Day 2 - Oberfranken - A quiet afternoon until fate intervened.

Having gotten to bed fairly early and slept like a jet lagged rock I woke up feeling pretty good but a bit sluggish.  So after breakfast I went to have a late morning, restorative Schlenkerla Rauchbier.  I think it has magical properties when poured right from the barrel at it's home tavern.  I was soon feeling tip top.  I thought it was a perfect day for a nice quiet walk through the countryside to visit some small village breweries north of Bamberg.  I chose to start at Schwanen Brau in Ebing mainly because it is easy to get to being a short 15-20 minute train ride from Bamberg and the walk from the train stop in Ebing is a pleasant approx. 1 mile.  I had a bit of time to kill before the train departed so as I walked to the Bamberg station I veered left on Ober Konigstrasse to have a Pilsener at old standby Brauerei Faessla.  That hit the spot and made for a nice train ride.  Ticket was cheap maybe 3-4 euros and the ride was short. 

The Ebing train station was really country.  I got off with a bunch of school kids presumably coming home from school in the city.  The walk was nice and soon I was in the small village and quickly found the brewery.

The place is a real Franconian classic.  You enter through a big, barn like doorway (as is not uncommon for breweries in this region) and there is a large hallway with picnic tables for those that want to sit out side or if you happen to bring your dog.

 

 

The funny thing though as I walked up to the building I noticed a large tour bus parked outside.  Now going back to my previous post, for those of you who read it, you'll recall I mentioned running into some Swedes on a beer holiday the night before in Bamberg.  Well of course my first thought was that might be them.  Then again the odds were a bit long.  After all there are 100 or so breweries not far from Bamberg so the chance of them being at this exact one at this exact time are pretty astronomical. 

Well I entered and the place was indeed plenty full of beer drinkers.  I didn't immediately recognize any of them so I sat down to have a beer.  A lovely, malty, nutty Vollbier.  Just a delightful beer that I could have rested upon for the entire afternoon.

Then after tearing my attention from this classic Franconian beer I looked up and recognized Jan-Erik sitting at one of the tables so I got up to say hello and have a laugh about the odds of meeting again so randomly.  He asked what I was doing the rest of the afternoon and if I'd like to join them on the rest of their tour.  Who am I to argue with fate?  Besides it looked like it would be too much fun not to join in.  So after finishing my beer I left with them and hopped on the bus.

They were all very welcoming and friendly and Jan-Erik even went through the trouble of announcing that their new American friend Mark Andersen would be joining them for the rest of the day.  I was pretty impressed with the bus and the organization of the tour.  They even had some traditional German music on the speaker system as we drove to the various places.

There were three breweries left on their tour for the day.  The next one was a place I would also visit on the forthcoming Sunday in Lohndorf called Brauerei Holzlein. 

This particular place is now a favorite of mine.  Not just for the outstanding lager beer but also for the very traditional, homey character of the place.  They've got a very old school serving area where the beer is poured right from the barrel.

... and served in a nice looking krug.

It's very much a family operation.  The father and son were working there that day and I know from talking to Gerhard of Café Abseits that the son trained at another nearby brewery before returning to help his dad out at Holzlein.  This is a fairly common practice in the region I hear.  Anyhow it was cool to see the photo of the grandfather on the wall with his master brewers certificate next to those of his son and grandson.  I love to see tradition like this passed down through generations.

Well it was a nice stop.  This last photo of Holzlein is from a picture site of one of my Swedish travel companions that I have nicked since I'm in it.  Hope they don't mind. Oh and if anyone is wondering why I look so red in some of these pictures it is not only the number of beers drank it is also a lot of time spent walking around in the sunshine without sunscreen.

Next stop was a newer brewery pub that I was anxious to visit and jumping on this tour afforded the opportunity.  It is the Zoigl Stube Strassgeich.  It used to be a brewery called Drei Kronen that had shut down but was reopened as a pub serving he beer brewed not far away in Schnaid.

We sampled both the Kellerbier and the Zoigl.  It's not really a Zoigl in that it's not brewed in a real Zoigl town.  I'm not sure why it is called that other than maybe the recipe is similar.  At any rate I though both beers were pretty good but we didn't stay long so I reckon I may revisit some year for a more lengthy sampling. 

Last stop on the tour was Brauerei Griess in Geisfeld.  A place I had been to twice before and would revisit on the coming Sunday as well.  It's a favorite of mine.  I love the hoppy kellerbier they brew and would discover on Sunday I love it even more out of the barrel at the keller down the road.  It was a amusing stop in that the locals who were drinking there already were not expecting a bus load of 20-25 foreigners to stroll in and fill the place up. 

The tour ended at Griess and the bus returned to Bamberg just outside Brauerei Spezial.  I went and had dinner at Faessla with three of the others on the tour.  They were avid homebrewers like many of the other folks on the tour so much of the conversation that went on through the night was all things beer.  After dinner we went across the street to Spezial for a few rounds.  Sat at a table with an older gentleman and his two daughters.  One of his daughters lamented to me about how she met an American soldier from New Hampshire but lost all his contact info when she was caught in the Tsunami in Thailand.  She actually gave me her email address in the hopes that I would find him for her and email her his info.  Yeah that's really going to happen!  Hah!  I can see the look on the blokes face now when if I were to show up at his door where he probably now lives with his wife and X number of kids.  Yeah good luck with that.  Anyhow it gave me and my drinking buddies for the evening just another thing to laugh about while we spent the rest of the night drinking rauchbier at Schlenkerla right up to closing time. 

What a great afternoon and evening spent with some very knowledgeable beer enthusiasts and homebrewers from Sweden.  They asked if I'd like to join them the next day as well but knowing that I wouldn't feel to spry at 9am when their tour began I declined.  Besides I had another plan up my sleeve that would turn out to be a very entertaining evening.

Bamberg Again

I suppose the feeling I get when I first arrive in Bamberg for the first time in two years is even better than a little kid going to Disney World.  It doesn't matter how bad the jet lag is it is impossible for me to sleep.  I did try though.  After getting to my hotel in the afternoon I tried like hell to take a nap.  No chance.  My brain wouldn't stop thinking about that first beer and the second and on and on.  What breweries would I visit today?  I wonder if there are any new beers and so on.

I like the hotel I chose a lot.  I stayed at the Tandem Hotel on Untere Sandstrasse right next to the bridge and river.  Great location as it was in the shadow of Upper Altstadt and close to many pubs and of course the Schlenkerla Tavern.

 



So the decision as to what brewpub to visit first wasn't really a tough one.  Schlenkerla was closest and so a nice restorative Rauchbier to help me over the jet lag was just the thing.

 

Fred Waltman of the Franconian Beer Guide has oft mentioned the restorative powers of Schlenkerla.  I thought I would put that to the test.  It worked!  No I mean it really worked.  I felt so much better after knocking back a half liter of this stuff while standing at a table in the schwemme.  But as I reached the bottom of the glass I realized I was hungry.  My first thought was to go to the Spezial Keller but for some strange reason it was closed even though it was a fairly nice day and late afternoon.  So since I was already uphill I thought why not go a little further up and visit a brewery I haven't often visited.  Next stop Greifenklau. 

The place was very quiet.  It was just me and a few people at another table but I could see that they had a new beer on tap called "Laurenzi" that they described as a dunkel Kellerbier.  I felt obligated to give it a try.  I quite liked it and wound up having three before I left.  I also had a delicious plate of chicken with a side of white asparagus.  May is asparagus season over there and this is a very good thing.  May is also Maibock season and this is an even better thing as I would discover throughout the trip.  I think from now on I will visit in May. 

The "Laurenzi":

As I was finishing my second seidla of the dunkel kellerbier a group of beer tourists from Hamburg sat at the table with me.  So I stayed for another glass and had a nice conversation with them about Franconian beer and also about Hamburg.

But it was time to go for a long walk to work off the food and beer .... so I could have more beer of course.  So I chose to visit the neighborhood of Wunderburg all the way on the other side of town.  Finding Wunderburg is actually quite easy.  You can see the church spire rising over all the residential buildings around it.  So as long as you're heading towards that spire you will get there.  Then name is appropriate as there are two world class breweries across the street from each other in Wunderburg.

I always make it a point to hit Keesman first.  In my opinion, the home of perhaps the best German pilsener found anywhere.  It never ceases to surprise me in how good and drinkable it is.  I also love the entrance hallway (Schwemme) of Brauerei Keesman with it's stone floor, user friendly beer ordering window, and tables to stand at.  Classic!

My thought was to just have one Pils before heading over to Mahrs but there was no way to stop at one.  I had to have two before going to Mahrs.  Now I've been to Mahrs a few times but never just stood in the hallway and ordered from the window where the barrel was.  It's a very good beer anytime/anyplace but out of the barrel it is spectacular.  I don't know how long I stood there leaning up against the railway drinking Mahrs U.  I was enjoying listening to the locals converse and just taking in this beautiful pub. 

I think it got dark around 9pm and the jet lag really kicked in so I bought a slice of pizza on the walk back and headed for the hotel.  However along the way, as I was walking past Schlenkerla, I saw someone that I recognized from my Facebook.  It was Jan-Erik Svensson who is a fairly well know (at least to us Franconian beer lovers) beer guru from Sweden.  He was standing outside with some other Swedes travelling with him so I stopped and introduced myself and said hello.  We had a quick chat and a laugh about two fellow beer lovers and Facebook friends living a few thousand miles apart and who had never met before randomly meeting on the streets of Bamberg.  The power of Facebook and beer at work.  So I said good night and that I hoped to see them at a pub tomorrow night and went to bed .... not having any clue what would be in store for me tomorrow. 

Plockton and The Plockton Brewery

The first time I visited Scotland about 10 years ago there didn't seem to be a lot of choice in beer.  Mostly it was the standard keg offerings with the occasional cask of Deuchars IPA or Isle of Skye Red Cuillan.  Since then there has been quite the increase in independant breweries similar to what we've seen here in New England the past decade.  There definately was no brewery in Plockton in 2003 when we visited.  I was pleasantly surprised to discover that now there is a brewer in this lovely lochside village and even more pleasantly surprised to find how delicous the beers are.

Firstly I have to say the ride up from Loch Ness northwest to Plockton (near Isle of Skye) is one of them most jaw dropping scenic roads I've ever travelled.  I vaguely remembered it from our trip years ago but as usual with scenery like this it is always more beautiful in person than you remember.  So I feel it's worthwhile to post some pictures of the ride up to Plockton first to set the backdrop.

These scenes pretty much typify what the entire ride was like.  Trying to decide where to stop to take photos was a tough decision because in reality you could stop every two or three miles.

Right before the side road to Plockton you come to one of the most touristy yet most scenic views in all of Scotland called Eilean Donan Castle. 

Shortly after this point, right before you reach Kyle of Locailsh and the bridge to Skye you find the single track side road that leads to Plockton.  It's a strange road as you start to wonder if you are actually heading towards any kind of civilization or the end of the world.  But then Plockton Bay on Loch Carron unfolds before you.

 

It's a really lovely little village with palm trees, fishing boats, a couple of nice inns and pubs with real ale and of course the views all around are stunning:

We stayed at a place called the Plockton Inn as the place is well known for it's seafood, cask ales, great little pub, and occassional live traditional Scottish music sessions.

The view from out in front of the Inn facing Plockton Bay wasn't too shabby either.

So what about the beer?  Well on the first day they had Starboard pale ale from The Plockton Brewery on cask as well as Fuller's London Pride.  Now I love London Pride and getting it on cask is a real treat but I have to admit I liked the Starboard better.  It's a great session ale and we did indeed have a long session that night getting aquainted with it.  I chose to stay here first on a Thursday night because there is a regular music session there on Thursday's.

It was a great night at the Plockton Inn.  We also ate dinner there and I thought the smoked salmon (from their own smokehouse in the back yard) and the langoustines were exceptional.

In fairness there is another nice hotel in the village called the Plockton Hotel (although I'm definately partial towards the Plockton Inn) and they also carry a couple of cask ales although oddly enough they didn't have one from the local brewery.  I suspect this may be due to lack of capactiy at the brewery as it is really small but I didn't ask.  The ales were good here but still a tick behind the Plockton beers IMO.

We got a long rest the next morning.  I don't think I got out of bed until noon.  We had been travelling around a lot and I was weary.  So we had a day to just walk around the village and visit the brewery.  It's not much more than a garage.

We were hoping to meet the brewer and just as we were about to leave he comes walking down the street with flowers in his hand that he picked up for his wife.  We introduced ourselves and he was nice enough to show us around and give us a few bottles to take home.  I got a photo of Andy the brewer with Ingmar in the brewery.

The Inn had changed over the cask that morning from the Starboard to the amber colored ale called Plockton Bay.  Andy mentioned that he found that the beers sold better to tourists when he started putting the work Plockton in the title.  Anyhow I thought the Plockton Bay even better than the Starboard.  I managed to bring a few bottles home.  All but the stout I left with my friend Barry in Ireland before heading home.  We drank the bottle of stout the Friday after we got home and it was excellent.  I would have loved to get some of that on cask.  Ah well and excuse to visit again someday.

Yeah it was a good time in Plockton as you can see.  I leave this post with this picture of Ingmar and Isa.  It says it all:

 

The Loch Ness Brewery

Some of the best ale I enjoyed in Scotland came from two of the smallest breweries.  One of them is the The Loch Ness Brewery that is (you guessed it) on Loch Ness in the village of Drumnadrochit.  It's attached to the small hotel that we stayed at called The Benleva Hotel.  It's a pretty basic hotel with a cracking good pub in the back that prides itself in serving a nice selection of real ale including those from it's own attached brewery. 

The two Loch Ness beers they had on cask were "Red Ness" and "Hoppiness".  You can see the "Hoppiness" in the picture on the left.  The one to the right was a stout from another brewery they had on cask that I don't recall the name of but I can tell you my favorite beer of the evening was the "Red Ness".  As the name suggests its a red ale and I thought it was a very good drop as was the "Hoppiness".  I was told by a couple of locals later in the evening that the "Hoppiness" is a favorite of the locals

Each year in September the hotel also hosts the Loch Ness Beer Festival and has around 40-60 ales from all over Scotland and some from England on cask.  One of the younger locals we drank with that evening beamed with pride when he boasted that the had tried all 60 ales (or maybe it was 40) at this year's festival (it runs all week - not in one night!).  He almost said it in a way that gave me the impression he was throwing down the gauntlet and challenging me to come back and try to do the same next year.  I'm certainly willing but I doubt we'll find ourselves there next September but going to the Loch Ness Beer Festival is something I would love to do some year. 

As this was the first stop in the Highlands on our trip the first thing I noticed was that the pub was a lot more casual and gritty than what we experienced in Edinburgh.  For starters there were dogs wandering around the pub.  At first just the owners two dogs but later on some locals would bring theirs in.  This was something we would see in most of the other pubs we'd visit in the Highlands later in the week.   I also noted that it was very much a locals hangout and sitting back and quitely overhearing conversations that went something like "What a fecking %$^# so and so was and that her son is a fecking idiot too" ... and so on was quite humourous.  Anyhow it was a good night and a great place to stop along Loch Ness.  It proves that using the CAMRA Good Beer Guide is a pretty good place to start when researching where to stay in places like this.

Dorff was very happy to meet the dogs in the pub.

Sandy Bells - Edinburgh

What's better than drinking good Scottish ale from a cask?  Drinking Scottish ale from the cask while listening to live traditional Scottish music.  Sandy Bell's in Edinburgh has got plenty of both. 

My first pint was from the local Stewart Brewing Company called Edinburgh No. 3.  A smooth, malty, nutty Scottish ale that hit the spot so well I just stayed with it.  There was a group of old timers playing some tunes in the back of the pub (as you can see from the pictures) and while they were terrific they were outdone by the over a dozen harmonica players that came in after them.  I've never seen anything like it.  Harmonica players playing traditional Scottish tunes in unison.  Oddly enough, and this may have been the beer affecting my hearing, but that many harmonica's playing together in unison sounded a bit like a bagpipe.  Very cool. 

Sandy Bell's has got plenty of character.  We didn't spend nearly enough time here.

The Malt Shovel - Edinburgh

There seems to be a metric ton of great pubs in Edinburgh and I just barely scratched the surface on them.  Many have really nice choices for cask ale (or "real ale").  One such place is called the The Malt Shovel (on a side just off the Royal Mile).  For starters, what a great name for a pub.  Because, really what I want to do is shovel malt in liquid form down my throat when I visit a place like this.

They had a lovely dark mild on cask from Mighty Oak Brewing Company of Essex called Oscar Wilde which won the an award of "Supreme Champion Ale of Britian 2011" and it's not hard to see why.  It really is as delicous as it looks and highly quaffable at only 3.7% ABV.  I'd love to see this beer show up at a NERAX one of these years. 

Just one of many great pubs in this beer mecca of a city.

Element Brewing Company

No I haven't forgotten about this blog.  I just go through periods where I don't feel writing blog posts but its not for lack of material.  A couple of weeks ago I went on a Western Mass. beer tour with a few other members of the local homebrew club CCLAMS (Cape Cod Lager and Ale Makers).  One of the stops was Element Brewing Company in Miller's Falls, Massachusetts.  Element is one of many fairly new breweries that make up the mini-explosion that is microbrewing in Massachusetts these days.  Some impressions I have about Element are:

1.  It's not in a place you would normally find a brewery.  It's in a quaint, old building on main street in the tiny village of Miller's Falls.  It's the kind of building you would normally find these days used for a boutique type shop in Main St. usa. 

2.  Both the tasting room and the brewery seemed very clean and well organized. 

3.  They don't brew any kind of beer that is normal recipe nor a session type beer.  Everything is on the strong side and doesn't neatly fit any kind of style guideline.  According to the guy that gave us the tour they don't even attempt to follow any style guidelines.  They decide what they want the beer to taste like then they set out to make it. 

4.  It appears they brew 3 beers on a regular basis (Red Giant, Extra Special Oak, and Dark Element) and have rotating seasonals.  At the time of our visit they still had some bottles of (Summer Pilsener Fusion, Vernal, and Altoberfest) but the Summer Pilsener was the current seasonal.

They let us have a taste of all three regulars and the Summer Pilsener before giving us the brewery tour.  I was impressed with all three.  These aren't beers I want to drink as part of a long session but they are nice to have around for a night when you just want to have one but you want that one to be something interesting and with some backbone.

Miller's Falls is a nice, sleepy little town not unusual for Western Mass.  If I lived there I'd have to drink a lot of Element beer to keep from losing my mind.

A view into the brewery from Main Street.











Tasting room.











The brewery.

First beer tried at home ... the Altoberfest.  It was described to me as a cross between the maltiness of an Oktoberfest and hoppiness of an Altbier.  It was a very malty and boozy beer.  My initial impression was that it was too boozy but I soon settled into it and quite enjoyed it.  There was just enough hops to balance it out and make it drinkable.

I've also had the "Vernal".  This is a (you guessed it) as spring seasonal.  It's a souped up Weizenbock that was made with local malt from Valley Malt in Hadley (more on this place in another blog post).
 

That's as far as I got.  Like I said they're not beers you drink quickly.  I've still got 4 to get through but I'm in no rush.  These are beers that you can let age for a while in the basement.  Here's the whole lineup before I polished the first two off.

In summary Element is doing their own thing and are a nice addition to the Mass. beer world.  I definately would take the time to visit again.

In the meantime we went to the Moan and Dove in Amherst right after the Element visit.  Cheers!