A traveler meanders down Bamberg, Germany’s narrow Dominikanerstrasse, named after the Dominican monastery that resided there between 1304 and 1806. Towering above the street on the left, seemingly leaning on neighboring buildings for support, is the Schlenkerla, a world-renowned brewpub that serves up a unique, smoke-flavored beer called Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier (Authentic Schlenkerla Smoke Beer).
Brewers Guild Emblem of Franconia Displayed on the Shingle
Peering upward at the green-shuttered, half-timbered three stories of the building, the traveler notices the artisan sign above the door. Along with a lantern bearing the signature trademark of the most famous of their brews is a six-pointed star, the traditional guild emblem for Franconian brewers.
He also sees a silhouette of a bow-legged man, the original “Schlenkerla,” Andreas Graser. “Schlenkerla” is an old Franconian word meaning “to dangle”. Old Andreas, a brewmaster there from 1877, apparently walked somewhat crookedly, which, in the dialect of the region was called “schlenkern.” Locals soon began calling his establishment the Schlenkerla and the name stuck. It may be no coincidence that a person tipsy from drinking beer was also said to be Schlenkerla.
Heller-Bräu Trum, the Official Name of the Schlenkerla, Smokes the Malt
According to their web site, the Schlenkerla’s official name is Heller-Bräu Trum. The sixth generation of the Trum family brews the beer after the oldest of recipes. Ancient Sumerians and Babylonians brewed beer with the method being perfected by later Germanic tribes. A key step in the process is drying the malted (sprouted) barley, which originally was done over an open fire.
Modern techniques employ a kiln for this process, eliminating smoke from the equation. The Schlenkerla, however, dries its barley over a beechwood fire, thus imparting rich, smoky flavor to the beer. They age beech logs from local forests for three years before using them to dry the malt in their own malthouse in Bamberg.
Bavarian-Style Rooms and Biergarten in the Former Dominican Monastery
Pushing open the heavy green double doors, the traveler enters a small passageway. In good weather he could continue straight through to the courtyard where the seasonal Biergarten (Easter through October) would be in full swing. But he opts for the door on the right, passes the Dominikanerklause, a room that the Dominicans used for their chapel, and enters the Bamberg room, also formerly part of the monastery.
The woodwork is very dark and the room is lit by antlered chandeliers and tall amber bottle-bottom windows. The traveler sits at one of the heavy tables and orders a Seidla (half-liter) of Rauchbier and soon it is in front of him. He sips it, savoring the heavy, smoked flavor. As he warms to the atmosphere, he falls into friendly conversation with the group at the table.
Other German Beers from the Schlenkerla: Märzen, Urbock, Rauchweizen, Helles Lager, Fastenbier, and Eiche
The original Schlenkerla Smokebeer is known as Märzen. It is a dark beer, 5.1 percent alcohol, made with bottom-fermenting yeast and drawn straight from the tap on the oak cask in the tavern. It is also dispensed in a few other pubs in town, and it is exported worldwide in bottles.
Märzen isn’t the only beer the traveler could order at the Schlenkerla. Other brews crafted by the Trums include
- Urbock, stronger than the Märzen (6.5 percent alcohol) and available during the latter part of the year
- Rauchweizen, a wheat version (5.2 percent alcohol), with unsmoked wheat malt blended with the smoked barley
- Helles Lager, a lighter version (4.3 percent alcohol) with a milder smokiness, made with non-smoked malt but in the same copper kettles as the darker version
- Fastenbier, or Lentbeer, an unfiltered version available between Ash Wednesday and Easter
- Eiche (8.0 percent alcohol), new in 2009 for Christmas; the malt is dried by an oakwood fire instead of beechwood
CAMRA's London Beer Festival 2009 Imported Beer of the Festival and Other Awards
The awards continue to accumulate for these beers year after year, and there are far too many to enumerate here. However, some of the more prominent ones include
- Imported Beer of the Festival at CAMRA London Drinker Beer Festival 2009
- CMA Gütesiegel (CMA Honor Award ) for 20 years of constant premium quality, 2003
- CMA Quality Award, every year since 1983
- Großer DLG Preis (Great DLG Award - Gold), 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008
- One of the Top 10 Beers worldwide, Daily Telegraph, U.K., 2009
Located in Bamberg's Historic Altstadt (Old Town), Site of Annual Sandkirchweih Festival
The Schlenkerla is located in the heart of Bamberg where their largest annual festival, Sandkirchweih, is celebrated. at Dominikanerstrasse 6, 96049 Bamberg, Germany. The phone number is +49 (951) 56060. On the web at www.smokebeer.com. Hours daily from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Warm meals served noon til 10:00 p.m., including Bamberg Onions (pork-stuffed onions) and bratwurst with sauerkraut and bread.
Bring Brotzeit (Snack) from Neighboring Bäckerei Seel (Seel Bakery) and Metzgerei Liebold (Liebold Butcher)
When the kitchen is closed (9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.), patrons can participate in the Bamberg coachman’s tradition of bringing a small snack, or Brotzeit, to the pub, possibly a typical hard roll with Leberkäse (something like liverwurst) purchased at the Bäckerei Seel (Seel Bakery) and Metzgerei Liebold (Liebold Butcher) just next door. A fast-food burger would be frowned upon. And of course customers are expected to order a Smokebeer to accompany their meal. The tavern provides plates, forks and knives.
Karren Tolliver - Karren Doll Tolliver is from the Midwest USA and received a BA in English from Mississippi University for Women in 1984. Writing since she ...
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