Loffeld is a super cute little village with a great old half-timbered school house as its centerpiece and a few others strewn along a gently babbling brook that meanders through it. There are numerous well-marked hiking trails emanating from it and of course, its main calling card is the cozy brewpub Staffelberg-Bräu.
Staffelberg-Bräu
Mühlteich 7
96231 Bad Staffelstein-Loffeld
Tel: 09573-5925
www.staffelberg-braeu.de
Bad Staffelstein 4 km
Opening hours:
Daily from 10:00
Closed Monday
Output: 10000 HL
Founded in 1856, the brewery boasts its own spring and a charming old half-timbered house. Set in a quiet quaint hamlet, the brewery’s easy accessibility from nearby Bad Staffelstein on foot or by bike makes for a busy little restaurant at mealtimes. Good value food and beer has a way of doing that. The brewery is just across the street and can be viewed from the charming outdoor seating area. The real bonus is great value rooms right on top of the pub, including a hearty breakfast.
the brewery seems always in action at Staffelberg-Bräu
I was here in 2003 prior to my conversion to a digital camera so I only had one old scanned photo but retuned in 2019 for an extended stay to research by book Beer Hiking Bavaria/Bierwandern Bayern. The place hasn’t changed a bit and with a few days to explore at a more relaxed pace, I got to try nearly all of their beers and to enjoy their excellent food as well. The family that owns Staffebergbräu is about as hands-on as any I’ve seen and it was a real pleasure to watch them in action. They all pitch in and they have to, it’s quite the busy brewpub!
cozy inside & out: Staffelberg-Bräu
There are lots of great brewpubs in this area to eat but after spending three nights at Staffelberg-Bräu, I found it was the best for food and had the largest variety of beers. I had the Franconian signature dish Schäuferla, roast duck and Sülze and all were exceptional.
Schäuferla, roast duck & Sülze
They had four beers on tap and many more in bottles. Their Hofpen-Gold Pils won a gold medal at one of the beer competitions and was quite tasty but I tended to drink their excellent Dunkles, as it seemed did many others. I generally don’t have time to try Weißbier when in Franconia but with so many days, I did and it was also great. The seasonal was their Wienerla, a Vienna style lager that also hit the spot.
Staffelberg-Bräu’s Hopfen-Gold Pils, Loffelder Dunkel, Weißbier & Wienerla
If all this isn’t enough to convince you, you should try their homemade cakes, especially if they have their Zwetschgenkuchen (plum cake). Served with real whipped cream, it’s dreamy. It paired well with their marvelous Märzen.
Zwetschgenkuchen with Staffelbergbräu Märzen, a heavenly combination
Though I’d vowed to get my wife here for an overnight stop so she could enjoy their amazing food, it just didn’t come to pass so was happy when a friend who wanted some Franconian brewery expertise offered to drive me to a few places in the Bad Staffelstein area. I had a lovely Schweinebraten and got to try their Sommer Weizen.
a brief but lovely lunch stop
I’ve been picking up some bottles lately including finally finding a bottle of their Zwergator, a nice richly malty Doppelbock.
some bottles for home
On a recent tour I led over the Staffelberg, we stopped in at Staffelberg-Bräu for lunch and enjoyed a hearty garlic soup and Krautwickel. I resampled the Wienerla, now branded as an Ungespundet, and it was better than my previous experience. I also tried their new Roggenbier called Rogg Zwerchla and it was a dry fruity delight.
another great meal
Beers: Loffelder Dunkel, Märzen, Hefe-Weißbier, Hopfen-Gold Pils, Helles Vollbier, Rotbier, Querkerla Rauchbier, Wienerla.
Beer calendar:
Zwergator during Lent
Rogg Zwerchla (Roggenbier) in spring
Heller Maibock (from May)
Sommerbier (from June)
Sommer Weizen
Festbier (from October)
Doppel-Bock (from November)
Loffelder Dorfkirchweih (the weekend after Ascension Day)
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