Brauerei-Greifenklau - Bamberg's hidden gem

We left it until our final day in Bamberg to visit what I regard as one of the city’s best pubs, and one of my favourite drinking establishments as well. Situated slightly out of the city centre, on the old road to Würzburg and right on the summit of the Kaulberg, Greifenklau is a lovely old pub and it is well worth taking the bus (or walking, if you’re fit enough), in order to spend a few hours there.

Greifenklau was the nearest pub to the rented apartment which Matthew and I stayed at back in 2010, when made our initial visit to Bamberg. We called in on our first night and sat out in the attractive and shady beer garden behind the pub, and put away a few mugs of the tasty Lagerbier brewed on the premises.

The pub, and brewery, is named after its founder, Freidrich von Greifenklau, and the present building dates back to 1719. The name Greifenklau, comes from the founder’s coat of arms, which depicts a griffin’s claw. Much to son Matthew’s annoyance, I sometimes refer to the pub as Gryffindor, after the Harry Potter novels.

Greifenklau has been owned by the Brockard family since 1914, and is now run by the fourth generation of the family. Until the opening of the Ambräusianum brew-pub in 2004, Greifenklau was for many years, the smallest brewery in Bamberg. The brewery itself was re-built in the 1950’s, and whilst Rauchbier was produced up until the 1930’s, this is no longer the case – or at least it wasn't until just a few years ago.

Greifenklau produce a very tasty pale Lagerbier, and also brew a Weizenbier and a Bock. The latter appears for a short season from November to December. As mentioned above, they have just re-introduced a smoke beer, known as Grief-R, and we were able to enjoy a couple of glasses on our recent visit.

As mentioned above, we left that visit until our final day in Bamberg, stopping off there on a bus journey back into town. We’d travelled out to the village or Bug, about three kilometres from the city centre, in order to visit the Buger Hof Gasthaus. Like many Brits, we found the name of this establishment highly amusing, but it’s the setting of this pub, overlooking the River Regnitz, which is the main attraction; that and the beer from Schlossbrauerei Reckendorf.

The threat of rain had been in the air all morning, and when we reached Greifenklau’s beer garden, the waitress advised us to sit at the tables closest to the pub, as these were protected with some large umbrellas. Her advice was well heeded, as shortly before finishing our meal (Bratwurst mit Pommes), the rain began and we had to move, taking our mugs, plates and thoughtfully provided cushions with us.

The garden can accommodate up to 500 people, and is very popular on warm summer evenings. I find it particularly pleasant as there are a number of mature trees, which provide just the right amount of shade, and the garden overlooks a wooded valley behind the pub. From your table, you can see right across the valley to the picturesque, old Altenburg castle, on the other side, right on the crest of the hill.

Apart from walking through the hallway, in order to access the garden, I have only once actually drunk inside the pub. That occasion was during my visit to Bamberg in late December 2010, when the snow was several inches deep and temperatures were well below freezing; definitely not beer garden weather!

After finishing our meal and our drinks, we reluctantly left. There was one other Bamberg brew-pub that I wanted to re-visit, and I also desired to pick up some bottles of Rauchbier, from Schlenkerla, to take home with me. Before we paid the bill, I bought a couple of Greifenklau from our friendly waitress. One was the brewery’s standard Lagerbier, whilst the other was a bottle of their recently introduced Helles. I haven’t opened them yet, but I’m sure I will do soon.

To sum up, if you ever find yourself in Bamberg and have visited all the "must-do" beery attractions the city has to offer (Schlenkerla, Mahrs, Spezial, Klosterbräu etc), do make time for a visit to Greifenklau. If you do, then I’m sure that just like me, you will be smitten with the place.