The southern German region of Franconia has many attractions, not least its huge number of breweries where beer lovers are well catered for in virtually every town and village.

The town of Bamberg, located in Upper Franconia, is no different, while Aufsess in Franconian Switzerland, which has just 1,500 residents but four breweries, has earned its place in the Guinness Book of Records for the greatest number of breweries per capita.

The Reichold brewery inn and the Aufsess brewery with its Rothenbach guesthouse are just two locations that have attracted visitors from all over the world.

The history of Bamberg's Faessla brewery, meanwhile, stretches all the way back to 1649. Guests are already enjoying their first Seidla, a half-liter mug of beer, in the alleyway tavern when junior manager Roland Kalb spontaneously offers his visitors a tour of the brewery, which begins behind the breakfast room.

Faessla is not only produced for sale in the tavern, it is also delivered to bars in the surrounding area.

The Spezial brewery, which was founded in 1536, is situated on Konigstrasse and is another popular location for tourists, who mix with the locals at huge wooden tables.

Bamberg is not only a UNESCO Heritage World Heritage Site but is also considered the best place to savor smoked beer, a type of beer with a distinctive smoky flavor imparted by using malted barley dried over an open flame.

"The cathedral with the Bamberg knight is a must-see sight for tourists, as is a walk along the river and through the surrounding forests," says Elisabeth Keesmann of Bamberg's Keesmann brewery. "But our breweries and guesthouses are equally popular."

Keesmann serves a young man his beer while the customer tucks into some pretzel and smoked sausage he purchased in the neighboring butcher shop and bakery.

Just in case there is any confusion, the Neder brewery inn in Forchheim has a large sign making it clear that customers are more than welcome to bring their own bread. After all, this is a Bamberg tradition.

The Hebendanz brewery can be found two houses further on a stretch that includes two of Forcheim's three other breweries.

In Neustadt an der Aisch, master brewer Lothar Hufnagel has been attracting visitors from near and far since opening up his micro- brewery and guesthouse in a converted flour mill in 2005.

Hufnagel combines modern technology with historical and rural tradition. His grandmother hangs up her washing over the restaurant's tile oven while the butcher shop and breakfast room are decorated in the style of a bygone era. The brewing kettles in the barn are original.

Bamberg still has nine breweries in operation with around 340 situated in the whole of Franconia. Approximately 380 of these are to be found in Upper Franconia although the region has yet to create an official beer road for tourists.

However, there is an old Franconian beer road that involves nine breweries. It runs from Bayreuth via Kulmbach with its Bavarian beer museum, and through Lichtenfels, Bamberg to Forchheim where it links up with the Aisch Valley beer road.

German Press Agency

(China Daily 05/01/2011 page10)