This is a long rural route that passes through varied scenery with a possible visit to a hilltop castle at Burg Rabenstein. It also links two fine out-of-the-way breweries that hearken back to former times. This is a chance to escape the crowds (well, aside from the castle!), too.
Breweries: 2 (Held-Bräu, Stöckel)
Distance: 24 km
Starting Point: Oberailsfeld is about as accessible as you get but Kirchahorn or Burg Rabenstein would do equally well.
Stage 1: Oberailsfeld to Kirchahorn (6 km). This is perhaps the most scenic stretch passing through lush forest by Burg Rabenstein, where there is a falconry, as well.
Lush forest en route to Oberailsfeld passing by Burg Rabenstein
Stage 2: Kirchahorn to Hintergreuth (6 km). This passes through open farmland and small villages which gets you ready for a true country Inn at Brauerei Stöckel.
Rural Hintergreuth with Brauerei Stöckel
Stage 3: Hintergreuth to Brünnberg (4.5 km). This passes by the highest point of the trail at 529 meters.
Solitude on the scenic trails
Stage 4: Brünnberg to Oberailsfeld (7.5 km). The home stretch is long but Held-Bräu awaits as your reward.
Pretty trail back to Oberailsfeld & the rewards there
Places to stay: Burg Rabenstein has upscale castle rooms and Kirchahorn has some more economical options like the Fränkisches Schweiz Guesthouse. Unfortunately, Held-Bräu is not renting rooms at the moment. Hopefully, they will return to doing so as it would be the ideal location to stay. I don’t believe there is anywhere to stay in Hintergreuth.
How to get there? This is a remote area and though there are buses, they are infrequent with Oberailsfeld being the most accessible. A car comes in handy in these parts. You could also connect it to nearby hikes with somewhat better accessibility.
If you have any questions about access, please drop me a line.
If you’re not up to doing it on your own, I’m available for guided trips into this pretty valley with timeless breweries.
Not your kind of walk? How about the Aufseß Brauereienweg?
If you’d like to find out more about beer hiking around all of Bavaria, please consider consulting my book, Beer Hiking Bavaria oder auf Deutsch: Bierwandern Bayern.
