Bamberg’s Sandkerwa: A Beer Lover’s Beer Fest

~If you’re in the vicinity of Bamberg this weekend, mark Thursday, 21 August to Monday, 25 August on your calendars!~

Where the Altstadt Becomes a Bierstadt

For five days in late August, Bambergers gather to commemorate the consecration of the tiny Chapel of St. Elisabeth in Bamberg’s Sand Quarter. But that’s just a pretext, for during these five days, the entire Altstadt of Bamberg is turned into an open-air beer hall with music on every square and beer booths on every corner.

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It’s cloudy and drizzly. Not what I had in mind for late August. Yet not even the unseasonable weather can put a damper on Bamberg and its citizens during Sandkerwa.

Sandkerwa. It’s a beer fest that has intrigued me since I first heard about all the Franconian breweries represented, along with beers that can be difficult to come by if the stars don’t align with your visits to the region. I was in Munich a few years back getting ready for a cycling trip through the Hallertau when I found a last-minute deal on a high-speed train ticket that left for Bamberg bright and early and returned in time for a Munich night cap. Game on.

*Kerwa is a Franconian variation of Kirchweih, a parish fair commemorating the dedication of a church.

After wending my way from the train station past Spezial and Fässla, I emerged from the Grüner Markt, crossed the street, and headed toward the Altstadt. I was greeted on my way across the bridge by a spectacle that would lift any beer lover’s spirits. Stalls selling food savoury and sweet lined the Obere Brücke that leads to the Altes Rathaus and beyond. A maypole stood proudly on a barge in the middle of the Regnitz. And beer everywhere.

I pause for a Vollbier from Griess Bräu along the bridge. From there I continue to a booth not far from where the Herrenstrasse begins, order an Eichhhorn Kellerbier, and take my place at a high table to survey the scene. It’s not even noon yet.

The city is alive with the sound of kids playing and adults talking animatedly over beers, all accompanied by the strains of bands playing on makeshift stages sprinkled throughout the Altstadt. Before long, the brass band playing in the tiny shaded square across from where I’m drinking strikes those chords obligatory to all beer fests, Ein Prosit. I make a few new friends. A local high school choir takes the stage after the brass band departs. I finish my beer and head off on my next mini-adventure.

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I sat down recently with Scott Hartbeck of Rails, Ales & Old Towns to record a podcast on beer festivals beyond Oktoberfest. Among other festivals, we talked about Sandkerwa and the Walberlafest. Give it a listen if you have a moment.

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A Strategy of Sorts

As any regular visitor to Franconia knows, it’ll take you ages to sample everything this beer paradise has to offer. That’s where a festival like the Sandkerwa comes in. I’m on the hunt for beers I haven’t tasted yet, but I deviate from my quest when I spy the Huppendorfer awning. I won’t drink all of my faves today, but nor can I let my faves just slip by. After my Huppendorfer, I take a quick stroll through the Altstadt, making a note of breweries whose beers I haven’t tried yet. Sure enough, I find a few.

Unsurprisingly, Bamberg’s breweries are out in force. That’s ten, give or take, for you to try. Beyond the hometown team, here’s a rough tally of breweries, some of which pour more than one of their offerings. If you comb every inch of the Altstadt, you’ll find more.

• Adler-Bräu (Stettfeld)
• Eichhorn (Dörfleins)
• Graser (Huppendorf)
• Griess (Geisfeld)
• Sonne (Bischberg)
• Hummel (Merkendorf)
• Hölzlein (Lohndorf)
• Hönig (Tiefenellern)
• Hübner (Steinfeld-Stadelhofen)
• Kundmüller (Weiher)
• Will (Scherdendorf)
• Zehendner (Mönchsambach)

The Fischerstechen Water Joust, a Sandkerwa Tradition

When I arrived before noon, all the makeshift beer gardens and terraces were already packed for lunch, to say nothing of places like Schlenkerla, Ringlein, and Kachelofen. The streets are thronged by mid-afternoon. People begin spilling out toward the Regnitz, which will soon become the scene of a highly entertaining spectacle, a river joust known as the Fischerstechen.

Bambergers enjoyed the Sandkerwa plenty when it got going in the 1950s. Still, organizers figured it needed something to make it stand out from the hundreds of other Kerwa festivals in the region. They didn’t have to look far. Not only was the Sand district home to the St. Elizabeth Chapel, it was one of Bamberg’s historic fisherman and boatman quarters. These river farers just so happened to have their ancient guild headquarters in the Sand. And they had been staging their Fischerstechen tournament since the Middle Ages.

The first Sandkerwa Fischerstechen was simple. Each boat was crewed by three jousters with poles and someone at the rudder. If a punter was knocked off the flatboat, the next crew member sprang into action till one team prevailed in knocking the opposing team into the drink. These days jousters square off from small planks fastened to the bow of the punt. Onlookers line both banks of the Regnitz, while a brass band plays encouragement for the contestants.

The Best German Beer Fest?

A historic old town closed to cars, festooned with streamers, and provisioned with beer stalls on every corner and in every square. Entertainment that traces its roots to the Middle Ages. And top-notch Franconian beer. Defining the “best” of anything is always a fraught endeavour. But here are a few reasons why you should carve out time to visit the Sandkerwa, which may well become your favourite beer fest.

If you’re a fan of Franconian beer, you’ll love this beer fest. If you don’t know much about Franconian beer but have wanted to find out what all the fuss is about, this is the beer fest for you. In short, this is a beer lover’s beer fest. I can’t think of any German beer festival with a broader selection of beers and breweries. Is it my favourite beer fest? It depends on the day. Ask me about the Walberlafest sometime. Prost!

Last Call: Notable Firsts for Me at the Sandkerwa

Brauerei Will, Schedendorfer Landbier. Will’s copper-mahogany Landbier straddles the intersection of amber and brown, a kind of luminescent Dunkel. You might get notes of raisin bread, baking spice, and Ovaltine. Or perhaps you’ll pick up on walnuts or a cola note. Landbiers are hard to pin down, and that’s the point; they’re not meant to fit neatly into style categories. They invite contemplation, but they’re also sociable. Most are “süffig”—quaffable beers that you can drink with friends without having to give the beer much thought. You’ll probably want another one of these beers so you can decide whether you want to quaff it or contemplate it.

Adler-Bräu (Stettfeld), Altfränkisches Lagerbier. One of the things I love about drinking in beer gardens or at outdoor fests is that the light really flatters the beer, even on a drab day. This amber-tobacco old-style beer is a looker, a visual foretaste of things to come. Like many Franconian beers, there’s a signature minerality that, in the case of this beer, flatters the underlying cocoa, baking spice, hazelnut, sassafras, dark whole-grain bread, and mugi-cha (Japanese barley tea). Creamy carbonation keeps the beer plush and elegant. A top-tier beer.

Odds and Ends

Friday is parade day, followed by the raising of the maypole in the Regnitz River in front of Klein-Venedig (little Venice). Fireworks along the Regnitz mark the end of the festival. The proceedings kick off at different times every day (usually around 1:00 pm on weekdays, 11:00 am on weekends), and go on till the wee hours (1:00 am). Entry is free until 6:00 p.m. After that you need to purchase a festival badge (€3 for anyone older than 14 years of age). Solution: Just go earlier in the day.

You’re probably here for the beer, but take a moment to visit the chapel that occasioned the Sandkerwa. It’s a tiny oasis of calm amid the crowds. And keep your eyes out for a mural near the chapel that depicts the river joust.

Sources

For more info about what’s on the program, check out the Sandkerwa’s official website (in German). The Sandkerwa Festschrift (2024) is a useful source for the history of the fest.

Related Posts

The Walberlafest: A Beer Fest Woven from Legends

How Paulaner’s Salvator Doppelbock Got Its Name

From Horse Races to Beer Steins: Oktoberfest Since 1810

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Photos by Franz D. Hofer

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