I'm pretty sure the concept of the beer garden is not foreign to anyone reading this blog. Though always associated with Germany, I have been to and/or seen beer gardens (usually with a German theme) all over the US. And, of course, they do actually exist (and can often live right up to your hopes and dreams and stereotypes) in Germany - especially around the beer capital state of Bavaria. During our trip to Munich (hello, Oktoberfest is like the mothership of all beer garden gatherings), we were able to visit some of the most famous beer gardens in the country/probably the world.
But up here in [the northern region of Bavaria known as] Franken, it's a little more hardcore. When we put on our Lederhosen and Dirndl, we aren't just skipping across fields of happiness and sunshine to our dinky little garden of beer. No. We're climbing mountains (ok, it's more of a hill...) and fighting our way through the thick cover of nature (or, you know, we take the road) to get to the Kellerwald
Kellerwald literally means "cellar forest," for all the beer cellars it is built on top of.
Wait, don't you mean the beer cellars were built UNDERNEATH the buildings?
No no (we took a tour of one of the cellars last week, so now I think I'm a professional, but I would like to apologize if any historical information is not entirely accurate). The beer cellars are an over 200 year old network of tunnels built into this hill as naturally refrigerated storage. Because of the thick sandstone walls that these tunnels were dug into, the cellars remain incredibly dry and a constant, year-round temperature of 6 - 8ºc (42 - 46ºf). Originally built to store more than beer, they eventually became home to 14 different breweries in Forchheim, of which
there are only 4 remaining today. Back in the day, the beer would be brewed in the city, then brought up to the cellars by horse carriage to age for about 8 weeks before being brought back down to be served and sold. Of course, some beer was kept up at the cellars, where the more committed patrons could enjoy a fresh brew straight from the cellar. Now the Kellerwald is Forchheim's biggest "attraction", with around 23 different cellars serving beer from around the entire Franken region almost year round (I think they had their official opening in the beginning of April, but it is possible to find 1 or 2 open on the weekends throughout the year, especially when the weather is nice). It is also home to their biggest and most famous festival, Annafest. But that's another post entirely.
Right, so that's the history/facts of the Kellerwald, but our experience has been so much more! Our story with the Kellerwald really begins about 2 months ago in the beginning of April. I had a friend visiting and the weather was finally starting to warm up, so we gathered our group and headed for the Kellerwald. The rest is history. It is a great place to spend the afternoon sitting outside under the shade of the trees enjoying deliciously cheap food and beer (no, seriously, I've had 3 half liters and a very filling dinner for under 10€). We tend to go to the same Keller everytime and have come to know the servers there pretty well. "Our favorite server" (as we to refer to her), worked her way into our hearts by being super complimenting and positive about Gemma's and my German. She's never annoyed or frustrated if we don't know a word, will randomly give us some new (usually beer or menu related) vocabulary just for fun and will always stop by our table to say hi. Last week she even told us they had customers from Australia and that she wished we had been there to help translate.
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| 1/2 liter, 1 liter, and 3 liter Krugs |
Although it probably goes without saying, but the Kellerwald is pretty much my favorite place in Forchheim. I will definitely miss it.
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