Brauerei Heckel lies in Franconian Switzerland hub town of Waischenfeld. The atmospheric castle ruins of Waischenfeld Castle were first mentioned in writing in 1122 and are well worth exploring. The town makes a good place to rest your head with a few restaurants and hotels in a compact area nestled in the hills. With an extensive brewery trail network surrounding it, you can certainly keep yourself busy for a few days.
Brauerei Heckel
Vorstadt 3
91344 Waischenfeld
Tel: 09202-493
Ebermannstadt Station 19 km/irregular bus service
Opening hours:
Closed Monday & Thursday
Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 16:30 to 22:00
Saturday 9:30-13:00
Sunday 10-12:30 & 16:30 to 22:00
Output: 300 HL
History & logistics:
Founded around 1900, this has to be one of the smallest operations in the world with only a couple other outlets in town. The one room taproom is simple and classic Franconian. With the odd opening hours and small size, it fills up quickly, especially with groups of hikers. This was high on my list of places to visit but had never fit into my hiking schedule when passing through due to the restrictive hours. So, I planned an overnight trip to Waischenfeld by car and was very disappointed to find it positively packed pub only a half hour after its opening. We walked up to the Gasthof Jöbstel to have dinner and were happy to find the Heckel-Bier on tap there. The meal was great and the beer was decent but I wasn’t about to come all the way back to Waischenfeld to have it again.
marvelous old pub & Heckel-Bier
The beer:
So, on the way back, I asked my wife to give it one more try. We managed to squeeze onto a table of locals for what was to be one more beer. Well, the beer was gravity dispensed in the brewery. This made a huge difference in not only the body of the beer but also the flavor. Up at the hotel, the finish had been a bit sticky but that aspect was nowhere to be tasted at the brewery. We wound up staying for quite a few and had a grand time. Guess we’ll be back.
got back to Brauerei Heckel to enjoy it on a quieter day
We recently stopped by Brauerei Heckel while doing the Burg und Bier Pfad hike from Breitenlesau. It was a gorgeous sunny day so many people were bringing their beers outside to enjoy along the river. Since it was relatively empty inside, we decided to enjoy it while we could. The beer was even better than we’d remembered.
Beers: Heckel-Bier
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