Altenberg is in the Fürth county of Middle Franconia: the northern tip of Oberasbach and little more than a blip on the way between Nürnberg and Zirndorf. Prior to 2015, the beer tourist would likely pass through it on the way to the once noted and now conglomerate Zirndorfer Brauerei. Things have changed and now, it’s not only worth getting off the bus, it’s unwise not to.
Altenberger Brauhaus
Zirndorfer Straße 18
90522 Oberasbach-Altenberg
Tel: 0911 60 87 60
www.altenberger-brauhaus.de
Zirndorf Station 1.3 km/regular bus service
Opening hours:
Wednesday, Thursday & Friday from 17:30
Output: ?
The family owned building dates back to 1914 but the brewery was founded in 2015 and the brewpub restaurant followed two years later. The interior is nicely done but on a nice summer evening, the place to be is their cute little Biergarten out back.
nicely done up interior
Though the Altenberger Brauhaus had been my only focus of the original planned beer excursion, I had come up early to have lunch at the nearby Zirndorfer Bräuschank as the former didn’t open until 17:30. So, I was happy they had .3l pours since there were four beers on tap and I’d just worked my way through the Zirndorfer line-up. The garden was empty when I arrived right at opening but it started to fill soon after. I started off with their Altenberger Hell, which was very much a Franconian Vollbier and not in any way a Munich style Helles. The pour was done carefully, something not always the case, especially with .3l glassware. The head was chiffon-like and lasted to near the bottom of the beer.
a lovely beer in a lovely Biergarten
I move first onto their Märzen, then an amazing Schwarzbier and finished up with their Bock. I assume from looking at their website, it was their Maibock and it had lasted into summer. They reportedly do one at Christmas too.
a trio of nicely done & varied Altenberger beers
I was too full to even think of eating but everyone else was there for their evening meal and it all looked wonderful. It has a real family run feel to it and my server was very attentive and made sure all of the beers were served with perfect heads and carbonation. Since I’d had all of them, she asked me what my favorite was and seemed unsurprised when I said they were all excellent but that the Schwarzbier was the best.
This is an easy excursion from Nürnberg involving a simple U-Bahn trip to catch the bus on the western side of town. This keeps the bus trip fairly short rather than slog through inner city traffic. It can easily be combined with a trip to Zirndorf but if you had to choose just one, I’d say Altenberger Brauhaus is the one. I hope to return for a meal.
Beers: Altenberger Hell, Altenberger Märzen, Altenberger Schwarzbier, Altenberger Weizen (this one is listed on their website but was not available, perhaps they only have four taps and the seasonal Bock pushed it out).
Beer calendar:
Maibock from the end of May until done
Weihnachtsbock from the end of November until done
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