Bamberg is known for it’s Smoked Beer or Rauchbier, which is this delicious beer that has a special smoked or bacon flavor. And one of the best breweries is Speziel Keller. It can be a bit of a trek to get to but it boasts a wonderful view of the town.

SPEZIEL KELLER BAMBERG

The Speziel Keller brewery or Brauerei Spezial was founded in 1536. The Rauchbier or Smoked Beer from their brewery is the specialty of Speziel Keller. It wasn’t very easy to find their beer garden overlooking the town. However, after asking for directions from the nice locals we were able to find it. The view and beer were worth it!

DIPLOTIP: Always start a conversation by politely asking first:

“Entschuldigung, sprechen Sie Englisch?” pronounced as “enshul-digung shpreken zee english?”

It means “Excuse me, do you speak English?” and you will get a much better response than speaking to locals (in any country for that matter) in straight English and assuming that everyone speaks it comfortably. They are delighted by the effort to speak the local language.

These survival phrases work wonders and has made our experience traveling to different countries so much more pleasurable.

In summer, this beer garden is guaranteed to be full and lively. We appreciated the serenity of the view and the refreshing smoked beer, after walking around the hilly streets of Bamberg. It was perfect with the sausages and sauerkraut, and the Schäuferla (tender pork shoulder). German portions are large compared to other European countries so bring a healthy appetite.

We met a very special creature when we were dining there. This duck comes yearly with its partner during the spring time and they beg for food from the restaurant, which the staff are happy to accommodate. It was so cute! They even named her.