A beer pilgrimage through Bavaria and Prague - Trip Report
Aug 28th, 2011, 03:27 AM
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A beer pilgrimage through Bavaria and Prague - Trip Report
Here begins the tale of our beer pilgrimage through Bavaria and Prague. My husband said that he wanted to spend his 40th birthday in Munich, sitting in a beer garden, so we planned a trip around that goal. The beers we tried are rated using the following system:
- If this was the only beer available, I’d claim to be on medication and not able to drink.
-/+ Drinkable, but wouldn’t choose it given other choices.
+ Quite good
+’ Damned good
++ I’d cross an ocean to drink this beer.
Fortunately we did not encounter any beers with a "-" rating on this trip - not a truely bad beer to be found. I did spend a reasonable amount of the trip discussing American craft brews with people though - not all American beer is a "-", contrary to many people's beliefs. Just doing my part to increase global awareness about the quality beer that we do brew in the US. We all to what we can to further cultural understanding across the globe, right?
Warning - if you do no enjoy beer, stop reading NOW. This trip report is not for you. Otherwise, proceed at your own risk.
August 12 and 13 – Friday and Saturday - Days 1 and 2:
We flew from SFO to FRA, arriving in FRA just before 10 am. We rented a car through Hertz and were on our way to Bamberg. The drive was fine – some sections on the Autobahn, which were great. Lots of fast German cars and race track-style driving. We spent most of our time in the slow lanes doing about 120-130 km/hr, feeling like slow pokes. There was a lot of construction on the highways though, a theme that we saw throughout Germany. It seems that the Germans are heading off high unemployment and deeper recession by building, rebuilding, and revising.
Our first stop of the trip was Bamberg, where we stayed 3 nights. Bamberg is an absolutely wonderful town. Narrow streets lined with half-timbered buildings, a picturesque river, and of course the iconic town hall – oh, and beer. Let’s not forget the beer.
We didn’t start off in Bamberg very well though. Our hotel – Barock Hotel Am Dom – was in the middle of the Altstadt, very well located unless you are trying to arrive by car on a Saturday afternoon. Some of the streets were blocked to cars, so we had to find an alternate route to the hotel. We got within about 100 meters, but couldn’t seem to get any closer. There were tons of pedestrians and it was difficult to tell where the driving streets were and where the pedestrian streets were. Eventually with the help of some people, we made it to the hotel. A note for future travel – when we have a car, choose a hotel on the edge of the old town center, not in the middle.
The hotel Barock Am Dom is wonderful. (http://www.barockhotel.de/). We paid 110 euro/night including breakfast and parking. Our room was on the top floor and was quite spacious and airy with 2 dormer windows overlooking the street and the Dom. The décor is minimal, but everything is very clean and comfortable. Breakfast was good – standard German breakfast fare, good quality and plentiful.
After arrival at the hotel and a shower and change, we went out for a walk around town and a late lunch/early dinner. We were pretty tired, but it was only about 3 or 4 in the afternoon and we wanted to make sure we stayed up to adjust to the local time.
We had our first meal at a place called Zum Domreiter – chosen because it was close to the hotel and served Schlenkerla Rauchbier, which was the motivation for traveling to Bamberg in the first place. The food was fine, but the beer was divine. The restaurant is on a corner with seating inside and outside – due to large windows, the inside seats also had good views.
After a couple beers, we wandered around the town for a while and then around sunset stopped at a place called Stillbunch on Ober Sandstrasse for another beer and some people watching. We tried the Rauchbier from Brauerei Spezial which was good. Then back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep after a long day.
Beers for Day 2:
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier ++
Brauerei Spezial Rauchbier +
August 14 –Sunday - Day 3:
This was our main sightseeing day for Bamberg. In the morning we took a walk around the Altstadt to see the town hall, the river, and various buildings there. Then we went to the Domplatz, which is the large square on a hill in the middle of the Altstadt which contains the Dom, the Old Court, and the Residenz. We took a guided tour of the Residenz for 4.5E each. It was in German, but brochures in other languages are provided, so it is worthwhile even for those who don’t speak German. The Residenz is quite interesting with plenty of original décor and furnishings. There is also a rose garden, which can be visited for free – beautiful garden with great views of the town. After morning services were over, we visited the cathedral, which was quite beautiful.
For lunch, we went to Ambrausuarium on Dominikanerstrasse. Their beer was ok. We tried the Helles and also got a Radler because it was a very warm day.
After lunch we walked around a bit and then climbed the hill to Michael’s church and visited the church and the Franconian Beer Museum (3E each). The beer museum was really interesting. All of the information is in German, but it was still need to see the displays, look at the machinery and tools, and the old pictures – along with all the beer memorabilia.
There is a café at the top of the hill, behind the church, with nice shade trees and a nice view, so we stopped for a snack. I had a wonderful cake and cup of tea, my husband had a Kapuzinger Dunkelweisen, which was very good. We relaxed at the café for a while, but then a storm came in. Lots of thunder and lightning and wind, then lots of rain. We sheltered in the restaurant nearby until the rain decreased to a drizzle and then walked back to the hotel where we waited out the rest of the rain. Walking through the rainy streets back to the hotel was magical – hardly anyone was out and everything was very quiet except for the light rain.
For dinner we went to Aecht Schlenkerla, which was great – really great. There is a small beer garden in the back, but it was closed from the rain, so we ate inside – interesting interiors with medieval-looking rooms. And the food was really good, hearty German fare. We had Rauchbier Marzen and Rauchbier weisen – both were excellent. There is also a window were you can order beer directly and people hang out and drink in the entryway of the restaurant and also out front in the street. The rain had stopped, so we joined the people in the street and hung out with our beers until late in the evening.
Beers for Day 3:
Ambrausiarium Helles -/+
Ambrausiarium Radler +
Kapuzinger Dunkelweisen +
Schlenkerla Rauchbier Wiesen ++
Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen ++
August 15 –Monday - Day 4:
Originally we had planned to take the car and do a day trip this day, but after the challenges we had driving to the hotel originally, neither of us was interested in extra driving in Bamberg. The weather was also iffy, so we decided to stay in Bamberg and see more of the town. Being Monday, a lot of the tourist-type attractions were closed, so we walked around a lot to see more of the town. We walked toward the larger river closer to the Bahnhof, which has a nice walking and biking path along its banks and some interesting bridges across. We probably walked 5-7 km that morning. We also walked along the river that goes through the Altstadt and did a little shopping. Bamberg is a very picturesque and charming town.
For lunch we went to Klosterbrau on Ober Muhlbruke. It is tucked away around the corner on a very small side street, but definitely worth the effort to find. The food was very good and they have nice tables for sitting out. The Klosterbrau Schwartzbier is excellent.
Dinner was at the Bamberger Hof on Karolinenstrasse, near the town hall. We chose this restaurant for the people-watching opportunities from the tables out front. The food turned out to be really good too. It was also pricier, but that is probably due in large part to its location near the town hall. I broke with the theme of the trip and had a glass of Riesling, which was quite good. My husband had a Kloster Scheyern.
Beers for Day 4:
Klosterbrau Schwartzbier ++
Klosterbrau Helles +
Kloster Scheyern Dopplebock Dunkel +’
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen ++
Stay tuned - next up, Aufsess and the Brauereinweg, then onto Munich...
- If this was the only beer available, I’d claim to be on medication and not able to drink.
-/+ Drinkable, but wouldn’t choose it given other choices.
+ Quite good
+’ Damned good
++ I’d cross an ocean to drink this beer.
Fortunately we did not encounter any beers with a "-" rating on this trip - not a truely bad beer to be found. I did spend a reasonable amount of the trip discussing American craft brews with people though - not all American beer is a "-", contrary to many people's beliefs. Just doing my part to increase global awareness about the quality beer that we do brew in the US. We all to what we can to further cultural understanding across the globe, right?
Warning - if you do no enjoy beer, stop reading NOW. This trip report is not for you. Otherwise, proceed at your own risk.
August 12 and 13 – Friday and Saturday - Days 1 and 2:
We flew from SFO to FRA, arriving in FRA just before 10 am. We rented a car through Hertz and were on our way to Bamberg. The drive was fine – some sections on the Autobahn, which were great. Lots of fast German cars and race track-style driving. We spent most of our time in the slow lanes doing about 120-130 km/hr, feeling like slow pokes. There was a lot of construction on the highways though, a theme that we saw throughout Germany. It seems that the Germans are heading off high unemployment and deeper recession by building, rebuilding, and revising.
Our first stop of the trip was Bamberg, where we stayed 3 nights. Bamberg is an absolutely wonderful town. Narrow streets lined with half-timbered buildings, a picturesque river, and of course the iconic town hall – oh, and beer. Let’s not forget the beer.
We didn’t start off in Bamberg very well though. Our hotel – Barock Hotel Am Dom – was in the middle of the Altstadt, very well located unless you are trying to arrive by car on a Saturday afternoon. Some of the streets were blocked to cars, so we had to find an alternate route to the hotel. We got within about 100 meters, but couldn’t seem to get any closer. There were tons of pedestrians and it was difficult to tell where the driving streets were and where the pedestrian streets were. Eventually with the help of some people, we made it to the hotel. A note for future travel – when we have a car, choose a hotel on the edge of the old town center, not in the middle.
The hotel Barock Am Dom is wonderful. (http://www.barockhotel.de/). We paid 110 euro/night including breakfast and parking. Our room was on the top floor and was quite spacious and airy with 2 dormer windows overlooking the street and the Dom. The décor is minimal, but everything is very clean and comfortable. Breakfast was good – standard German breakfast fare, good quality and plentiful.
After arrival at the hotel and a shower and change, we went out for a walk around town and a late lunch/early dinner. We were pretty tired, but it was only about 3 or 4 in the afternoon and we wanted to make sure we stayed up to adjust to the local time.
We had our first meal at a place called Zum Domreiter – chosen because it was close to the hotel and served Schlenkerla Rauchbier, which was the motivation for traveling to Bamberg in the first place. The food was fine, but the beer was divine. The restaurant is on a corner with seating inside and outside – due to large windows, the inside seats also had good views.
After a couple beers, we wandered around the town for a while and then around sunset stopped at a place called Stillbunch on Ober Sandstrasse for another beer and some people watching. We tried the Rauchbier from Brauerei Spezial which was good. Then back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep after a long day.
Beers for Day 2:
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier ++
Brauerei Spezial Rauchbier +
August 14 –Sunday - Day 3:
This was our main sightseeing day for Bamberg. In the morning we took a walk around the Altstadt to see the town hall, the river, and various buildings there. Then we went to the Domplatz, which is the large square on a hill in the middle of the Altstadt which contains the Dom, the Old Court, and the Residenz. We took a guided tour of the Residenz for 4.5E each. It was in German, but brochures in other languages are provided, so it is worthwhile even for those who don’t speak German. The Residenz is quite interesting with plenty of original décor and furnishings. There is also a rose garden, which can be visited for free – beautiful garden with great views of the town. After morning services were over, we visited the cathedral, which was quite beautiful.
For lunch, we went to Ambrausuarium on Dominikanerstrasse. Their beer was ok. We tried the Helles and also got a Radler because it was a very warm day.
After lunch we walked around a bit and then climbed the hill to Michael’s church and visited the church and the Franconian Beer Museum (3E each). The beer museum was really interesting. All of the information is in German, but it was still need to see the displays, look at the machinery and tools, and the old pictures – along with all the beer memorabilia.
There is a café at the top of the hill, behind the church, with nice shade trees and a nice view, so we stopped for a snack. I had a wonderful cake and cup of tea, my husband had a Kapuzinger Dunkelweisen, which was very good. We relaxed at the café for a while, but then a storm came in. Lots of thunder and lightning and wind, then lots of rain. We sheltered in the restaurant nearby until the rain decreased to a drizzle and then walked back to the hotel where we waited out the rest of the rain. Walking through the rainy streets back to the hotel was magical – hardly anyone was out and everything was very quiet except for the light rain.
For dinner we went to Aecht Schlenkerla, which was great – really great. There is a small beer garden in the back, but it was closed from the rain, so we ate inside – interesting interiors with medieval-looking rooms. And the food was really good, hearty German fare. We had Rauchbier Marzen and Rauchbier weisen – both were excellent. There is also a window were you can order beer directly and people hang out and drink in the entryway of the restaurant and also out front in the street. The rain had stopped, so we joined the people in the street and hung out with our beers until late in the evening.
Beers for Day 3:
Ambrausiarium Helles -/+
Ambrausiarium Radler +
Kapuzinger Dunkelweisen +
Schlenkerla Rauchbier Wiesen ++
Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen ++
August 15 –Monday - Day 4:
Originally we had planned to take the car and do a day trip this day, but after the challenges we had driving to the hotel originally, neither of us was interested in extra driving in Bamberg. The weather was also iffy, so we decided to stay in Bamberg and see more of the town. Being Monday, a lot of the tourist-type attractions were closed, so we walked around a lot to see more of the town. We walked toward the larger river closer to the Bahnhof, which has a nice walking and biking path along its banks and some interesting bridges across. We probably walked 5-7 km that morning. We also walked along the river that goes through the Altstadt and did a little shopping. Bamberg is a very picturesque and charming town.
For lunch we went to Klosterbrau on Ober Muhlbruke. It is tucked away around the corner on a very small side street, but definitely worth the effort to find. The food was very good and they have nice tables for sitting out. The Klosterbrau Schwartzbier is excellent.
Dinner was at the Bamberger Hof on Karolinenstrasse, near the town hall. We chose this restaurant for the people-watching opportunities from the tables out front. The food turned out to be really good too. It was also pricier, but that is probably due in large part to its location near the town hall. I broke with the theme of the trip and had a glass of Riesling, which was quite good. My husband had a Kloster Scheyern.
Beers for Day 4:
Klosterbrau Schwartzbier ++
Klosterbrau Helles +
Kloster Scheyern Dopplebock Dunkel +’
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen ++
Stay tuned - next up, Aufsess and the Brauereinweg, then onto Munich...
Aug 28th, 2011, 04:43 AM
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Great report. Good rating scheme. Your penchant for rauchbier, however, leaves me cold, the only beer in all our travels that my husband even had to leave on the table almost full. I know it's an acquired taste, but there are sure a lot of others I'd choose to acquire first. Anyway, carry on. This is fun.
Aug 28th, 2011, 05:22 AM
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I herewith declare myself guilty of liking Rauchbier a lot! (From the very beginning, not "acquired".) But when it comes to Rauchbier, there is either love or hate, indifference seems to be impossible.
november_moon, your report is enjoyable. Please continue. I'm particularly interested in that Brauereiweg, I remember the discussions about it a while ago when you planned the trip.
november_moon, your report is enjoyable. Please continue. I'm particularly interested in that Brauereiweg, I remember the discussions about it a while ago when you planned the trip.
Aug 28th, 2011, 05:39 AM
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great report and I like the rating system.
I am another that dislikes the smoked beers not too keen on wheat beers either ,but each to their own and trying different stuff is all part of the travelling experience.
Looking forward to the Czech part of your report where i have a great deal more experience of.
I am another that dislikes the smoked beers not too keen on wheat beers either ,but each to their own and trying different stuff is all part of the travelling experience.
Looking forward to the Czech part of your report where i have a great deal more experience of.
Aug 28th, 2011, 09:31 AM
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Enjoying your trip report, please continue! I am not into Rauchbier, either. Prefer wine anytime over beer, btw 
Bamberg - agree that it is a very picturesque, lovely town. One of my favourites. Didn't know about the beer museum.
"It seems that the Germans are heading off high unemployment and deeper recession by building, rebuilding, and revising." Recession? Which recession? Germany wasn't hit much by the recession. Unemployment didn't go up significantly.
Bamberg - agree that it is a very picturesque, lovely town. One of my favourites. Didn't know about the beer museum.
"It seems that the Germans are heading off high unemployment and deeper recession by building, rebuilding, and revising." Recession? Which recession? Germany wasn't hit much by the recession. Unemployment didn't go up significantly.
Aug 28th, 2011, 09:59 AM
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I am glad you guys are enjoying the report - there is more to come.
For me, the rauchbier was love at first taste. Several years back we were in Nuremburg and my husband ordered one at this little place opposite the castle. The waiter hung around to see how we liked it - probably because it is either a love it or hate it sort of thing. One taste and I was sold. The waiter told us where it came from, so we decided Bamberg was on our list for the next Germany trip.
I am also a big fan of wheat beers, but not the American wheats - they tend to be on the bland side. I've found a lot of German, Czech, and Belgian wheats that I like.
It's good to hear that the recession didn't affect Germany as much as the rest of the world - perhaps we should figure out what they've been doing that the rest of us haven't.
For me, the rauchbier was love at first taste. Several years back we were in Nuremburg and my husband ordered one at this little place opposite the castle. The waiter hung around to see how we liked it - probably because it is either a love it or hate it sort of thing. One taste and I was sold. The waiter told us where it came from, so we decided Bamberg was on our list for the next Germany trip.
I am also a big fan of wheat beers, but not the American wheats - they tend to be on the bland side. I've found a lot of German, Czech, and Belgian wheats that I like.
It's good to hear that the recession didn't affect Germany as much as the rest of the world - perhaps we should figure out what they've been doing that the rest of us haven't.
Aug 28th, 2011, 10:31 AM
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August 16–Tuesday - Day 5:
This was the day for our Brewereienweg in Ausfess to become honorary Franconian beer drinkers (http://www.aufsess.de/brauereienweg_en.php).
Aufsess is an area about 45 minutes to an hour outside Bamberg, and very picturesque – and the reason we had the car in the first place. Public transportation to this area is difficult.
There are lots of walking and hiking trails through the area – our chosen path was a 14 km loop that goes to 4 breweries. We started at Brauerei-Gasthof Reichold in Hochstahl, which is where we would spend the night. We took the route counter-clockwise so that the longest legs were at the beginning of the day.
We started about 11 am and walked the 5km to Brauerei Stadter in Sachendorf. The walk was great – through forests and around fields, all the while following the path markers for our route. Turns out Breuerei Stadter was closed! Ach!!! We never learned why – Mondays were supposed to be their day of rest, not Tuesdays. We were so disheartened, but we continued on to Aufsess itself.
The walk between Sachendorf and Aufsess is another 5km and is the most picturesque leg of the journey. The route goes through the woods, along a nice little stream, and through a couple villages. By the time we arrived at Gasthof Rothenbach in Ausfess, we were famished. It was just after 1pm, so the 10 km walk took us about 2 hours, maybe 2 1/2.
Gasthof Rothenbach (http://www.brauereigasthof-rothenbach.de) is connected to the Brauerei Aufsesser and has an outside seating area where you can drink beer and have lunch. It smelled wonderful there – the smell of the beer brewing definitely added to the experience. And the beer was wonderful. We each had 2 in order to make up for the previous brewery. We had both the Pils and the Dunkel, which were our favorites of those types thus far. The food was really good too.
Next up was Kathe Brau in Hackenhof, which was a short walk from Aufsess – maybe 20-30 minutes. This is a really neat place sort of tucked away in a little valley next to a small village. They have plenty of outside space with umbrellas to enjoy the beer, as well as some covered patio space, which came in handy when it started to rain. I don’t know if there was a special thing going on, or if this is a normal thing, but the brewery is very popular with motorcyclists and they even had special covered parking for the motorcycles. It was a busy place with a fun crowd. Because it was chilly and kind of raining, we both had the Dunkel at Kathe Brau – and then because it was still raining, we each had a second beer.
Once the rain let up, we set off on the last leg of the walk back to Brauerei-Gasthof Rechold in Hochstadt. The walk was pretty – more forests and fields. It took us another 45 minutes or so. I was pretty tired by the end of the day, but the walk was great and I am really glad that we took the time to do it.
Brauerei-Gasthof Reichold (www.reichold.de) is a neat little place. It is a family-run brewery in a small little town. They have a restaurant with inside and outside seating and several rooms upstairs for guests. There is also an RV campground in the back.
When we arrived, we found many of the people that we had seen throughout the day on the walk sitting outside having their beers. We were greeted warmly – everyone happy to see everyone else completing the walk.
We checked in with the family and went to our room. The room was reasonably spacious and very comfortable – probably the most comfortable beds of the whole trip. Someone has taken a lot of care with designing the guest rooms.
We had beers and dinner downstairs, and saw more people come in after completing the walk. Again, it was a nice crowd and a great atmosphere. I had a Weissbier and my husband had a Dunkel – both were excellent. It is hard to come by a bad beer there.
Beers for Day 5:
Aufsesser Bier – Pils ++
Aufsesser Bier – Dunkel ++
Kathe Brau – Dunkel +’
Brauerei Reichold – Weisbier +
Brauerei Reichold – Dunkel +
August 17 – Wednesday - Day 6:
This was the day we left Franconia for Munich. We drove through the Franconian hills to get to the Autobahn A9, which was a gorgeous drive. I believe it was Road 22 that we took, which meandered through the mountains along a river, past many resort towns. I would like to spend more time in the area on a future trip.
Along the way to Munich after getting on A9, we stopped in Ingolstadt for a couple hours for lunch and wandering around. We thought that Ingolstadt was ok, but I think that upon further exploration, it would prove to be more interesting. We parked the car in a carpark and wandered around awhile toward the town hall – the town hall was getting a facelift, so lots of scaffolding. The platz in front of the town hall was pretty uninspired too. But it looked like there were some more interesting areas along the smaller lanes.
Lunch was at Weisbrauhaus zum Herrnbrau. I was driving, so I had apfelschorle, but my husband had the Herrenbrau Hefe-weiss bier Dunkel, which was really good.
We arrived at Munich airport about 3 to return the car and then took the S-Bahn into the city center. We checked into the Motel One Sendlinger Tor (http://motel-one-sendlinger-tor.h-rez.com/index.htm), which was fine. We chose it based on location and price, which were both excellent. The location is practically on top of the Sendlinger Tor U-Bahn station, a 5 minute walk from the Karlstor station, and a 10 minute walk to Marienplatz. There are also plenty of small restaurants and shops in the area. The hotel itself was just ok though. They’ve done a lot to make it look good, but they clearly chose form over function. I would definitely choose less décor for more functional rooms. Our room was very small – I kept bumping the TV when skirting the bed to get to my side. There also wasn’t any room for the luggage, so we had to keep our suitcases on the floor under the window which then meant that the small closet was in accessible.
In the evening, we took the Beer Tour with Munich Walks (http://www.munichwalktours.de), which was a lot of fun. We met in the Marienplatz, which was overrun with football fans – Zurich was playing Bayern Muenchen and the Zurich fans had descended. The football hooligans were out in force, and the police were out in force too. Other than a bunch of broken beer bottles, I think things were fine though.
The tour went to the Vicktuleinmarkt, then to the Augustinerbrau next to the Frauenkirche. At Augustinerbrau we each had a beer – I got the Helles and my husband got the Dunkel – both excellent as always. This is where the tour really came together and we all had a chance to chat and get to know one another. It was a good group of people.
Next we took the U-Bahn to Gotheplatz station to the Paulaner Brewery for a tour and some samples. This part of the tour was quite informative about the brewing process. They have a nice outside area where we spent quite a while sampling the beer. Paulaner isn't my favorite, but the tour of the brewery made the stop worth it.
The final stop of the tour was the Hofbrauhaus, which is a must-visit, of course. There we had the Hofbrau Helles, which is good.
After the official tour, we hung out at the Hofbrauhaus for more beer and some food until closing. We got to know the guide a bit more – he was excellent. We also got to know the other people on the tour more and ended up hanging out with some of them later into the evening. Overall, it was a really fun evening – great tour and really good start to our time in Munich.
Beers for Day 6:
Herrenbrau Hefe-weiss Bier Dunkel +’
Augustiner – Helles ++
Augustiner – Dunkel ++
Paulaner Helles -/+
Paulaner Dunkel +
Hofbrau Helles +
This was the day for our Brewereienweg in Ausfess to become honorary Franconian beer drinkers (http://www.aufsess.de/brauereienweg_en.php).
Aufsess is an area about 45 minutes to an hour outside Bamberg, and very picturesque – and the reason we had the car in the first place. Public transportation to this area is difficult.
There are lots of walking and hiking trails through the area – our chosen path was a 14 km loop that goes to 4 breweries. We started at Brauerei-Gasthof Reichold in Hochstahl, which is where we would spend the night. We took the route counter-clockwise so that the longest legs were at the beginning of the day.
We started about 11 am and walked the 5km to Brauerei Stadter in Sachendorf. The walk was great – through forests and around fields, all the while following the path markers for our route. Turns out Breuerei Stadter was closed! Ach!!! We never learned why – Mondays were supposed to be their day of rest, not Tuesdays. We were so disheartened, but we continued on to Aufsess itself.
The walk between Sachendorf and Aufsess is another 5km and is the most picturesque leg of the journey. The route goes through the woods, along a nice little stream, and through a couple villages. By the time we arrived at Gasthof Rothenbach in Ausfess, we were famished. It was just after 1pm, so the 10 km walk took us about 2 hours, maybe 2 1/2.
Gasthof Rothenbach (http://www.brauereigasthof-rothenbach.de) is connected to the Brauerei Aufsesser and has an outside seating area where you can drink beer and have lunch. It smelled wonderful there – the smell of the beer brewing definitely added to the experience. And the beer was wonderful. We each had 2 in order to make up for the previous brewery. We had both the Pils and the Dunkel, which were our favorites of those types thus far. The food was really good too.
Next up was Kathe Brau in Hackenhof, which was a short walk from Aufsess – maybe 20-30 minutes. This is a really neat place sort of tucked away in a little valley next to a small village. They have plenty of outside space with umbrellas to enjoy the beer, as well as some covered patio space, which came in handy when it started to rain. I don’t know if there was a special thing going on, or if this is a normal thing, but the brewery is very popular with motorcyclists and they even had special covered parking for the motorcycles. It was a busy place with a fun crowd. Because it was chilly and kind of raining, we both had the Dunkel at Kathe Brau – and then because it was still raining, we each had a second beer.
Once the rain let up, we set off on the last leg of the walk back to Brauerei-Gasthof Rechold in Hochstadt. The walk was pretty – more forests and fields. It took us another 45 minutes or so. I was pretty tired by the end of the day, but the walk was great and I am really glad that we took the time to do it.
Brauerei-Gasthof Reichold (www.reichold.de) is a neat little place. It is a family-run brewery in a small little town. They have a restaurant with inside and outside seating and several rooms upstairs for guests. There is also an RV campground in the back.
When we arrived, we found many of the people that we had seen throughout the day on the walk sitting outside having their beers. We were greeted warmly – everyone happy to see everyone else completing the walk.
We checked in with the family and went to our room. The room was reasonably spacious and very comfortable – probably the most comfortable beds of the whole trip. Someone has taken a lot of care with designing the guest rooms.
We had beers and dinner downstairs, and saw more people come in after completing the walk. Again, it was a nice crowd and a great atmosphere. I had a Weissbier and my husband had a Dunkel – both were excellent. It is hard to come by a bad beer there.
Beers for Day 5:
Aufsesser Bier – Pils ++
Aufsesser Bier – Dunkel ++
Kathe Brau – Dunkel +’
Brauerei Reichold – Weisbier +
Brauerei Reichold – Dunkel +
August 17 – Wednesday - Day 6:
This was the day we left Franconia for Munich. We drove through the Franconian hills to get to the Autobahn A9, which was a gorgeous drive. I believe it was Road 22 that we took, which meandered through the mountains along a river, past many resort towns. I would like to spend more time in the area on a future trip.
Along the way to Munich after getting on A9, we stopped in Ingolstadt for a couple hours for lunch and wandering around. We thought that Ingolstadt was ok, but I think that upon further exploration, it would prove to be more interesting. We parked the car in a carpark and wandered around awhile toward the town hall – the town hall was getting a facelift, so lots of scaffolding. The platz in front of the town hall was pretty uninspired too. But it looked like there were some more interesting areas along the smaller lanes.
Lunch was at Weisbrauhaus zum Herrnbrau. I was driving, so I had apfelschorle, but my husband had the Herrenbrau Hefe-weiss bier Dunkel, which was really good.
We arrived at Munich airport about 3 to return the car and then took the S-Bahn into the city center. We checked into the Motel One Sendlinger Tor (http://motel-one-sendlinger-tor.h-rez.com/index.htm), which was fine. We chose it based on location and price, which were both excellent. The location is practically on top of the Sendlinger Tor U-Bahn station, a 5 minute walk from the Karlstor station, and a 10 minute walk to Marienplatz. There are also plenty of small restaurants and shops in the area. The hotel itself was just ok though. They’ve done a lot to make it look good, but they clearly chose form over function. I would definitely choose less décor for more functional rooms. Our room was very small – I kept bumping the TV when skirting the bed to get to my side. There also wasn’t any room for the luggage, so we had to keep our suitcases on the floor under the window which then meant that the small closet was in accessible.
In the evening, we took the Beer Tour with Munich Walks (http://www.munichwalktours.de), which was a lot of fun. We met in the Marienplatz, which was overrun with football fans – Zurich was playing Bayern Muenchen and the Zurich fans had descended. The football hooligans were out in force, and the police were out in force too. Other than a bunch of broken beer bottles, I think things were fine though.
The tour went to the Vicktuleinmarkt, then to the Augustinerbrau next to the Frauenkirche. At Augustinerbrau we each had a beer – I got the Helles and my husband got the Dunkel – both excellent as always. This is where the tour really came together and we all had a chance to chat and get to know one another. It was a good group of people.
Next we took the U-Bahn to Gotheplatz station to the Paulaner Brewery for a tour and some samples. This part of the tour was quite informative about the brewing process. They have a nice outside area where we spent quite a while sampling the beer. Paulaner isn't my favorite, but the tour of the brewery made the stop worth it.
The final stop of the tour was the Hofbrauhaus, which is a must-visit, of course. There we had the Hofbrau Helles, which is good.
After the official tour, we hung out at the Hofbrauhaus for more beer and some food until closing. We got to know the guide a bit more – he was excellent. We also got to know the other people on the tour more and ended up hanging out with some of them later into the evening. Overall, it was a really fun evening – great tour and really good start to our time in Munich.
Beers for Day 6:
Herrenbrau Hefe-weiss Bier Dunkel +’
Augustiner – Helles ++
Augustiner – Dunkel ++
Paulaner Helles -/+
Paulaner Dunkel +
Hofbrau Helles +
Aug 28th, 2011, 10:57 AM
#13
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August 18–Thursday - Day 7:
This was a fairly light day – we slept in since we were out late the night before and then needed to do laundry. The Motel One doesn’t have a laundry service, so we took our laundry out to get washed. Being the height of summer, the full service laundry facilities we found were overbooked and couldn’t go our laundry fast enough, so we went to a Laundromat and did our own. That was fine, just took a little longer than we had anticipated.
Later we took the U-Bahn to the Englischergarten to wander around and then go to the Seehaus beer garden. We hadn’t been to this one before, but because it is on the lake, we wanted to go. Also, the weather was turning hot and a stroll through the Englischergarten and then hanging out by the lake seemed like a nice idea. Lots of other people had the same idea and all the shady areas were full. We sat out anyway and had some beer and food – they serve Paulaner there, which is fine, but not my favorite. It was a good day for Radlers anyway, which are half Helles and half lemon-lime soda, so the beer type doesn’t make as much difference.
The Seehaus beer garden is nice, but it is very crowded. The tables are packed very close together and into the evening, all the tables were full – we were literally packed in like sardines. For this reason and the fact that they serve Paulaner, I would probably not choose this beer garden again. But it was fun to go once.
Beers for Day 7:
Paulaner Helles -/+
Paulaner Radler -/+
August 19–Friday - Day 8:
This was my husband's actual birthday – Happy 40th, he is now an old man. For his birthday, I took him to a monastery to drink beer.
We took the S-Bahn to Herrsching station on the Amersee to visit the Andech’s Monastery and Brewery, which is up the hill from the S-Bahn station. There are buses and taxis that take people up the hill to the monastery, but we decided to walk. There are different routes, but we followed the route marked Fussweg Nach Andechs, which took us on a 90 minute walk through the woods – beautiful walk. Of course we couldn’t be beer pilgrims if we took the easy way and rode the bus up the hill.
Once we arrived at the monastery, the first order of business was food and drink. We went directly to the beer garden, which is a nice shady place just down from the church. There is another, more formal restaurant as well, which also has plenty of outdoor seating, but we liked the beer garden better. The food was good and the beer was excellent.
After we had gotten some sustenance, we visited the church, which is a fabulous rococo church. We then wandered around a bit and bought some souvenirs at the ubiquitous gift shop.
We were going to walk back down the hill, but a storm was coming in, so we opted for the bus. Our original plan was to hang out at the Amersee until evening, but it was raining, so we went directly back to Munich. The Amersee looked really picturesque though and it will definitely be on the list for a future trip.
For dinner we went to Augustinerbrau behind the Frauenkirche – we’d been there with the Munich Walks beer tour, but as we really like the beer, we decided to go again. There we had a Helles and a Dunkel.
Afterwards we wandered around the Altstadt a bit and then headed back to the hotel. Being my husband's 40th birthday, he wanted to have 4 liters of beer this day, so we stopped at Hackerhaus on the way back to the hotel in order for him to reach his goal. We had a Weiss bier and a dunkel.
Beers for Day 8:
Andechs Weissbier Dunkel ++
Andechs Dunkel ++
Andechs Dopplebock Dunkel ++
Augustiner Dunkel ++
Augustiner Helles +’
Hacker-Pschorr Wiess +’
Hacker-Pschorr Dunkel -/+
August 20–Saturday - Day 9:
This was our last day in Munich – sad. We love Munich and wished we could have stayed another couple of days. This was our second trip to Munich (technically my 3rd, but that one was only a short layover) and we still haven’t seen everything we want to see. I think Munich gets the short shrift on a lot of people’s itineraries, but we think it is a wonderful city.
In the morning, we spent a little time at Starbucks – God strike me down, but I was really jonesin’ for a giant chai tea latte. Plus, they have free WIFI. I am not sure what was going on with the WIFI at the hotel, but I couldn’t get on.
After that, we went to climb the tower of St. Peter’s church in the Altstadt. The climb is significant, but the views are terrific. The tower was crowded and it was a hot day, but such is life – we saw some great views and it was nice and breezy up top. We were up there in time to watch the Glockenschpiel, which was fun.
We also toured the Residenz that day – there is construction going on at the Residenz (like everywhere in Germany), but inside is fine. We got the audio tour, which was quite helpful. The interior of the Residenz is absolutely splendid – really worth seeing.
A late lunch was at the Weiss Brauhaus, just east of Marienplatz, which was recommended to us by someone on the bus from the Andech’s monastery. The Schneider Weiss beer there was really great. And the food was good too.
After lunch we did a little wandering, but after all the walking, hiking, wandering, and tower climbing, my feet were pretty tired, so we got some snacks to take back to the hotel room to relax. Next up – Prague!
Beers for Day 9:
Schneider Weiss Dunkel Aventinus +’
Schneider Weiss Original +’
Braugirgl Dunkel -/+
Tegerneer Helles -/+
This was a fairly light day – we slept in since we were out late the night before and then needed to do laundry. The Motel One doesn’t have a laundry service, so we took our laundry out to get washed. Being the height of summer, the full service laundry facilities we found were overbooked and couldn’t go our laundry fast enough, so we went to a Laundromat and did our own. That was fine, just took a little longer than we had anticipated.
Later we took the U-Bahn to the Englischergarten to wander around and then go to the Seehaus beer garden. We hadn’t been to this one before, but because it is on the lake, we wanted to go. Also, the weather was turning hot and a stroll through the Englischergarten and then hanging out by the lake seemed like a nice idea. Lots of other people had the same idea and all the shady areas were full. We sat out anyway and had some beer and food – they serve Paulaner there, which is fine, but not my favorite. It was a good day for Radlers anyway, which are half Helles and half lemon-lime soda, so the beer type doesn’t make as much difference.
The Seehaus beer garden is nice, but it is very crowded. The tables are packed very close together and into the evening, all the tables were full – we were literally packed in like sardines. For this reason and the fact that they serve Paulaner, I would probably not choose this beer garden again. But it was fun to go once.
Beers for Day 7:
Paulaner Helles -/+
Paulaner Radler -/+
August 19–Friday - Day 8:
This was my husband's actual birthday – Happy 40th, he is now an old man. For his birthday, I took him to a monastery to drink beer.
We took the S-Bahn to Herrsching station on the Amersee to visit the Andech’s Monastery and Brewery, which is up the hill from the S-Bahn station. There are buses and taxis that take people up the hill to the monastery, but we decided to walk. There are different routes, but we followed the route marked Fussweg Nach Andechs, which took us on a 90 minute walk through the woods – beautiful walk. Of course we couldn’t be beer pilgrims if we took the easy way and rode the bus up the hill.
Once we arrived at the monastery, the first order of business was food and drink. We went directly to the beer garden, which is a nice shady place just down from the church. There is another, more formal restaurant as well, which also has plenty of outdoor seating, but we liked the beer garden better. The food was good and the beer was excellent.
After we had gotten some sustenance, we visited the church, which is a fabulous rococo church. We then wandered around a bit and bought some souvenirs at the ubiquitous gift shop.
We were going to walk back down the hill, but a storm was coming in, so we opted for the bus. Our original plan was to hang out at the Amersee until evening, but it was raining, so we went directly back to Munich. The Amersee looked really picturesque though and it will definitely be on the list for a future trip.
For dinner we went to Augustinerbrau behind the Frauenkirche – we’d been there with the Munich Walks beer tour, but as we really like the beer, we decided to go again. There we had a Helles and a Dunkel.
Afterwards we wandered around the Altstadt a bit and then headed back to the hotel. Being my husband's 40th birthday, he wanted to have 4 liters of beer this day, so we stopped at Hackerhaus on the way back to the hotel in order for him to reach his goal. We had a Weiss bier and a dunkel.
Beers for Day 8:
Andechs Weissbier Dunkel ++
Andechs Dunkel ++
Andechs Dopplebock Dunkel ++
Augustiner Dunkel ++
Augustiner Helles +’
Hacker-Pschorr Wiess +’
Hacker-Pschorr Dunkel -/+
August 20–Saturday - Day 9:
This was our last day in Munich – sad. We love Munich and wished we could have stayed another couple of days. This was our second trip to Munich (technically my 3rd, but that one was only a short layover) and we still haven’t seen everything we want to see. I think Munich gets the short shrift on a lot of people’s itineraries, but we think it is a wonderful city.
In the morning, we spent a little time at Starbucks – God strike me down, but I was really jonesin’ for a giant chai tea latte. Plus, they have free WIFI. I am not sure what was going on with the WIFI at the hotel, but I couldn’t get on.
After that, we went to climb the tower of St. Peter’s church in the Altstadt. The climb is significant, but the views are terrific. The tower was crowded and it was a hot day, but such is life – we saw some great views and it was nice and breezy up top. We were up there in time to watch the Glockenschpiel, which was fun.
We also toured the Residenz that day – there is construction going on at the Residenz (like everywhere in Germany), but inside is fine. We got the audio tour, which was quite helpful. The interior of the Residenz is absolutely splendid – really worth seeing.
A late lunch was at the Weiss Brauhaus, just east of Marienplatz, which was recommended to us by someone on the bus from the Andech’s monastery. The Schneider Weiss beer there was really great. And the food was good too.
After lunch we did a little wandering, but after all the walking, hiking, wandering, and tower climbing, my feet were pretty tired, so we got some snacks to take back to the hotel room to relax. Next up – Prague!
Beers for Day 9:
Schneider Weiss Dunkel Aventinus +’
Schneider Weiss Original +’
Braugirgl Dunkel -/+
Tegerneer Helles -/+
Aug 28th, 2011, 01:14 PM
#18
Germany economics was set up by the Brits after WW2 to generate a socially stable efficient society. After a kick start of US money. Luckily the country took to it and the affect has been ongoing sucess.
The rebuilding is what happens when you have a profitable society with most having a stake in it. I'm always amazed if I can buy antiques in Germany, normally they have been "restored" to "new".
Now if only others had listened
The rebuilding is what happens when you have a profitable society with most having a stake in it. I'm always amazed if I can buy antiques in Germany, normally they have been "restored" to "new".
Now if only others had listened
Aug 29th, 2011, 10:18 AM
#20
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Enjoying your report even though I'm not a beer drinker. We are considering a trip to Germany next year and trying to decide which cities/towns to visit. Sounds like we need to allow at least 3-4 days in Munich.
