Once again Hector proved that Curry comes best before Bier. After another solo trip to Erlangen to visit Sur Mandir, a Curry House, the S Bahn was taken back to Buttenheim. Howard had sent Hector a text in the morning stating that he was doing his own thing today. This was further qualified with the amendments that he may join me on the Erlangen trip and possibly see us at Buttenheim. Having made no sense of this, there was no reply to the text. So unbeknown to Hector, Howard had taken the earlier train to Erlangen in order to find the Kitzmann Bewery Tap, he did.
Craig and Yvonne had gone up visit the hilltops of Bamberg and had sat in the Keller outside Greifenklau. They later watched Steve and Juliet pass by in Altstadt area around Schlenkerla. ?Stan! had made his way out to Buttenheim and gone for a constitutional n the woods. Both the Löwenbräu and St Georgen Kellers were reported open. There was heat in the sun, it was a thoroughly pleasant day to sit outside, but the rendezvous was elsewhere.
As Hector approached Löwenbräu Buttenheim, Hansi Modschiedler, the owner, was walking in my direction. ‘Guten Tag‘, was my polite greeting. Hansi always takes few moments to remember which of the many foreign visitors he receives, we might be.
I found an empty table in the Gastatte and ordered the famous Kellerbier. ?Stan! was still finishing the equivalent next door at St. Georgen. Once united we found Hansi and friends embarking on a game of Canasta at the adjacent table. By now he had remembered who we are. Who are we?
We had one eye on our timepieces as it was essential we be back in Bamberg around 16.00. We discussed the imminent tapping of Mahrs Bock and told Hansi ‘we had to be there.’ ?Stan! asked when the Löwenbräu Bock would be tapped. ’11/11′ was the reply. ?Stan! is considering whether or not he can make it. Hector will be in München that weekend, but this would be beyond a day trip.
Shaking our hands at the main door, Hansi opened a cupboard door and handed ?Stan! and Hector a bottle of Bier each. It was the Bock, and this year’s. Not available to the public but now in our possession.
The Mahrs Bock
?Stan! and Hector arrived at the Mahrs Brauhaus bang on 16.30. At this time last year we had gained entrance to the courtyard before the gates were locked. The queue had already formed, about fifty folk were in front of us. Yvonne texted to state that she, Craig and Howard were at Mahrs. A further text told me that there was no queue, they wondered why we were not there. ‘Shall I tell the five hundred people outside with us tat there is now queue?’ Howard replied with a text stating that it was quieter than last year. Another spurious text from Howard today.
At 16.45 the bells started to peel. Yvonne texted to say the Bock had been tapped. Stan! and Hector stood outside for a further half hour before the queue started to move. There were now one hundred and fifty people in front of us. Still no word from Steve and Juliet.
We were channelled to the rear courtyard of the Brewery where a large serving hatch revealed a huge Fass: Mahrs Bock (Direkt), we were there!
Craig was disappointed, he thought it too sweet. Hector does not regard it as sweet as Keesmann, but the Bock of the week (apart from the unflappable Schlenkerla) has to be the Eichhorn.
Steve and Juliet gained access just as Steve was giving up. Having bought two portions at a time we did not have to fight for Bier. There was no chance of the Bier becoming warm either, the temperature was plummeting. Juliet pronounced the Bock as tasting metallic. Hector tatsed it, it was different. We then realised that the serving hatch in the main courtyard was serving the Bock under pressure. The difference was significant.
Howard disappeared. Later he revealed that he gone across the road to Keesmann and that the main Doris had found him a seat. Doppel Bock?
Craig and Yvonne headed back to Spezial, Steve Juliet and Hector followed ten minutes behind. ?Stan! stayed for more.
Entering Spezial, Craig and Yvonne were seated at the end of a busy table. Luckily the adjacent party had just paid and were leaving, in we go. Craig was put out by the fact that he and Yvonne had sat on the bench for twenty minutes waiting for a table and we walk in and are seated instantly.
One can never have enough Croquettes
Food was brought to the table, people ate it. The midnight Kebab was on Hector’s mind again. Where was Howard? The man who appreciates Croquettes the most was not there to appraise them.
There was a change of shift, or so it felt to Hector. It was Craig’s bedtime, he left with Yvonne in tow, or is that the other way around?
Juliet and Steve then became the companions of Hector. Once again we were in the same locus as Fred Waltman who came over and said farewell before withdrawing to his room upstairs. Howard and ?Stan! were the final shift by which time Hector had ordered his final Bier, back to the more traditional Lagerbier.
There was only one way to complete this stay in Bamberg: back to the Marmaris …
The Breweries visited today:
Löwenbräu Buttenheim – Marktstraße 8, 96155, Buttenheim
Mahrs – Wunderburg 10, 96050, Bamberg
Spezial – Obere Königstraße 10, 96052, Bamberg.