy hills the closer you get to Bamberg. Liquid gold, that is. And liquid amber, bronze, and copper. The spires and steeples of Bamberg may well symbolize the city’s historical power and influence, but it’s those green hills that have long nurtured one of the sources of Bamberg’s wealth: beer.

Those leafy precincts are a welcome midsummer respite for anyone who’s energy has flagged after a day of imbibing Bamberg’s cultural, artistic, and literary side. Historically, the rock cellars beneath these shaded canopies were ideal places for brewing and maturing beer. And Bamberg’s hilly topography was perfect for cellars.

A Sip of Beer Garden History

In the centuries before the invention of refrigeration, beer cellars enabled brewers to store their beer during the months they weren’t brewing, ensuring a steady supply of stable beer during the summer months. Brewers packed their cellars with ice blocks hewed in early spring from the still-frozen ponds and lakes of the region to keep their beer cool through the warmer months. Those brewers whose cellars weren’t already beneath a stand of trees planted broad-leafed horse chestnuts as a further way of keeping the temperature of their cellars cool.

The cellars themselves existed long before they were used for brewing and lagering beer. Bamberg was a wine city until the Little Ice Age spelled the end of the industry in the seventeenth century. By that point, brewers were well aware that cellars were ideal for beer and happily began displacing vintners from the hills around Bamberg. The earliest recorded use of these cellars for beer storage dates to 1697.

Almost half a century passed before the intrepid Hans Kauer put two and two together, realizing that the shady ground above his cellars was also an ideal place for beer drinkers to enjoy a fresh draft from the source. That happened in 1739.* It wasn’t long before the majority of Bamberg’s brewers began setting up tables and chairs and serving their beer from the shaded groves atop their cellars, or Bierkeller.

*This was a significant date in the history of beer gardens in Bamberg. The 16-pfennig “well spring tax” that Kauer had to pay for “opening up his cellars and serving beer” is the first official mention of beer gardens in Bamberg (Fiedler, 18).

Beer Cellars: It’s Why Franconians Call Beer Gardens Bierkellers

You’re certain to come across the word Bierkeller, or beer cellar, at some point in your beer travels. It’s a term that confuses tourists and even northern Germans surprised to learn that a Bierkeller isn’t a tavern in a cellar. In a curious linguistic twist that reveals much about the historical origins of beer gardens, Bavarians (and Franconians in particular) do not go “in den Keller” (into the cellar), but rather “auf den Keller” (atop the cellar) for their summer refreshments. (To the chagrin of my Franconian friends, I’ll use the term beer garden, beer cellar, and Bierkeller interchangeably.)

The Bierkeller rapidly became a popular summer leisure destination away from the hustle and bustle of the city. By the 1850s, Bamberg was home to forty-two beer cellars dug into its hills and riverbanks above the Regnitz, many of them home to beer gardens. It’s difficult to imagine today, but beer cellars once lined the Oberer Stephansberg lane like a forest reaching from just above the old town all the way up the hill to the Wilde Rose Keller. Only the Wilde Rose Keller and the Spezial-Keller remain from this golden age of beer cellars on the Stephansberg, along with a few other inviting beer gardens sprinkled throughout the city.

Spezial-Keller: A Year-Round View of Bamberg’s Spires

First, that view! In spring and summer, the old town of Bamberg is like a painted backdrop of green foliage, red-tiled roofs, grey churches, and the soft colours of sandstone. In winter the church spires stand out all the more sharply against the sky, like an etching of a medieval townscape.

Spezial-Keller isn’t as densely shaded as some beer gardens that feel like they’re deep in a primal forest. Instead, the loosely woven canopy of maple leaves lets in plenty of dappled sunlight, which lends Spezial-Keller an airy lightness perfect for relaxing afternoons.

The approach up the Stephansberg is designed as if to heighten anticipation. Each step along the hedgerow skirting the meadow spreading out beneath Spezial brings you closer to the beer garden citadel on the crest of the ridge. Angle for one of the front-row seats with a view over the city. If that doesn’t work out, find a spot in the main garden, which gently slopes away from the whitewashed Ausschank on several terraces. During the cooler months, you enter near the observatory at the top of the hill. Head into the small Wirtshaus to order your Rauchbier and then huddle together with your drinking companions near the enclosed fire pits on the terrace outside and watch the snow fall.

Keep an eye out along the far southwestern edge of the garden for the cask elevator that once hauled barrels up from the cellar 23 meters below. Back in the day, the occasional careless cellarman lost control of his casks while unloading the precious cargo at the top of the elevator. These errant barrels would plummet back down the shaft with an ungodly racket, shattering to pieces below. Alas.

The Spezial-Keller serves up all the standards of the Brauerei Spezial in the city below. The food is an on-point mix of hearty Franconian fare and healthier options. If you’re feeling a bit full from all that rich Franconian food, opt for the tasty spinach strudel in cream sauce.

The Spezial-Keller would find its way onto any Top 10 list of German beer gardens. Winter or summer, it’s a drinking experience you won’t soon forget.

• Address: Sternwartstrasse 8, 96049 Bamberg
• Tel: (0951) 54887

Wilde Rose Keller: One of the Last Classic Bierkellers in Bamberg

A short walk farther up the lane from Spezial-Keller, the idyllic Wilde Rose Keller is everything you’d expect from a classic beer garden. The atmosphere is calming forest green, shadier than Spezial-Keller, like entering the woods. Pebbles crunch underfoot, knick-knacks like old keg fillers and stacks of empty casks line the periphery, and potted plants and flower boxes mark off more intimate spaces amid the majestic trees. Its grounds are ample, large enough to seat 1500 with enough room left over for a playground for the kids. An ornate early twentieth-century wooden loggia provides shelter in the event of inclement weather. If you look closely enough at the intricate woodwork, you’ll notice the six-pointed brewers’ star carved at regular intervals in the corners of the lattices.

Last call invariably arrives while you’re dreamily absorbing the last rays of the sunset glimmering through the leaves. The cool evening breeze picks up slightly as night falls, rustling gently through the grove. There’s still time for another mug to relax and enjoy the sounds of laughter, the antics of the kids kicking up a storm of pebbles while merrily tearing forth between the tables, and the murmur of conversation punctuated by the clinking of glasses.

Though Wilde Rose no longer brews its own beer — the brewhouse closed down in 1971 — it still offers a Kellerbier “brewed by a notable Upper Franconian brewery.” Speculation abounds as to which brewery that is. At any rate, you can also find Aecht Schlenkerla’s Märzen, Keesmann’s Herren Pils, and the occasional seasonal like Brauerei Reh’s Maibock from nearby Litzendorf. The Ausschank dishes up Franconian classics like Zwetschgenbames, Pressack, Dosenfleisch, and Ziebelskäs.

• Address: Oberer Stephansberg 49, 96049 Bamberg.
• Tel: (0951) 57691

A Riverside Beer Garden: The Bootshaus im Hain

Down the Stephansberg and on the other side of the Regnitz River, the Boothaus im Hain makes for a pleasant stroll along parts of the former Ludwig Canal connecting the Danube in Kehlheim with the Main River just north of Bamberg. After passing a few locks and crossing a foot bridge or two in the woods of Hain Park, you’ll come upon the boathouse of the local rowing club. The buzz of conversation and the clinking of glasses is a sure sign that a beer garden’s nearby. And there it is, right next to the boathouse, its riverside setting hard to beat. If it’s a warm sunny day, don’t go there expecting a contemplative drink while gazing at the wooded bank on the other side of the languidly flowing Regnitz. They really pack the tables in here (the word “sardine” comes to mind), so you absolutely will get a chance to practice your German. Every time I visit, I meet someone who’s a regular. Some regulars come from as far away as Würzburg in the wine-producing region of Franconia.

Food is to the right of the enclosed square garden when you enter, beer to the left. Victuals are classic Franconian, but the food stand also serves up tasty cakes. The beer counter serves a range of Brauerei Kundmüller’s delicious Weiherer beers, including the lager, pils, Weizen, Bio-Zwickerla Dunkles, and Urstöffla Dunkles. Aecht Schlenkerla’s Märzen is also on tap, should you want to continue with the local Rauchbier theme.

The Weiherer Lager is a beer garden classic. A whiff of sulfur minerality mingles with a lightly honeyed Pils malt character reminiscent of freshly mown meadows, while mild hopping contributes floral, spicy, and herbal fragrances and flavours. If you’re looking for something with more malt character, the refreshing Weiherer Bio-Zwickerla Dunkel offers light toast, Swiss milk caramel, a dusting of cocoa, and a distinct bread dough yeast note.

• Address: Mühlwörth 18a, 96047 Bamberg
• Website: https://bootshaus-restaurant.de/
• Tel: (0951) 24485

Fässla Keller, the Quintessential Neighbourhood Beer Garden

Once the tavern tap and beer garden of the now-defunct Brauerei Maisel (not to be confused with Maisel in Bayreuth), the Fässla Keller is a cozy neighbourhood beer garden in a residential area to the east of the center. A few maples and a blend of young and mature horse chestnut trees provide ample shade and shelter, while a green five-foot fence keeps life on the street at bay. You’ll find rainy-day seating under a covered brick and dark timber gallery. The exceptionally friendly service staff slings a selection of beers from Brauerei Fässla. All in all, Fässla Keller is an unassuming spot to wind down after a long day of sightseeing, or as a way to begin an afternoon and evening of drinking that takes in nearby Mahrs, Keesmann, or Café Abseits. (Note, June 2023: After an ownership change during the pandemic, the late, great Cafe Abseits closed its doors in August 2022.)

• Address: Moostrasse 32, 96050 Bamberg
• Website: www.faessla.de/gaststaetten/faesslakeller
• Tel: (0951) 91708182

Altenburg: The Castle on the Horizon

Altenburg graces the top of Bamberg’s tallest hill. The hike from the old town takes you up gentle hills through urban farms, orchards, and woodlands before rising more steeply. After a short climb through a shady forest, there it is before you, larger than life, that impressive medieval fortress that sometimes seems to be a mirage on the horizon. The castle was built in the tenth century by the Babenbergs, and served as the residence of Bamberg’s prince-bishops for several centuries. It has also housed such artistic luminaries as Albrecht Dürer and E.T.A. Hoffmann.

The first time I made the trek was during the fall. I stayed awhile to enjoy the play of late afternoon light etching the castle against the pale blue autumn sky, then climbed the ramparts for a view of the green valley spreading out to the south. Before heading back into town, I spied orange beer garden furniture stacked up along one of the buildings, ready to be spirited away for winter storage.

A few years later and in the height of spring bloom, I took a different route up to the Altenburg, this time from Greifenklau’s beer garden. And there they were again, those orange beer garden benches and tables. But this time they were ranged around the grounds in the shadow of majestic trees and medieval towers, seating hikers and day-trippers who had stopped in for liquid refreshment — the perfect spot for a beer in an open-air setting that takes you back nearly a millennium. The Gaststätte Altenburg serves up beers from Mahrs, and wheat beers from Maisel’s in Bayreuth.

• Address: Altenburg 1, 96049 Bamberg.
• Website: www.restaurant-altenburg.de/
• Tel: (0951) 56828

Breweries and Taverns with Beer Gardens and Courtyards

Other places for a drink in the shade include Greifenklau, a perennial favourite atop one of Bamberg’s centuries-old cellars. Bonus points for the stellar view of the Altenburg castle. Mahrs Bräu also has a small beer garden in front of its Wirtshaus, and Brauerei Spezial sets out a few seats and tables in its brewery courtyard. Last but not least, Aecht Schlenkerla has a small cobblestone courtyard garden tucked away in the shadow of the Dominican church behind its tavern.

***

Bamberg is also an ideal base for a visit to both the St. Georgen-Bräu Bierkeller and Löwenbräu Bierkeller in Buttenheim. It’s also close to the Kellerwald, a forest of beer gardens in Forchheim, and the Kellerstraße in Unterhaid, a recently restored leisure area featuring an old-school bowling alley and more than twenty cellars cut into the banks of a cobblestone lane.

Sources

Bastian Böttner and Markus Raupach, 100 Biergarten-Ausflüge für Familien und Entdecker (Verlag Nürnberger Presse, 2016).

John Conen, Bamberg and Franconia: A Guide to Beers, Breweries, and Pubs, 2^nd ed. (Suffolk: Lavenham Press, 2010).

Karl Gattinger, Genuss mit Geschichte: Reisen zu bayrischen Denkmälern — Brauhäuser, Bierkeller, Hopfen und Malz (Munich: Volk Verlag, 2016).

Christian Fiedler, Bamberg: Die wahre Hauptstadt des Bieres, 3^rd ed. (Bamberg: Bamberger Bier, 2007).

Images by Franz D. Hofer

Related articles

Munich’s Beer Gardens East and West of the Isar

A Beer in the Park: Beer Gardens in Munich’s English Garden

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Beer: Bamberg and Its Breweries

©2020 Franz D. Hofer and A Tempest in a Tankard. All rights reserved.