Andreas Graser Gives Schlenkerla Its Enduring Name

In 1875, Andreas Graser succeeded his father Konrad as the owner and brewer of Hellerbräu in Bamberg. Graser was known locally for the unusual swinging movement of his arms when he walked. In the Franconian dialect, this motion was described by the verb “schlenkern,” and residents mockingly nicknamed him “Schlenkerla”—approximately “the little dangler.” The nickname gradually transferred from Andreas Graser to the brewery tavern and eventually became the name by which Hellerbräu and its smoked beer were known around the world. Although accounts differ about the cause of Graser’s distinctive movement, Schlenkerla’s own family history identifies him as the brewery’s original “Schlenkerla.” The name remained after his death and became inseparable from Bamberg’s best-known Rauchbier tradition.