Oberleinleiter is a small village conveniently located not only on the edge of the Fränkisches Schweiz but also on the Tummler Brauereienwanderweg which takes in two other fine breweries along its route. It is also home to a brewery of its own.
Brauerei Ott
Oberleinleiter 6
91322 Heiligenstadt i.OFr.
Tel: 09198 271
www.brauerei-ott.de
Ebermannstadt Station 15 km/Bamberg 22 km/limited bus service
Output: 8000 HL
Opening hours:
Closed Monday & Tuesday
Wednesday & Thursday 11:00 to 2:00 and from 5:00 to 10:00
Friday through Sunday 10:00 to 10:00
Founded in 1678, an Ott has been at the helm of its brewing operation and popular brewpub since its inception. With its scenic location and homey atmosphere, it’s little wonder why the Ott family has been able to stay more than afloat all these years.
We finally made it here this past Good Friday and if I ever do it again, I’ll make a reservation. We’d walked from Heigilenstadt i. OFr. and though it was not exactly at a meal time, it was positively packed. Only my wife’s disarming personality secured us a spot on an otherwise full table. To say the wait staff was in the weeds would be an understatement so the service was not particularly good.
The food was, however, quite good. The menu was ample but by the time we were seated, our first choice was already out but the salmon with with pasta and vegetable was quite good.
Their Obladara, a tasty salmon meal & seasonal Hellerbock
There was a bit of confusion regarding the beer. I’d read about one called Obladara, which was their most popular and darkest of the regular beers. I didn’t see it on the menu but many people were drinking what I imagined it might look like. The server said it was the Original so I went for one. It was a primarily malty brew with some slight chocolate notes. The finish wasn’t the cleanest and more aligned with brews from the Aufseß area than with neighboring Huppendorf and Heiligenstadt. I only had time for one more so got a Hellerbock, which was a golden one with a nice mix of hops and malty. I’d have liked it to be a bit drier but it was a nice interpretation just the same.
tasty pork & their quaffable Export
I got back to Braurei Ott when in the area researching hikes and breweries for my book Beer Hiking Bavaria. It was nice to have more time so I could sample most of their full line-up. It was also good to see that the service is pretty good when it’s not insanely crowded. Don’t get me wrong, it was busy enough all three times I was there. I had lunch the first day and enjoyed their Obladara quite a bit more the second time around. I also had a surprisingly good Export. I didn’t want to eat too big a meal as I still had to hike to my room for the next few days, over what looked to be a fair sized hill. So, the pork steak was just about right and very tasty too.
a just reward of Schnitzel & their Pils
After hiking to my room and then doing the lower portion of the Tummlerweg, I found myself back at Brauerei Ott for dinner. The town where I was staying had no eating options. I was pretty hungry this time so opted for an excellent and good sized Schnitzel. It came with a homemade potato salad, typical of this area. I had their Pils and a collaboration beer between Ott, nearby Aichinger and not too faraway Hübner. It was a tasty Kellerbier called Kreisla. It was a hell of a hike back to my room and I found myself wishing Brauerei Ott had rooms!
an excellent Krustenbraten & their collaboration Kellerbier called Kreisla
A couple days later, I found myself back at Braueri Ott for their Sunday lunch specials. While I quite liked their regular meals, they all came with an admittedly tasty homemade potato salad. It is very similar to the one at Huppendorf and I’d had that on the day I wasn’t at Ott. So, as you can imagine, I was happy to have a proper roast meal with dumplings in an amazing sauce. It was one of the best Krustenbratens I’ve ever had. I had the Obladara as it’s the perfect kind of beer for this meal. The photo of the Kreisla is from the previous evening’s meal.
Ott Ladara Bock Bourbon
I’ve never managed to try their Ladara Dunkler Bock but I recently found a bottle of it Bourbon barrel-aged and it was quite good.
Beers: Original (Obladara), Export, Edel-Pils and Weizen on tap.
Beer calendar:
Hellerbock around Easter
Ladara Bock (Bockbieranstich in November)
Ladara Bock Bourbon
Festbier around Christmas
Kreisla is/was a Kellerbier collaboration between Ott/Aichinger/Hübner
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