Franconia Beer Message Board

10 days itinerary (Franken, Oberpfalz, Plsen)
Posted by Jason on 2018-11-27 01:03:02
Hi JP, Fred will arrange email exchange. 

Regarding Anstichs: So you're referring to Bayersicher Anstich (BA)... why would Franconian beer culture be subdued at this time of year? It's still very busy, tourists don't sustain it. Downtime as such is January, Febuary and March when tourist levels are low, people are detoxing and the students are away. Unfortunately, many places have switched from BA to keg dispense, especially in Bamberg, where only Schlenkerla dispenses from gravity. Spezial (all) and Keesmann beer (the pils only i think) come from the lager tanks, which is fine. The country breweries are mixed, but I would say BA is rarer these days, especially outside of keller season. 

There are no extravagent breweries compared with De Dolle. There are a few craft breweries but they aren't really near Bamberg, except perhaps Binkert in Breitengussbach which has a porter, pale ale and other non traditional Franconian fare (though nothing mindblowing if you're into modern styles). 

In terms of bars, the famous one is Cafe Abseits in Bamberg. There are also other pubs that have maybe 3 or 4 beers but I wouldn't expect anything like there is in craft beer scenes elsewhere. Beer here is best drunk fresh as the source. Stoehrenkeller is fine, but I'm not a frequent visitor, which may tell you something. Uebelhack (weiglathal) has it's beer brewed elsewhere and they lager it (I understand). 

Re Zoigl: you will not be able to get any Zoigl from families whose stub'n aren't open at that time. They really only brew enough for their pub and as far as I know don't sell barrels or bottles to the public. You can take a syphon and they'll gladly fill it (when open). To be honest, zoigl bier is very much an enigma - it can be very good, but often average, the quality certainly lifted by the experience of the stub'n and their various characters. But the beer doesn't benefit from being taken away, I've done it a few times and it really dies after a few hours in a bottle. This goes for most breweries, just focus on enjoying the experience as a whole; the beers in isolation aren't going to amaze (aside from a few) but the experience as a whole is what elevates them. 
 
Followups:
         10 days itinerary (Franken, Oberpfalz, Plsen) by Barry Taylor on  2018-11-27 05:54:39
           10 days itinerary (Franken, Oberpfalz, Plsen) by JP on  2018-11-27 15:26:53
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