Heldburg was first mentioned in 837. It’s a small charming town nestled in the largely rural Hildburghausen county of Thuringia. Unsurprisingly, it’s the head of its namesake municipality, which is rich in communal breweries. Across the border from Lower Franconia and part of the Fränkischer Reichskreis, it’s included here as it’s historically and linguistically tied. It is home to Heldburg Castle, which looms over the town strewn with half-timbered gems.
lovely Heldburg
Though the town has seen perhaps better days, it makes a good base for exploring the area and the castle is certainly one of the main sights in Hildburghausen county. It is also a main transit hub for buses to the communal breweries in the region. I have now been through the town quite a few times and recently spent the night when attending the 6th Südthüringer Bierverkostung or Southern Thuringian beer tasting.
Südthüringer Bierverkostung in Heldburg
Opening hours:
Events only.
The Southern Thuringian beer tasting event is only six years old but it’s gaining steam in its region despite its word of mouth only “advertising.” Tickets are only available from members of the communal breweries of Hildburghausen county. It’s a chance to try the beers without the considerable travel it takes to reach them.
an interesting off the beaten path beer tasting
A good friend who’s a member of a communal brewery in Lower Franconia has made good connections with his neighboring communal brewery members in Thuringia. He’d attended the previous year and was asked to be one of the judges this time around. He managed to get me a ticket and I jumped at the chance to go. The previous year’s winner hosts and is not part of the judging. In this case, it was Poppenhausen. They conveniently had a beer dispense outside the facility, serving their beer prior to and during the event. The venue can be in that reigning winner’s village, but if there is no suitable place, it is held elsewhere. The Stadtsaal Heldburg is perfect due to its size and the Heldburg’s relative amenities.
The beer:
Most of the communal breweries of Southern Thuringia brought their beers for the informal competition. Only Albingshausen, Hellingen, Käßlitz and Simmershausen were missing. A couple of the breweries don’t hold festivals, so aside from a personal invitation to their facility, this was a rare chance to sample their wares. Some of the beers were perhaps in less than their ideal shape. I mostly stuck to beers I’d not had previously and made sure to try the ones which don’t hold festivals. My notes were not very detailed due to the number of beers sampled in such a short time. Click on beer names for brief descriptions. Reviews from beers not sampled at the event are from the actual brewery festivals. Cut to the chase, my favorite was Stressenhausen but it did not win the informal competition as determined by the judges.
beers I sampled
The food
The Südthüringer Bierverkostung in Heldburg offered typical festival fare, mostly grilled items like Bratwurst and Steaksemmel. It unfortunately closed towards the end of the event, leaving quite a few people hungry. There’s really not much in town so I think they lost an opportunity to make a bit more money. It’s certainly not impossible that they simply ran out of food. Since I’ve not been to this event before, I don’t know how other venues run things.
food options at Südthüringer Bierverkostung
Attending the Südthüringer Bierverkostung in Heldburg was an interesting experience. While I don’t generally enjoy going to beer festivals due to the rushed feel of trying beers, this one wasn’t overwhelming. I think if it started earlier in the day, it would allow for a more relaxed tasting experience. That said, it was a great opportunity to sample beers that are generally not available to non-members and it certainly wasn’t expensive at 12€ entrance fee and 2.50€ for .4l pours. It was also a chance to see more of wonderful Heldburg.
Beers on tap at the 6th Südthüringer Bierverkostung:
Bad Colberg, Bedheim, Gleichamberg, Gompertshausen, Kloster Veßra, Lindenau, Poppenhausen, Rieth, Schlechtsart, Schweickershausen, Seidingstadt, Stressenhausen, Ummerstadt, Zeilfeld.
Similar communal brewery experiences in Thuringia can be found in Hildburghausen county.