Franconia is blessed with 100s of great breweries, many of them in small villages outside the big towns. The pocket guide to the best Forchheim and its Countryside Breweries will help you pick out which breweries outside Forchheim you need to visit. Guided tours to breweries outside Bamberg and Forchheim available if you would like to head into the Bamberg/Forchheim countryside with a Franconian beer expert.
Eichhorn Winterbier is a Craft Beer take on a Festbier but not a particularly good one.
Rittmayer 1422 Festbier is a commemorative deep golden Festbier with a richly malty palate and lingering finish.
Rittmayer Hallerndorfer Hefeweizen is a serviceable if somewhat bland example of the style.
Rittmayer Maibock is one of the drier Hellerbocks I've come across. The combination of rich malt and obvious hops is something I wish more breweries would attempt. This is my favorite of the Rittmayer line-up.
Rittmayer Landbier hell is a malty brew with enough hops to keep the finish semi-dry and semi-bitter.
Rittmayer Landbier hell is generally a serviceable beer but on this occasion, it was a buttery mess.
Fischer Rauchbier is now brewed by Rittmayer in Hallerndorf and on my recent sampling it was much better than their Kellerbier with a light smokiness adding a touch of bitterness to the malty brew.
Fischer Kellerbier is now brewed by Rittmayer in Hallerndorf and on my recent sampling it was not up to their old standards.
Brauhaus am Kreuzbreg Imperial Baltic Porter looks promising with its dark black hue and tan head but in the end, you are left with rum & coke.
