Bamberg Pils Roundup is an attempt to rank the four regularly brewed Pils in the beer Mecca. Rather than do it on my own, I enlisted the considerable help of three friends who visit Franconia very frequently. Two are fairly accomplished home brewers. We drank the beers on tap at the breweries and discussed their appearance, aroma, body, palate and finish. One of each was the limit and they were all done in a matter of a couple of hours. The order took into consideration their location as well as preconceived ascending bitterness. The order: Fäßla, Keesmann, Mahrs & newcomer Graser Wirtshaus. Kaiserdom does brew a Pils, but their brewery tap closed last year and the only place I know of with it on tap (Efendi) wasn’t open when we walked by. Other breweries in town have brewed Pils but either not regularly or have since discontinued them.
The popularity of Pils in Bamberg
While Bamberg is most noted as the smoke beer epicenter, much like Franconia at large, Pils has been the choice of the average drinker in Bamberg for decades. For much of that time, the renowned Keesmann Herren Pils has taken the mantel as the benchmark of the style. The other long term player is Fäßla Gold Pils, which perhaps represents the typical Franconian variant, featuring more malt. It seemed befitting to start off with what is very likely the two most popular Pils in town.
Fäßla vs Keesmann
Fäßla vs Keesmann
Though one of Bamberg’s most popular breweries, the Fäßla beers really can vary. Two of our judges generally stay up the street and are fans but had commented that the beer had been flabby the one time they’d been on their current trip. So, we were all delighted with a nice pour, bright golden hue and creamy head. It was in about as good a form as I’ve had it recently. That said, it brought up the old joke, it’s a pretty good Helles due to malty palate.
The 15 minute walk over to the Wunderburg for our next two beers worked up a thirst. Keesmann was predictably mobbed for the Saturday lunch stop so we drank in the Schwemme. The Herren Pils came through the small window in grand fashion. If looks could kill, we’d have tossed in the towel right there. As it was, the massive head and hop aroma won tons of points before the first sip. Our beer judge deemed it more in the Northern German Pils style and certainly no one would mistake it for a Helles. We came close to breaking our one beer rule on this one but the Bamberg Pils comparison continued.
Mahrs vs Graser
Mahrs Bräu
Luckily, our next beer was just across the street. I’ll have to admit that, a friend and I did a completely separate comparison of the two Wunderburg Pils earlier this year. On that given day, the Keesmann was a bit flabby and my friend, though initially skeptical said Mahrs Pils was the much better beer that day. So, I wasn’t sure what to expect after the stellar Keesmann performance.
The Mahrs Pils is unfiltered and had much less hop aroma and head retention wasn’t remotely comparable. To be fair, Keesmann serves theirs in a much tighter glass. The open mouth mug at Mahrs might look cool but it’s certainly not good in this sense. There was fair bitterness but it was a bit fruity. This might be seen as a flaw in a strict German style Pils contest but as one of our judges remarked, it’s more of a Franconian Pils. We had some lunch while there so it was good we had a bit of a walk to our next venue.
Graser Wirtshaus
Graser Wirtshaus is the newly opened venue of the Henrii restaurant group and is the only place in town with the new Konrad Graser beers on tap. These Schlenkerla creations made quite the stir at their inaugural showing at the Sandkerwa 2025. So much so that their Fränkisches Pils was being heralded as the new best Pils in Bamberg. This is what gave me the idea for this Pils comparison. It’s quite peppery and dry, heading in a Craft Beer Pils direction. I’d had it a few times and admittedly had super high expectations of it. The other judges loved it and gave it a clear win over Mahrs. It’s certainly the most different of the roundup and still in the Franconian mold. Sometimes preconceptions don’t pan out. The results might have been a tough Pils to swallow but I assure you all of the Pils were a pleasure to drink.
Bamberg Pils Roundup:
3. Mahrs Pils
5. Kaiserdom Pils (sampled on tap at Efendi but without my esteemed colleagues)
Kaiserdom Pils
*Please note these are solely our opinions. Also, impressions were gathered on a single day and some beers may not have been in their best form. That said, all the beers were in good form but the difference between the top and bottom might have changed with just a little variation.
If you don’t agree with our Bamberg Pils Roundup, please consider buying us a Pils 🍺 and perhaps next time out, we will come to our senses. If you have enjoyed this hopefully fun comparison, you can buy us a beer anyway. It’s not free doing all this research but somebody has to do it. 😉
If you’ve enjoyed learning a bit about Pils and want to do so on other Franconian styles: ABeerC.
Looking for some different beers and food in Bamberg? Check out The Pocket Guide to Best Beer and Breweries in Bamberg.
The best thing in Franconia is actually the food: ABCs of Bamberg & Franconian Food.
The best beer in Franconia really is out in the countryside so why not join me on a guided hike to some of the best:
I’ve had Faßla and Herrem Pils before. Been a long time but if I remember – I liked them both!
Must say, I don’t drink so much Pils when in town but it was fun to try them all again in succession. I can highly recommend it for a rainy (or sunny) day!
I don’t either but…kinda needed a break from the rauch bier. lol
Definitely know the feeling, Matt.