Todd and I both had seen people talking in various social media spots about a brewery hike. One in particular we had both seen was a 10k, five brewery hike known as the Fünf-Seidla-Steig.
There's two ways you can do this... you can start the hike at the beginning, hike the 10k while visiting the five breweries, and then hike it back again, for a total of 20k. Ok, I don't need that much beer and there are three sets of little legs that would not enjoy this. The other option is to take the train from Weißenohe up to Grafenburg one stop. Then get on the bus in Grafenburg (Bus 226) and take it to Thuisbrunn. Get off the bus, follow the crowd down a small hill and you'll be at the first brewery, the Thuisbrunner Elchbraeu - Gasthof Seitz. Then you make only the 10k hike back to where your car is. The other option is to start in Weißenohe and then call a cab or an Uber to take you back to your car.
This might be one of the reasons they tell you to take the bus to Thuisbrunn and hike back. To start where we ended would mean a 150 meter change in elevation in the first two kilometers!
We just followed the crowd off the bus! Funny, we followed one couple who had to be in their 80s.
Look! There they are in front of me! Here we are at stop one!
Mmmm. My first frosty mug of beer of the day.
They have a pretty cool game you can play (beer drinking for adults!) where you can get a stamp at each of the five breweries. If you get all five stamps, you get a discount on the Fünf-Seidla-Steig mug at the end! (No, it's not free, sadly).
This is the Burgruine Thuisbrunn. It was built before the mid 1300s. This little town, however, has been around since about the year 1000.
We started the real hike just after our beer at the Thuisbrunner Elchbraeu. It was a pretty easy hike, although definitely long at 10k. (OK, not long for adults but long for kids. My kids did great though!) We passed a little Christmas tree farm on our way!
First we marched through some tall brush.
Then the path began to clear.
And finally, nothing but beautiful fields! We stopped just before this to eat our little picnic lunch. We had to stand up, so it might have been good to bring a picnic blanket (I have a lovely one from my friends Magnus and Pamela in Scotland that I use all the time but didn't think to bring). There aren't a lot of spots to stop and rest along the way.
There's about a kilometer between brewery one and brewery 2, the Brauerei Hofman.
This was probably my favorite brewery of the five. Most of the beer is the same, but this place had a fun band! Everyone was singing and happy and it was lots of fun!
Bier zwei.
From there, you venture out into the longest part of the hike. It's over 4km to the next brewery, but you're rewarded with three breweries in a very short span. The hike there isn't too difficult, unless you're Natalie who thought it was too steep.
Big boy had fun on the hike.
Yay! We made it to another pretty field! While most of the hike is paved (or at least a rocky path), there are a few parts that lead you right through the grass. Make sure you have your bug spray on! Don't want to pick up any tick hitchhikers!
Ahhhh. Finally bier drei. The third stop is the Brauereigasthof Lindenbräu in Grafenburg. Thankfully, they had free bathrooms! We had our beer, got our stamp and we were on our way.
The sign to the third brewery.
Grafenburg was super cute, as are all Franconian Switzerland towns.
What's that you say? Beer stop number vier? Freu Dich Brauf... translates to, "Look forward to it!" Brauerei Friedmann is where we enjoyed a radler at the hottest part of the day.
These gangstas were apparently very much looking forward to it.
At some points along the way, things got a little dicey for us. We got a bit confused as to which way we should head. But thankfully, there are these little "Frankenweg" signs all over the place to help guide you. Look for the signs and you shouldn't have any problems!
Walking to the last brewery, we passed this on a house. Todd and I could only assume this was one of the houses in Game of Thrones, and these were carrier pigeons.
It was a beautiful day and such a lovely hike. Note on the closest tree on the right, you can faintly see the little Frankenweg sign!
Nothing but fields and blue sky.
I love how the landscape changes.
Hurry up, Mommy! We have to be the leaders!
Oh Germany. Your naughtiness never ceases to amaze me. Kids, turn away!
Todd was SUPER stoked that we found the fifth brewery! The fifth brewery is the Weißenohe monastery brewery.
Hi. My name is Colleen and I've had five beers today. Also notice there is a massive vespa (wasp) problem in Germany so we cover our beers with coasters ha ha.
We did it! We got all Fünf auf dem Stempelkarte.
Here it is! The coveted mug! We are the big winners, folks!
Eat your salads before you get a treat. No exceptions. Actually, Grant loved this salad!
Promised popsicles at the end of the road. Ahhhh!
Cool, we get to drive through this building on the way home! I can't even imagine the planning board and public works meetings that discussed this issue! "No no, we MUST widen the road here!" "Over my dead body. You'll have to go THROUGH my house!"
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