Though I’d never heard of this small village prior to learning of the greatness of Brauerei Drummer, I was taken aback by a large looming mass of rock on the horizon as my bus neared the tiny hamlet. I would later learn it was called the Walberla, a two peaked flattish hill in the Fränkisches Schweiz (Little Switzerland of Franconia). I didn’t have a lot of time as I had four breweries to walk to (and drink in!) but I’ve vowed to go back to walk to the top for what must be some atmospheric views. The brewery has rooms and there are trails (and other breweries) in just about every direction.
Brauerei Drummer
Dorfstraße 10
91359 Leutenbach
Tel: 09199-403
brauerei-gasthof-drummer.de
Forchheim Station 10 km/irregular bus service
Opening hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
11:00 to 2:30 and from 5:00
Thursday from 11:00 to 2:30
Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 11:00
Closed on Monday
Output: 1000 HL
Founded in 1763 and in the Drummer family ever since, this small country brewpub is a pure classic with simple rooms available above the pub, great hot meals and two fine beers to make the somewhat convoluted trip there more than worthwhile. Buses from Forchheim are dependable but don’t exactly run hourly. That said, with some minor planning you can get here and if smart, spend the night. If you don’t want to do that and can’t manage to get a bus back, you can walk to Pretzfeld and catch a train from there. You can route yourself past a couple breweries if so inclined and you won’t regret doing just that. There are beers worth the walk and the walk is pretty damn nice, too.
Brauerei Drummer is one cozy little place with a big green ceramic oven to keep things toasty on cold, gray days like the one I arrived in town on. I had a great Krautwickerl (stuffed cabbage) with mashed potatoes. Both the Dunkles Vollbier and Helles Lager were excellent, as well. I didn’t want to leave and wished there had been an available room but happily when I left to walk to the next brewery, the sun had come out and the town looked a whole lot nicer.
Dunkles Vollbier & Krautwickerl at Brauerei Drummer
I was happy to return to this area for their Walberlafest and spend a couple nights in Leutenbach. So, I also got a chance to eat at Brauerei Drummer a few times while there. I also got to sit out in their small but sunny that day Biergarten. We’d walked in from Thuisbrunn so their Schweineraten really hit the spot for me and my wife was quite happy with her huge portion of Leberkäse with fried eggs on top, served with Bratkartoffeln.
tasty Vollbier Dunkel, Schweinebraten & Leberkäse
The next time in, I opted for their Bauchfleisch and my wife had Krenfleisch, a tender beer in a horseradish sauce. I revisited their Helles and must say, I just like their dark beer a lot more. That said, if it’s your style and you’re out in the Biergarten, you won’t be disappointed.
Bauchfleisch and Krenfleisch
The Walberlafest was quite fun and we did lots of great hikes in the area so I know we’ll go back to the area again.
Beers: Dunkles Vollbier, Helles Lager.
Beer calendar:
Kirchweih is the 2nd Sunday in October.
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