Beer Hiking In Bavaria: A Taste of Place

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2024 issue of Zymurgy Magazine

By Franz D. Hofer

Beer hiking is the quintessential “slow food” adventure. Riding the rails through Bavaria has its charms, but nothing beats how a beer hike embeds you in the rural scenery and attunes you to the rhythms of village life.

What makes beer hiking in Bavaria what it is? For starters, it’s more than just tossing a few beers into your rucksack and drinking your libations under the sheltering sky. Rather, it’s about seeking out trails where there are breweries, taverns, and beer gardens along the way–about exploring the beer culture of a particular place as a part of the journey.

Landscapes ranging from bucolic pastures to dramatic outcroppings and quiet woods. Quaint half-timbered villages. Hearty regional food. And stellar beer tapped at the source: Gew regions combine these ingredients quite like Bavaria. No matter where you are, you’re never far from a place that serves beer, be that in the hills overlooking Bamberg, in the deepest woods of the Oberpfalz, or on the mountaintop in Upper Bavaria.

But what really makes these treks special is the chance to swap stories with townsfolks at their locales, or to meet Germans from other parts of the country who come here for the same reason you have…

Access the full article in the May/June 2024 Zymurgy magazine.

This article includes the following:

• HOMEBREW RECIPE: Wayfarer Landbier
• The Legendary Funf-Seidla-Steig
• Zoigl and Primeval Forests
• The Moorlands of Murnau
• Words of Wisdom