Franconian Beer Message Board

Funf Seidla Steig

Posted by Mark Andersen on 2019-08-13 06:26:37

Finally got around to doing this wander on our trip three weeks ago with some friends (including Jason and Barry) and found it very worthwhile and something I will absolutely aim to do again on a future visit. I had been to Hoffman and Lindenbrau previously this year on a driviing tour around the area but never did the hiking part of it.

Firstly it's fairly easy to get to the starting point from Bamberg. We took a train to Forchheim and then a bus (off the top of my head #223 but I'd have to look it up to confirm) from there to Weissenohe. While the bus ride was fairly long (about 40 minutes I think) it was also scenic and got us there in plenty of time to do what we came to do.

So we started off visiting the brewery in Weissenohe and it was well worth the stop as we all seemed to enjoy their beers. Of course their "Altfrankisch" Dunkel was fine but I particulary enjoyed a pilsener they had that was well hopped with Hersbrucker. They kind of gave it a craft beery name which made me skeptical but in the interest of science I ordered one and really quite enjoyed it.

Now in order to give us plenty of time to enjoy our stops we cheated a bit and didn't exactly do the entire hike. For example from Weissenohe we took the train to Grafenberg and then hopped a bus from there that dropped us off near Thuisbrunn. We would walk our way back from there to Grafenberg. I think that approach worked very well and kudos to Jason and Roonnie for working out those details.

Elch Brau in Thuisbrunn was excellent! It was a first visit there for me but I'd put this one on my ever expanding top ten list. Wonderful beers in a really nice beer garden. Worth the trip out there all on it's own.

The walk mostly up hill from there to Hoffman didn't take too long (40 minutes-ish). Hoffman was okay but not as good as I remembered it in May. I suspect the rush of visitors in the summer maybe puts some strain on their capacity and maybe they have to rush batches a bit more but while I loved it in May it seemed just kind of meh in July. In fairness Thuisbrunn is a touch act to follow IMO.

The hike from Hoffman to Grafenberg was interesting in that we split off in to two groups for some reason and my group (unfortunately following my lead) got a bit lost and added an extra 1-2km distance to the hike. Honestly I found the signs for 5 Seidla Steig not as clear as I expected compared to other hikes I've done in Franken. Anyhow, experience is the best teacher and sometimes you learn more about an area by getting lost in it than otherwise. So as it turns out we only fell about 3/4 of a Seidla behind.

Lindenbrau was good as usual and I think we actually had one seidla from the barrel and one from keg (as I recall) and the one from the barrel was noticeably better we all agreed. I was pondering this morning as I thought back on this trip that Grafenberg would be a nice place to stay for a night or two or three on a future trip because there is actually plenty around there to interest the beer lover. Granted it's not the nightlife of Bamberg but I really could see staying at Lindenbrau for a short stay. Anyhow that's a side note.

Friedman was our last stop. We had barely enough time to get up to the keller for a couple of beers and a bit to eat. Those that have been there know it is a really nice keller with a great view. The beer was also good. We did stop quickly at the pub on the way down towards the station. I have to say the Friedman beers were better than I expected. I've always heard that it was average at best (compared to Lindenbrau) but I disagree with that assesement. I think Friedman is well worth the stop both for the keller, the beer, and the brewpub.

We bought a few bottles to take with us for the journey home and that journey consisted of ..... actually I'm a bit foggy on this. We took a train from Grafenberg to somewhere and then a bus to Erlangen station. Maybe Jason can fill in the exact details. But finally a train ride back to Bamberg from Erlangen. I know this is a bit different than what I thought was the usual route through Nurnberg. I guess we saved some time this way? Next time I think I'll just stay a night or three in Grafenberg and just catch the bus back to Forchheim during the day.

In conclusion, a very worthwhile excursion that includes 5 breweries (all of which I enjoyed) and nice scenery to boot.

Funf Seidla Steig by Doug on 2019-08-13 06:43:05

Funf Seidla Steig by Mark Andersen on 2019-08-13 08:48:38

Funf Seidla Steig by Mark Andersen on 2019-08-13 08:49:34

Funf Seidla Steig by Jason on 2019-08-13 09:27:29

Funf Seidla Steig by Barry Taylor on 2019-08-13 14:48:46

Funf Seidla Steig by ANDREW H on 2019-08-14 03:57:01