Greifenklau

Comments

Comment from Julie Moran on 2003-01-01 17:43:38

 The walk up the hill was well worth it. What a great place. The brewer, a young guy, gave me a tour -- he spoke little English and I spoke little German, but we both learned a little. It was a charming beer garden and a neat little brewery. A must stop when in Bamberg.

Comment from Andy Thomas on 2003-01-19 18:32:54

 The Greifenklau was run by a fellow named Ziegfried (Ziggy to his friends). We had a fantastic time there one night in the early 90's and returned two years later. He did not remember us, but we recapped the story. He took us on a tour of the brewery while his wait staff tried to get the regulars to make a little room for us. When we came back, there was no moving the regulars so Ziggy gave the four of us a ride to a neighboring establishment in his own car. Since the car wouldnt fit five people, he just made two trips. He called to make sure we had a table. Fantastic place, fantastic person. I would recommend it in a second.

Comment from Jan-Erik Svensson on 2003-04-16 05:03:35

 It is easy to like Greifenklau. Both the brewery and the Gaststätte are traditional and very Franconian. Only the beer can be dissapointing sometimes. At it's best, it has a great, soft and malty taste.

Comment from Guy H. on 2003-04-30 15:23:15

 Best Biergarten in Bamberg. Just a data point--the beer is not and never has been smoked. This misconception has stuck since Jackson's first "World Guide to Beer" contained the error. The owner acknowledged that he is often asked if he makes a Rauchbier and was bemused that so many people think he does.

Comment from Richard Sanders on 2003-07-23 17:58:53

 If you want to walk off last nights beer this is the place to head for. At the top of a hill about a mile from the city centre. You can walk or cycle or even catch a bus. The slightly smoked beer is very good.

Comment from Dr. Heinzel on 2004-03-25 22:45:01

 This - sometimes - disappointing brew became really a well balanced, aromatic beer during last summer.....What happened to the brewer ?

Comment from Fraser McDonald on 2004-08-23 05:25:27

 Very poor. I don't know if I got the end of the barrel but I didn't want another beer which is not at all like me.

Comment from Alan Price on 2004-10-05 05:08:00

 Fraser, we visited Grefenklau 25-09-04, maybe we had the top of the barrel, I love this place!

Comment from Jim & Wendy Stebbins on 2004-10-17 10:00:09

 Some of our German friends took us here & a birthday party was in progress,in the bier garten. There was a large German band playing & some patrons were dancing.The bier & food was good,people were friendly,& you have a wonderful view of the "Altenburg" castle. Next door is a pub located inside a keller,that was also worth a visit.

Comment from mike004 on 2005-11-02 02:21:16

 I can't understand the negative comments above about this beer. On a recent visit I thought Griefenklau was the best beer I drank in Bamberg. And I visited all the other breweries to compare! The standard lagerbier is a lovely, malty brew, goes down easily. Good meals, too. Mike

Comment from Zupfer on 2006-03-06 20:37:20

 Local myth has it that if they run low on beer on busy summer weekend days, they have been known to serve yyoung beer that has not aged enough. You cannot taste the difference, but may end up with the runs. Of course if you are not used to beer, this will happen to you anyway. I cannot say for certain that they have done thios, but I have heard this said by different people over the years. With competition so fierce, I cannot believe they would still do this if they ever did. Do not let nonsense stop you from visiting such a wonderful place. It is easy to get spoiled in Bamberg.

Comment from Scott Cooper on 2006-06-01 11:54:32

 Regarding the local myth mentioned above, if you are a beer drinker, you would most certainly notice the difference in taste between a "young" beer and a properly "aged" or lagered beer. However, the younger beer would not give you the runs. Unfermented or "green" beer might have that effect on the GI tract due to the high content of unfermented sugars still present but I hardly think that any brewery hoping to stay in business would serve its customers green beer. Our experience was a good one. After learning that my 80 yo father and I had been given incorrect info that the brewery was open and that we had walked up all the way up the hill to sample his beer, the brewer graciously invited us in for a fine beer with him. We took the bus back down the hill.

Comment from Martin T. on 2006-06-17 08:28:42

 Up top the Kaulberg hill, on Laurenziplatz, sits this traditional Franconian establishment, which looks and feels like a countryside brewpub, rather than a Bamberg brewery. The old matron could be anyone’s grandmother, caring and friendly, and the biergarten in the back has a bierkeller feel to it that can only be equalled by Spezial Keller and Wilde Rose Keller in Bamberg. The Lagerbier is a fantastic ungespundetes lager, well-hopped with beautifully extracted malts. I will definitely come back everytime I’m in Bamberg.

Lagerbier (tap review):
-Decent foam laces the steinkrug, shading the colour.
-Herbal, grassy, floral hops approach soapiness at times.
-The soft carbonation makes the malt’s sustaining job easier; this is the standard Franconian quality extraction.
-A firm herbal hop bitterness lingers.
-Flavor brings forth what the aroma had announced, but in a more convinced manner.
-Very much a countryside Franconian lager, in the comfort of old Bamberg.

Pils (bottled review):
-A ring of head crowns the clear, pale yellow.
-Dry straw and fine herbal hops announce a skillfully-crafted flavor profile.
-Bready malts and spicy, herbal hops are aptly juxtaposed in the cleanest of manners.
-A wooden, herbal hop bitterness is subtle but effective.
-The rather lean mouthfeel helps the crispness.
-This is a sanitized, flavorful German Pils, which doesn’t have the intricacies of Greifenklau’s ungespundetes Lagerbier, but that remains a decent companion for long bar sessions.

Comment from Alan Price on 2006-09-22 05:29:53

 After a hard dinner times work, to see the waitress quaff a krug of their fine keller beer, reinforced what we already knew: That on a hot summers day we knew we'd been onto a good thing!

Comment from Andrew Clarke on 2006-10-22 14:49:10

 Surprised at the negative reviews of the beer. When we visited in August 04 we found the beer excellent. Service was very good and the beer garden truly wonderful. Definitely the best beer garden we visited on our trip. On a hot summer's day, hard to beat. Looking forward to seeing what it is like next month.

Comment from William Moran on 2008-05-03 03:02:39

 Beer & food is very good, beer garten is nice and the service is good. Well worth the visit.

Comment from Nigel on 2013-10-08 06:11:47

 Always a warm welcome the beer is good & would be great if it wasn't in Bamberg, they also have a new rauchbier which was quite subtly smoked