Erlangen Bergkirchweih 2007 Beer Festival

I'm planning to attend the Erlangen Bergkirchweih 2007 Beer Festival for a few days. It is on from 24 May to 4 June.

Can anybody offer advice on where to stay, what time to attend the festival (first weekend? during week? at end?). Is it most crowded at the start or end of festival? How far ahead should I book accomodation?

Any other tips?

Thanks,

Eamonn

Reply to
Foles
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Ooooo! I haven't been there since 1988! I really can't offer any good advice. I stayed at Ferris Barracks and attended from the time I got off duty until it closed.

Lotta fun, but not as many memories ...

Do you think it would be possible to send some Kitzman sent to the US?

Enjoy yourself!

Tom

Reply to
TARogue

sounds like you had a blast

I'm really hooked on the idea of this one. Pictures I have seen look fantastic.

You cant get Kitzman in the US? I guess i could send some beer, would postage be reasonable.

Im an Aussie living in the UK and I just had my first West Australian beer for 2 years (Swan Draught). A relative brought it over with them. Ahh the memories. So different to anything in Europe, first sip a bit rough, but it grows on ya - good session beer

TARogue wrote:

Reply to
Foles

I usually did. Of course in those days it was usually more about the getting drunk than enjoying the beer. (Or wine.)

It really was a good time. Having also been to the Oktoberfest in Munich, I honestly preferred the Erlangen festivals. It may sound weird coming from an American, but I liked the less tourist-y feel of Bergkierchwieh.

You can't get Kitzman outside of Erlangen. At least, not while I was there. As I understood it, each city or town had their own brewery.

As for postage, I have no idea what the cost would be. My email address is scrambled in my sig, so if you contact me privatly we could possibly set something up.

The only Aussie "beer" I've had is Fosters. It didn't suck, but it wasn't great.

Tom

Reply to
TARogue

My fiance and I were in attendance this past summer. Erlangen is a small town and your best bet would be to stay in Nuremburg or one of the other surrounding (bigger) cities and hop on the regional DB (about 30 minute train ride from Nuremburg and around 4 or 5 Euro's each way) which run pretty frequently. We had a blast the people, beer, food and atmosphere were incredible. I am normally cheap, but I considered the 5 euro price for each liter beer a bargin.

We are talking of returning again this coming summer.

Reply to
E. Shim

Thanks for the tip.

I was just trying to decide where to stay. There still is a bit of accomodation available in Erlangen itself (I guess it will book very quickly coming up to the event). Do you suggest to stay in a nearby city because Erlangen is a small, quiet town? Or becuase it will be booked out / expensive?

Also, did you see the opening of the festival? Is the first couple of days a good time to attend?

Eamonn

E. Shim wrote:

Reply to
Foles

I assumed it would be difficult to find reasonable room and board, plus Nuremburg has LOTS of excellent hotels. Guess if you want go to for the small town feel (Erlengen is a college town) definitly stay there. Even if you stay until fest closing (which we did one of the three times we went) the trip back to Nuremburg wasn't bad at all.

We missed the opening, but were in attendance a couple days after and would guess it was better to go early in the fest rather than later as the fest marks the opening of the beer gardens which stay open past the end of the fest. There is a German National Holiday soon after opening and that is probably the busiest time, but even at peak, people are nice and you'll usually find room at a table with friendly locals. If you have a large group I do recommend you go around opening time for the fest. When you walk into the fest grounds resist the temptation to set up camp at the Kitzman or tent, keep walking and you'll find yourself lots of tables on the hill under trees, much better views and seemed more cozy. Also if you set up camp at one of the tents on the hill, there are free public bathrooms for both male and females where traffic moves efficiently, the Kitzman tent (along with lots of other bathroom is public places) will charge you to use the bathroom. It's an enjoyable time and I don't think you'll regret going. Try one of the HUGE prezels (best bang for the euros), get a liter of beer (almost all of the fest beers were 5 euros a liter) and enjoy the company of a lot of friendly local germans.

Cheers!

Foles wrote:

Reply to
E. Shim

ObQuibble: I'd say Erlangen is a "small city" rather than a small town, on my arbitrary city-town-village scale. And though it's a

*great* place in which to live, it's hardly what I'd consider tourism-worthy.

IMO, there's never a good time to attend. The beer is SHITE, and Bavaria's second largest Volksfest is horribly packed after early afternoon. Well, Kitzmann's Bergbier-or-whatever is SHITE. I haven't bothered with the likes of Tucher or whatever else might be on offer. The Steinbach might be better, but still, Steinbach.

Then again, I'm not much of a "beerfest" person any more, so take that FWIW. I successfully avoided all 12 days' of "der Berg" last year. Annafest in Forchheim, OTOH, now *that's* a Fest to recommend!

Spend an afternoon in Erlangen, but several days? Get a bike and explore the countryside Bierkeller(s) in peace and quiet the rest of the time instead. Plenty of friendly Krauts to be found there as well, and the beer and food are much more enjoyable when you've worked up an appetite (and thirst) of course. Hell, go to Bamberg!

Erlangen?!?

Reply to
sleurB kciN

Reply to
Foles

Thanks again - I look forward to it. I'll especially remember the bit about setting up out on the hill instead of in the tents.

E. Shim wrote:

Reply to
Foles

Just from reading on the net.

Well I wasnt planning to drive around drunk as it happens. And we planned to drop the car off in Erlangen before the drinking begins. I live in London but I am actually Australian. We'll probably do a bit of cycling ourselves.

We are planning a week's journey.

Reply to
Foles

I'd love to check out a smallish CAMRA beer fest in England. (Not the GBBF, mind.)

Well, it depends on what you like, I guess. If you're set on visiting this festival, then so be it. What the Annafest offers in comparison, is a selection of at least 8-10 Festbiers from different breweries, more than half of which are small, local breweries. There is some variation in quality between the various breweries' beers, but all but a couple are vastly more interesting than the 2 or 3 at the Bergkirchweih. So that's the beer.

Then there's the environment. The Erlanger Fest is packed onto the side of a low hill on the edge of the city/town. It's a nice enough setting, but not that remarkable. The Annafest, OTOH, snakes and winds its way up a heavily wooded hill on the edge of Forchheim, and is simply much lovelier.

The Annafest is more laid-back; it's a rural fest, as opposed to the more urban Erlanger Bergkirchweih. The Erlanger fest is a big, loud, drunken party, whereas the Forchheimer Annafest is an adventure.

I'll stop now, I guess.

Ah, one of *those*! (Kidding.)

Excellent. Like I said, this is the best way to experience the region, from a beerhunter's perspective.

A week's holiday altogether, or a week to journey from Switzerland to Franconia?

If the former, I'd recommend driving (or better, taking the train) directly to Franconia. Freiburg is lovely though, but I'm partial to Franconia over most of the rest of Deutschland.

Regardless, it'd be an absolute shame not to visit Bamberg, IMO. The city is a true architectural *gem*. And the beer doesn't suck. It's easily worth several night's stay.

(Left that intact, just because.)

Reply to
sleurB kciN

We've ended up revamping our plans. Flying into Stuttgart, then onto Nuremberg, Bamberg, Erlangen (for a day at the Berg), Pilsen, then Prague. Flying back from Prague and will be doing all this in a week. Got a good open jaw airfare from BA (87 pounds). We also decided against the hire car - We will be travelling by train. Is Pilsen worth a visit? I thought it would split the journey from Nuremberg to Prague.

out a smallish CAMRA beer fest in England. (Not the

you're set on visiting this

experience the region,

journey from Switzerland to

intact, just because.)

Reply to
Foles

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