Tucher Bräu Tavern in Nuremberg | Photo by carso80 ()
It’s officially beer fest season! If you're wanting a different scene than Oktoberfest there are many other ways to celebrate. If you want a different kind of beer experience, consider taking a trip to the home of one of Germany’s favorite beers, the Tucher Brauerei.
See it to beer-lieve it!
This Bavarian beer has been brewed since 1672. Their most popular brew is a light “hefeweizen” (an unfiltered wheat beer), which is usually served in a tall weizen glass that was designed specifically for this type of brew. However, the Tucher Original Nuremberg Red Beer, Tucher Nuremberg Camp Hell and Tucher Aecht Nuremberg Kellerbier are their signature specialties. For those that enjoy the flavor of beer but don’t want the alcohol, you can enjoy alcohol-free versions of the pilsner, weizen, radler and Reifbräu.
With brewing comes ingenuity and innovation. This company is the patent holder for keeping the cloudy, yeasty beer stable allowing consumers to get the tap experience from a bottle. Tucher is also the creator of the CoolKeg, a reusable beer keg that cools itself without electricity! This means no trash cans filled with ice or a kegerator required. This is the perfect setup for your next get together or camping trip.
The Tucher Bräu brand offers tours in two locations — Tucher Altes Sudhaus in Fürth and Tucher Traditionsbrauerei in Nuremberg. You have the choice of three tour packages, which includes a beer tasting. However, your booking can include lunch or “schäufele,” a traditional Franconian roasted pork dish doused with beer. You must book your tour in advance and you can request an English-speaking tour. Groups must include at least 12 people, but they can group you with others if you don’t have enough.
Beyond the brewery
The famous city of Nuremberg offers a wide range of attractions and experiences, including their extraordinary Christmas market. Before or after your tour, take some time to explore sites such as Kaiserburg Castle, Weinstadel (a historic wine warehouse), the city walls, St. Lorenz Church, Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Weissgerbergasse for its whimsical, colorful half-timered houses and the Subterranean Town Hall Chambers. If you decide to extend your visit for more than a day, there are also several museums worth adding to your to-do list, including the National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg Transportation Museum, City Museum and the Neues Museum.
Let’s hit the road
The drive to the Fürth and Nuremberg locations is approximately a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Garmisch and Stuttgart. The traffic seems to occur more often than not, especially in the Stuttgart area, so plan on the drive being longer.
You can save a little time by taking the train. If you’re going to Nuremberg, you will arrive at the Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof and take the tram to Tucher Altes Sudhaus. For tours in Fürth, it becomes a little trickier, but not impossible. Once you arrive at the Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof, you’ll take a tram and a bus to the Tucher Traditionsbrauerei.
If you’re a beer-lover, consider responsibly exploring a different side of your favorite beverage. It’s not only a great experience during beer fest season, but it also makes for a great indoor activity in the winter, which is right around the corner. Any place where it’s always “bierzeit,” beer time, is worth checking out!
