Franconian Beer Message Board
Newbie zoigler: the planning stage |
| Posted by DonS on 2011-01-28 08:09:03 |
| Just for comparison, Ebermannstadt counts just over 6800 heads; Windischechenbach has fewer than 5300, so perhaps they can be considered roughly comparable in size. Both are also on train lines. Barry has other details right; both Eschawo and its "suburban" twin neighboring village, Neuhaus, have reasonable lodging and other services available. I've stayed at the Oberpfälzer Hof more than once, and the place hits on all cylinders: clean, quiet, comfortable, breakfast and coffee for the morning wake-up. The White Swan a short walk away offers similar levels of comfort. Both places also have dining/drinking areas serving Zoigl, and serve during the week, as does Loistl, which runs Monday-Thursday evenings. The obvious thing to consider is the schedule of opening weekends at the local pubs. Some Zoigl venues have weekday openings (see above), but the family-run places are generally Friday-to-Monday affairs. The schedule at http://zoiglinfo.de/pdf/Zoiglkalender_Internet.pdf is an excellent resource, giving opening weekends not only in the five primary Zoigl towns, but in neighboring towns in the region that bring in Zoigl beer as well. If you want as much variety as you can possibly get, you'll want to visit on the long weekend that includes Monday, October 3 this year, when Tag der Kommunbrauer takes place in Neuhaus, and every Zoigl pub opens its doors. If that's appealing, the local hotel, Zum Waldnaabtal, is ideally situated, and has both its own hotel rooms and vacation apartments in a separate house just a few minutes' walk away. If you're "worried" about running out of pubs to visit, don't be. For one thing, the beer culture here is less about rushing from place to place than it is about settling in for a session, especially if the beer is in good form (unfortunately, that's not always the case). Also, if you're in the mood, you can visit the local commercial brewery's taproom at Brauerei Würth, although it's not a patch on the family-run pubs. Like other brewers in the region, Würth produces a commercial "Zoigl." You'll find some comparable qualities between Zoiglbier and Franconian Kellerbier (uh-oh!) counterparts, but don't make the mistake of assuming that they're exactly alike. Zoiglbier acquires a house character at the different pubs, in spite of the underlying similarity. Pinning down that character is elusive, but that's part of the fun. The other part of the fun is simply the realization that these places aren't your typical commercially-run pubs. At busy times, it's possible that the whole family might be involved; I still remember one Zoigl visit where I was served, and quite well actually, by pre-teen and just barely pubescent children! Note, too, that Zoigl touring makes either extremely moderate consumption, a designated driver, or an overnight stay necessary, as public transport is lacking, but the road network is good. In the case of Mitterteich, you might find an overnight there worthwhile, not only for its Zoigl pubs, but for Brauereigasthof Hösl, the local commerical brewery's restaurant-pub. Oddly, Hösl shuts on Saturdays. However, it's possible to use public transport to get from Eschawo to Mitterteich as well, so day trips are possible. This isn't the case in more out-of-the-way places like Falkenberg, but again, an overnight there is possible, and if my one visit there is any indication, utterly worthwhile; the Zoigl I had there at Wolfadl was brilliant. |
| Followups: |
 Newbie zoigler: the planning stage by TreinJan on 2011-01-28 09:38:44 |
| Newbie zoigler: the planning stage by TreinJan on 2011-01-28 09:53:47 |
| Newbie zoigler: the planning stage by Barry on 2011-01-28 11:55:35 |
| Newbie zoigler: the planning stage by DonS on 2011-01-28 13:46:42 |
| Newbie zoigler: the planning stage by Nick B. on 2011-01-29 03:24:34 |
| Newbie zoigler: the planning stage by Nick B. on 2011-01-29 03:38:40 |
| Newbie zoigler: the planning stage by TreinJan on 2011-01-29 08:47:19 |
| Newbie zoigler: the planning stage by DonS on 2011-01-29 15:04:26 |
| Newbie zoigler: the planning stage by Nick B. on 2011-01-30 03:34:15 |