Ashton’s Travels – Nuremberg, Germany

November 30, 2015by admin

Welcome to the Brau
November 9–12, 2015

Nuremberg hosts one of the best brewing trade shows in the world: The Brau Beviale. Beer geek that I am, I was lucky enough to attend this awesome event with U.S. and Dutch colleagues from the Paul Mueller Company. I have a rough job! Supply companies from all over the world convene at the Nuremberg Messe to showcase equipment, glassware, taps and just about everything imaginable used in a brewery including raw materials. The result is the creation of a gigantic, nine-hall shopping mall totally dedicated to brewing… It’s like Mall of America but for brewers. The Brau runs from Tuesday to Thursday and attracts thousands of attendees from around the world.

Scenes from the Brau

ashtonblog2-1
Young German brewers checking out great hops from the US and tasting hoppy ales from breweries including Boulevard, Odell & Sierra Nevada. Pretty damn cool!

ashtonblog2-2
German band “Cover Up” playing at Pentair’s event on Wednesday night.   The gal in the pink dress had some killer pipes!

Essen and Trinken in the Altstadt

The altstadt, or old city, of Nuremberg is simply an amazing place to visit. The main features of this area include a medieval castle built by the Holy Roman Empire more than a thousand years ago, a giant stone wall surrounding the alstadt, watch towers, several cathedrals, bridges, stone roads, open markets and great places that serve local food, essen, and drink, trinken. Naturally, I focused my free time on the essen and trinken!

ashtonblog2-6

Speaking of essen, Schäufele is a regional specialty I got to enjoy while in Germany, and it resembles something Fred Flintstone would appreciate. Essentially, pork shoulder meat is seasoned, basted with beer, and roasted for hours until the meat is super-tender, and the rind is crisp and crunchy. Typically, Schäufele is served with a sticky potato dumpling called kartoffeklöße, brown gravy and sauerkraut. I have had this dish several times while in Nuremberg at a great place called Hütt’n where they also have a really nice selection of Franconian specialty beers. http://www.huettn-nuernberg.de/home/

ashtonblog2-3

As for the brew pubs, one of my favorites in Nuremberg is Hausbrauerei Altstdathof. I first visited this pub in 2014 and discovered its exceptional lagers showcasing German malts. The Rotbier (red beer) is a real treat! This year, we discovered the Keller Pub where they serve their own beers plus craft brewed specialty beers primarily from the United States. This was a huge surprise!

ashtonblog2-7
I couldn’t resist interrupting Reinhard Engel, braumeister and owner, from his meal to ask for a photo op with him and a bottle of Anchor California Lager.

ashtonblog2-4

Finally, I can’t forget to mention one of my favorite bars, Alte Küch’n & Im Keller. While it’s commonplace to have a bar located in or near your hotel here in the U.S., I have yet to find a bar quite like this one. Located next to my hotel in Nuremberg, Alte Küch’n & Im Keller can be found inside Im Keller. Head down the stairs and enter an 800-year-old vault that has been converted into a medieval-style hall complete with interesting characters hanging on the walls. My favorite beer at the Im Keller was the St. Georgen kellerbier.

ashtonblog2-5

Needless to say, enjoying a pint in Nuremberg is always an experience, and every time I visit, I discover something new.

 Cheers!