Brauverein Schwabach is a brewing club in their namesake city. First mentioned in 1117, Schwabach is a county-free municipality in the Middle Franconia. Historically noted as an important producer of gold foil, the last commercial brewery in the city sadly closed in 2010. The charming city has an attractive compact old town center. Home to the yearly Schwabacher Bürgerfest, it’s perhaps the best day to visit. It’s easily reached in 10 minutes via regular trains from nearby Nürnberg.
lovely images from Schwabach
Brauverein Schwabach
Nördliche Ringstraße 12A
91126 Schwabach
website
Schwabach Station 1.5 km
Opening hours:
Prior arrangement or festivals (check website for their calendar of events including a Stammtisch)
Maibockfest in late April
Bürgerfest in July
Output: one batch per month
History & tradition
Brauverein Schwabach was founded in 2020 by nine trained hobby brewers. The idea was to not only bring brewing back to a town devoid of a brewery since 2010, but also to share knowledge within the group and with anyone interested. They currently have just under 40 members, who are active in brewing once a month, experimenting with the styles quite a bit. They hold a monthly Stammtisch to share ideas. Outsiders are welcome with prior arrangement. Brauverein Schwabach also offers courses and seminars on brewing for those looking to learn more. Their website is quite informative, especially with regard to not only these offerings but also for the festivals like an annual Maibockfest.
scenes from the Bürgerfest
What is the Bürgerfest in Schwabach?
Brauverein Schwabach was part of the Schwabach Bürgerfest in 2026. It was a great chance to try some of their beers. Schwabacher Bürgerest is the town’s biggest event of the year. It generally goes three days in mid-July. The main part of the sprawling city festival takes place on the main square. Most of the restaurants there serve Herrnbräu from Ingolstadt. This seemed odd until I learned that Herrnbräu bought up the local Leitner brand. This was the last commercial brewery in Schwabach. By brewing the Leitner beers, Herrnbräu gained access to a new market. Brauverein Schwabach more nobly brews Prinz-Albrecht-Trunk, Leitner’s noted Märzen.
the Gambrinus Brunnen
The Schwabach brewing club had their stand a bit away from the madness of the square. Having it at the Gambrinus Brunnen was a perfect fit for a club priding itself on beer culture and knowledge. As previously mentioned, they brew a large assortment of beers and had three of them for the Bürgerfest. Only two were available on the Saturday I visited: Goldschlägerburschla and Paddy, a dark top-fermented Festbier. Also on hand in the same stand was a member from a neighboring brewing club in Wendelstein pouring their Kellerbier.
a second Schwabacher beer & guest Wendelsteiner Kellerbier
It was quite busy at the stand so I was surprised when one of the members came up to introduce himself. It turned out he follows Beerwanderers and we’re friends on social media. He took me behind the stand and explained their beers style-wise to me. Though the Bürgerfest wasn’t my cup of tea, stopping by their stand early was great. I’ll be sure to get to one of their onsite events soon.
Beers: Brauverein Schwabach Goldschlägerburschla, Brauverein Schwabach Paddy, Wendelsteiner Kellerbier.
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