Kronenbrauerei Tettnanger
Bärenplatz 7
88069 Tettnang
www.krone-tettnang.de
The Tauscher family’s brewpub and restaurant is situated in the middle of the hop growing area of Tettnang near Lake Constance. They brew great organic beers as well as big seasonals. The brewery is a member of Brauer mit Leib und Seele (“Brewers with Body and Soul”), an association of ten small brewers from Baden-Württemberg who work together to promote craft beers. On April 23, Germany’s “Day of the Beer,” each releases a beer brewed with the same recipe, ingredients and technique, matured for 120 days, yet each of the ten beers tastes different. (www.ggtb.de)
Landwehr-Bräu
Reichelshofen 31
91628 Reichelshofen
www.landwehr-braeu.de
This midsized brewery in Frankonia (with restaurant and hotel) offers many seasonals, including a dark bock during Lent, and a festbier in the summer. In October/November, look for a harvest lager called “Hopfen Hell” brewed with fresh hops from the garden. Tours and tastings on site.
Weldebräu
Brauereistraße 1
D-68723 Plankstadt
www.welde.de
Located between Heidelberg and Mannheim, this midsized brewery has made an art of beer marketing. Their annual art competition, WeldeKunstpreis, attracts international participants every year, with the winner’s creation printed on labels of Welde No. 1 pils in a limited edition. Every January, Weldebräu releases a single batch of their pils brewed with a special regional malt, then in November, another special brew of Welde No. 1 made with fresh hops from Sandershausen, the last local hop growing village in the region. Watch for Welde’s great brewery tour experience.
Brauereigasthof Drei Kronen
Hauptstraße 19
96117 Memmelsdorf
www.drei-kronen.de
The brewery, restaurant and hotel of the Straub Family near Bamberg features specialty beer year round: smoked beer, kellerbier, a red weizen. The house is known for its various bock beers during Lent and a Christmas bock that, unfortunately, is always finished before the fest. Owner Hans-Ludwig Straub is the head of the organization Private Brauereigasthöfe: 60 pubs and restaurants across the country that are related to a brewery, and promote beer culture and hospitality. www.braugasthoefe.com
Schloßbrauerei Unterbaar
Hauptstraße 18
86674 Baar/ Schwaben
www.unterbaarer.de
On the occasion of their 400th anniversary this May, the brewery released a bock beer that is supposed to last a for hundred years. This adventurous long-term project is meant to document the Unterbaarer’s faith in their brewery business—even more so since most of the people involved will not survive the maturation of the beer.