Bamberg is, of course, known for its smoked beers, or rauchbiers. And the most well-known of Bamberg’s nine breweries is, at least to us in the U.S., is undoubtedly Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier from the Brauerei Heller-Trum. We walked briskly — the temperature was dropping fast — from our hotel to the Schlenkerla tavern on the Dominikaner Strasse in the Old Town. Along the way, we got to see much of the old part of downtown at night and by the time we arrived at Schlenkerla were more than ready for a liter of smoked beer.

Bamberg’s Altes Rathaus, the old city hall built on a tiny island in the middle of a river.

Outside the the Schlenkerla tavern.

Just inside the tavern, a replica of the same Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier proclamation that they use on their labels.

The ceiling inside the tavern, showing a date of 1310.

Tapping our first glasses of Original Schlenkerla Smokebeer Märzen, which is the flagship beer that they’re most famous or known for.

From the website:

Bamberg’s speciality, a dark, bottom fermented smokebeer, brewed with Original Schlenkerla Smokemalt from the Schlenkerla maltings and tapped according to old tradition directly from the gravity-fed oakwood cask in the historical brewery tavern.

My light entrée of Bamberg onion, a large onion filled with ground pork with eggs, bread rolls, spices and parsley then topped with bacon and capped with the onion top. If you want to make this at home — and it was delicious, especially with Shlenkerla’s rauchbier — they have the recipe online.

Harry Schumacher from Beer Business Daily enjoying his beer.

Ale Street News published Tony Forder leads a toast at the end of the evening thanking our host, Matthias Trum, and our guide, Horst Dornbusch, for a wonderful second day.

Closing the Schlenkerla tavern with our last drink of the day.