Frauendorf is one of the many incorporated villages which make up the Bad Staffelstein postal code. It’s a quaint little village right on a good beer hiking route. There’s a nice little church, a cute little goat farm and it is also home to one of the more hard to get to small brewpubs in Franconia.
Brauerei Hetzel OHG
Frauendorf 11
96231 Bad Staffelstein (Frauendorf)
Tel: 09573/64 35
Bad Staffelstein train station 7 km/limited buses
Opening hours:
Closed Monday to Saturday
Sunday 10:00 to 12:00 & from 3:00 to ? (not certain PM hours in effect)
Output: 4000 HL
Founded in 1820, Anton Hetzel runs what is surely a timeless old Franconian pub but trying to see its interior isn’t the easiest endeavor. I was staying in nearby Loffeld and did a nice circuit hike that took in Frauendorf. I timed it to be here in the late afternoon on a Sunday and arrived to find it seemingly closed. It was a nice afternoon and surely there would have been people drinking outside but I heard some low music from within and decided to try the front door, and found it open. I entered the corridor but the door to the taproom was locked. I’d come a long way so I knocked a few times and left. An old man obviously not happy with my intrusion came out to say he was closed. Next time, I guess I’ll try to get there for the morning session! I did get lucky a couple months later when I found three of the Hetzel beers in bottles and, as you might imagine, they were all great. So, I guess I have to get back here one day.
bottles of Frauendorfer Vollbier, Pils, Kellerbier & Rauchbier
Little did I know at the time but about one kilometer up the road, in the village of End, is a restaurant and former brewery called the Schwarzer Adler which not only has their one house beer, Das Adler-Bräu, brewed by Hetzel but also serves Frauendorfer Landbier on tap! I recently made it there for lunch and it was great.
Beers: Frauendorfer Vollbier, Frauendorfer Landbier, Frauendorfer Pils, Frauendorfer Kellerbier, Frauendorfer Rauchbier.
Beer calendar:
Festbier from the middle of November
Bockbier from the middle of November
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