So another claim to fame for Bamberg: Rauchbier or “smoke beer”! Early techniques of preparing malt consisted of drying it over open flames, thus creating a smokey flavour. A few breweries in Bamberg have continued the technique and smoke beer is available all over town. We went to one the original brewery taverns. Sure enough, it does smell like smoke, some say bacon. All of us agreed it wasn’t bad, maybe even improved in drinking, but wouldn’t be our first choice.
More beer trivia:
Because of the Purity Act, only three ingredients were allowed in beer: barley, hops and water. Strangely, the beer seemed better when the brewery was located close to a bakery. Brewers didn’t make a connection with yeast at first but sure enough, the two oldest breweries are located on either side of a bakery ready to catch the yeast floating in the air.
While the beer was being ordered, I stopped into the bakery and had a fun conversation with the German baker asking her what was a true Bamberg specialty. I was drooling over the various sweet treats in the display case. She pointed to a croissant and insisted that they were better here than anywhere. The croissant was good - freshly baked and flakey and the conversation was pretty fun but I still have visions of other delectables that I passed up.
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| Bamberg Croissant |
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| Pink building is bakery. Buildings on either side are brewery taverns. Enough proximity for the yeast to be floating in the air apparently. |
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| Smoke Beer |
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