SOURCE: www.vgn.de
Five breweries. Ten kilometers. And a ZERO net calorie day. What more could anyone want?!?
The Feunf Seidla Steig is a 10 KM (one way) trip through the German countryside, just outside of Nuremberg, in the area of Gräfenberg. There are five breweries, of which some were founded in the early 19th Century. They’ve been making beer a l-o-n-g time, and are subsequently quite good at it.
Gräfenberg is a beautiful area, with some dramatic elevation changes, which add to the amazing views, and challenging day-hike.
Our day started out with a “pre-game” tailgater of Bloody Marys and finger foods in the parking lot in Weißenhoe, at the south end of the trail. The VGN hosts a good Feunf Seidla Steig website. It lists a parking lot in Gräfenberg as a starting point, but that is if you are prepared to complete the round trip of 18-20 Km in one day (with drinking beer). We decided to walk one-way, which was still a respectable 10 Km.
I had arranged a taxi service to take us from Weißenhoe to the northern-most brewery, Gasthof Seitz Thuisbrunner Elch-Brau. We used Fahrdienst und Taxi Kutschka, and they were awesome. They speak NO English, but you can pretty much hand gesture, and Google Translate enough to get into the taxi and pay. I emailed them earlier in the week, and arranged the pickup. They were on time (early, actually) and very professional. We had a group of ten, so we had ordered two taxis… and they were all-around, great. Additionally, the price was vert reasonable; ten people, two taxis… 30 Euro. We tried to tip them and they refused!
Thuisbruner Elch-Bräu
The northern-most brewery in the Feunf Seidla Steig is the Thuisbrunner Elch-Bräu. There has been a brewery on that site since the 16th Century. The current brewery has been around since 1852. this was an excellent places to start the hike because the biergarten was very inviting. It was a positive way to start the day! It serves a variety of beers and food, including a new whiskey that they’re “dabbling” with.
Brauerei Hofmann
It only took us approximately 30 minutes to get to Brauerei Hoffmann from Thuisbrunner. It was an easy walk, with a gentle uphill. It had some seating, but it was already packed. That’s OK; we joined some folks on the lawn outside, and it was beautiful. They also had a band playing! Too bad we couldn’t stay and listen, since we had some hiking to do!
Lindenbräu
Then the hiking really started. Our next leg was a little over an hour, with the largest elevation change. The hills were towards the end of the hour-long hike, as we got close to Gräfenberg. But once we got to the top, it was a long downhill to get into the town. Lindenbräu is right in the town, at the bottom of the hill. This was the most packed visit of our trip, and we lucked out in getting a table. The servers were absolutely slammed; but it was lunchtime, so I am sure everyone thought it a good place to stop!
Brauerei Friedmann
Brauerei Friedmann has been in operation for over 135 years. Their motto is: Hopfen und Malz Gott erhalts! (Hops and Malt, may the Lord preserve it!). Friedmann’s was right around the corner from the Lindenbräu, which was good because we were getting hungry! I made a reservation ahead of time at their Biergarten because I read great reviews on TripAdvisor. The food was basic comfort food; but really this hike is all about the beer, anyway. However, the views from the Biergarten are totally worth it. It was a beautiful place to sit outside and eat lunch.
Weißenohe Klosterbrauerei
Finally, after a nice relaxing lunch, we headed down the hill towards Weißenohe Klosterbrauerei. I have to say, it was the most interesting stop along the way because it was originally the brewery of the Benedictine Monastery in the village. It is still technically within the Monastery walls, but has been privately owned and run since 1827. I enjoyed it because most of the other places along the Feunf Seidla Steig are detached from their actual brewing operations, so they are biergartens and restaurants associated with their beers. In Weißenohe, I felt like I was entering into a place with a long brewing tradition; it was well decorated with antique tools and machines once used in beer making. I felt like it was the only place that told its story. Within the walls, there was also large courtyard, with a church. The biergarten was packed, but they had plenty of seating inside. After a long day in the sun, it was much appreciated.
At the end of the day, we had our bier passport fully stamped! We never found out where to purchase our commemorative bier steins… but I guess I’ll have to do it again and let you know!
What to know before you go:
- The trail is well marked, but because it was designed as a round-trip from Gräfenberg, the trail is split in the middle section, and uses two different colored signs. Take a look at the Feunf Seidla Steig website and especially the VGN website. The later has GPS coordinates and a google map file that you can download to use. It also has a regular map you can download and print out as well.
- If you’re walking one-way, start your walk in Thuisbrunn and walk back to Weißenohe. The elevation changes are not as severe.
- Check the schedules for the biergartens and breweries. We almost went to do this hike on a Sunday; but one of the biergartens is closed on Sundays. IT kind of defeats the purpose of doing the Feunf Seidla Steig if you only get to drink four! And you can’t get your stamp!