Franconian Beer Message Board

Sauer Zoigl
Posted by barry on 2011-08-01 04:20:13
According to people in Eschawo, it was very common! I was told that many of the houses with brewing rights really just used to brew for their own consumption, then, when the beer was getting a bit old, threw open their houses to the public, selling the beer off very cheaply. At this stage, it was hit or miss whether you got something worth drinking. I had a wonderful picture painted for me of the original zoiglstube, which were simply people's kitchens or living rooms. 'Guests' would sit where they could, often on staircases, and family life would go on. Most of this died out in Eschawo, I think by the 1970s, but a couple of houses maintained the tradition, one of which was Zum Roud'n. Most of the current stube are really a kind of 'revival' zoigl stube. To an extent, the tradition is maintained in Neuhaus, with the non-commercial brewers, but you have to be very lucky to get an invite. I'd love to read the books on zoigl but, so far, they are all in German and would take the rest of my life to get through. Any volunteers to translate?