By Stuart Whytcross

Bamberg, unlike most German cities, managed to escape obliteration during the Second World War. Because of this, its architecture reflects around 1000 years of history, and this brings many tourists to the town. In 1993 UNESCO declared Bamberg to be a World Heritage City, and in 2006 the European Beer Consumers Union declared Bamberg to be a World Beer Heritage City.

With nine breweries producing over 60 different beers, two large malting facilities in Weyermann Malz and Bamberger Mälzerei, the world’s oldest manufacturer of brewing systems, Kaspar Schulz, and the Franconian Brewery Museum, it’s a title that this town rightfully deserves. And all in a geographic area smaller than Bendigo!

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By Stuart Whytcross

Hefeweizen would probably be one of my all time favourite beer styles, and on my last trip overseas, it was my goal to find the best one. This of course took me to Bavaria, which is the largest German state and is located in South-Eastern Germany. Although Munich and Bamberg are both in Bavaria, I decided to write two separate articles on these places, and include the rest of Bavaria and hefeweizens in this article.

It's no wonder Bavaria is noted for its exceptional quality wheat beers, after all they have spent the past 2800 years perfecting it! However, they weren’t the first, with evidence dating back to the Stone age (8 to 10 thousand years ago) of the Sumerians brewing with wheat along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in what is now Iraq.

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By Stuart Whytcross

History

Situated beside the Rhine river, Düsseldorf is the capital of North Rhineland. It is an important international business and financial centre, and is also renowned for its fashion, trade fairs and, of course, Alt Bier. Alt bier (pronounced 'ullt bier') is said to be one of the oldest beer styles still in existence, and it's going strong in Germany.

Düsseldorf is the centre of one of the most interesting beer regions of Germany, because the pre-19th Century top-fermenting tradition has been kept alive. Traditionally in southern Germany, brewing beer was restricted to the cooler months, as fermentation temperatures during the summer months were too warm to produce quality beer. This winter-brewed beer was stored in Kellers in the sides of the mountains, at cooler temperatures for the warmer summer months. These biers were known as lagers, as 'lager' means 'to store' in Germany. In the late 1800’s, refrigeration meant that brewers could now control the temperatures of their beer all year round. This was when Europe’s lager revolution began.

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By Stuart Whytcross

When in Germany, time must be put aside to visit Dortmund, Düsseldorf and Cologne, all of which are literally next door to each other. These cities are steeped in a proud brewing tradition, and when it comes to beer, they are as passionate as anyone.

The rivalry between Cologne and Düsseldorf is fierce and goes back hundreds of years. There are no road signs in either direction that will tell you how to get from one city to another, and apparently asking for a Kölsch bier in Düsseldorf, or an Alt bier in Cologne is enough to have you immediately escorted from the premises.

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