Pegnitz (www.pegnitz.de, www.tourismus.stadt-pegnitz.de) is a small town in an area famed for beer: Franken (Franconia), which is a part of the German State of Bayern (Bavaria). It is an attractive, small town with some tourist attractions; it is described as the Eastern gateway to a major tourist area, the spectacular Franconian Switzerland (Fränkische Schweiz, www.fraenkische-schweiz.com). Franconian Switzerland happens to have a greater concentration of brewing establishments than Franconia itself, which is often quoted as having the highest concentration of them in the world! The Franconian Switzerland website has a very useful list of its breweries, which can be reached by clicking here; it covers Pegnitz.

Pegnitz is in the Landkreis (Administrative District) of the famous Wagner City of Bayreuth (www.bayreuth.de), which is home to a number of breweries, including Maisel (www.maisel.com), which has an excellent Brewery and Cooperage Museum (Maisel's Brauerei- & Büttnerei-Museum), www.maisel.com/museum. Bayreuth is twenty-seven kilometres (seventeen miles) North of Pegnitz.

Pegnitz itself has much to offer the most seasoned of Beer Hunters, with a number of outlets for its two breweries, and other places offering rare Speciality/Craft/Specialty Beers. I cover a number of these outlets that I have found from the breweries' websites and from googling, but I should stress that actual experience of them has been obtained from just one short visit in November, 2006, on a day when some of them were shut; any beer/food prices for such places were obtained from menus in their windows.

In the beer world, Pegnitz is well known for its Flindererbier, which I cover below. This has a relationship with the communally brewed Zoigl Beer from the neighbouring Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate) region of Bavaria; successful hunting for the elusive Zoigl is covered in a White Beer Travels Web page, which can be reached by clicking here.

Pegnitz is on the Bier- und Burgen Strasse (Beer and Castles Route), see the Ostbayern (East Bavaria) section of www.bierundburgenstrasse.de.

Unless indicated otherwise, prices quoted are from November, 2006, and for beer, they are for 50cl measures, which is just under an Imperial Pint (57cl), and just over a US one (47cl).

Pegnitz's Two Operational Breweries

Brauer-Vereinigung Pegnitz, Am Buchauer Berg 4, tel 09241 20 35, www.brauervereinigung.de, GPS: 49.758430^o N, 11.541545^o E

The Brauer-Vereinigung Pegnitz (Pegnitz Brewers' Combine), is a group of eleven Communal Brewers, founded in 1923. The brewery is at the foot of Schlossberg (Castle Hill), on which there is an Aussichtsturm (Observation Tower), reached by going up ninety-seven steps; there is also the moat of a former castle, Burg Böheimstein. Pegnitz once belonged to Bohemia (Böhmen), which today is part of The Czech Republic (Česká republika), which is not too far from Pegnitz. The Castle was built by the König von Böhmen (King of Bohemia), in 1358, to be later destroyed by an army from Nuremberg, in 1553. The name of the brewery's böheim range of beers clearly alludes to Pegnitz's Bohemian past. The photo to the left of the Brauer-Vereinigung Pegnitz was taken by John White, in November, 2006.

The böheim beers are often referred to as Zoigl, but not by those connected with the brewery or the people of Pegnitz; the Brauer-Vereinigung website gives a list of outlets for the böheim beers (click on Gasthausverzeichnis, which gives a list of bars where the beers can be sampled, followed by a list of Drinks Warehouses (Getränkemärkten) that stock their beers). There is no indication on the brewery's website that beers can be purchased, to take home, at the brewery itself. Some outlets for the brewery's beers are covered below.

There is no tap at the brewery, where the beers can be sampled, this also applying to its neighbour, Jura-Bräu.

The following are some of the beers brewed by the Combine: böheim Pils; böheim Hell; böheim Altfränkisch; böheim Hexen-Sud; and a number of seasonal beers, böheim Festbier, böheim Flinderer Spezialbier, Pegnitzer Kerwabier, and Böheim Bock.

The photo at the top left of this Web page of Brauer-Vereinigung Pegnitz, and that of its neighbour brewery, Jura-Bräu, which is covered next, were taken from Bayreuther Straße, the B2 national road leading to Bayreuth. They can both be reached by the road between them, alongside the Jura-Bräu barrels.

In September, each year, the Brauer-Vereinigung Pegnitz have a beer festival at their brewery, the Böheim-Bierfestival.

Jura-Bräu, Am Buchauer Berg 8-10, tel 09241 20 19,
www.jura-braeu.de, GPS: 49.758722^o N, 11.542137^o E

The Jura-Bräu brewery is sometimes referred to as the Privatbrauerei Wilhelm Knopf. As already stated, there is no tap at the brewery, but you can turn up at the brewery to purchase beer to take home: on Monday to Friday, between 7am and Noon, and from 1pm until 4pm; and on Saturday between 9am and 11.30am. The website does not provide a list of outlets selling its beers, although there are clues, i.e. if you follow the Gastronomie link, there are photos of a couple. The photo to the left of Jura-Bräu, was taken by John White, in November, 2006.

Beers produced at Jura-Bräu include: Jura Lager; Jura Anno 1900; Jura Pils; Jura Zwick'l Bier; and the seasonal Jura Flindererbier.

Information on a few known outlets, in Pegnitz itself, is given below.

Jura-Bräu was founded in 1900. It started off, behind the Rathaus (Two Hall), at Hauptstrasse 63, but later, moved to be near its Keller on the Schlossberg (Castle Hill), where it is today (there is also a Kellerberg (Keller Hill), in Pegnitz). Today, at Hauptstrasse 63, the Eis-Café Dolomiti is to be found, which is a Jura-Bräu outlet.

Other Breweries In or Close to Pegnitz, and Their Outlets

There are a couple of small breweries in villages outside Pegnitz: the Brauerei Gradl, in Leups; and the Brauerei Herold, in Büchenbach (www.beckn-bier.de). In an e-mail reply, Herold stated that there were no bars in Pegnitz with their beers, but that they were available in Getränkemarkt Wieshayer, Am Kellerberg 3. On the Brauer-Vereinigung website, this is listed as an outlet for their beers, so it may also have Gradl beers. One Gradl outlet in Pegnitz, the Schnerpf'l Bier-Bar, uncovered on the November, 2006 visit, is detailed below.

I have already stated that there are only two breweries in Pegnitz, but the beer pages of the Fränkische Schweiz website, cited above, gives another, i.e. the Brauerei Winkler, at Hufeisen 46 (Hufeisenstrasse 46), in the suburb of Bronn. It quotes a phone number for the brewery and one for its tap. However, my understanding is that the brewery closed in 1990; I don't know what the status of the tap is. The closure date of 1990 for the Brauhaus K.H. Winkler (Brauhaus Bronn), in Pegnitz-Bronn, was obtained from Klaus Ehm's essential website, www.klausehm.de. Klaus's website initially appears to be a site with a great number of scans of beer bottle labels, etc from a number of places, worldwide, Germany being covered in the most detail. However, the site is teeming with information on the chronology and changing names/ownership of breweries, past and present. For example, if you want information on Pegnitz former and present breweries, click on "Historisches Brauereiverzeichnis Deutschland" (Historical Brewery Directory Germany) (www.klausehm.de/Uebersicht.html), and then on "Paas bis Pffafendorf" (www.klausehm.de/P.html).

Flindererbier at Flindererzeit (Flinderer Time)

In Pegnitz, at Flindererzeit (Flinderer Time, which typically runs for twelve weeks from Easter, there are a series of activities involving beer, at a number of venues in turn, in Pegnitz, the event being called the "Pegnitzer Flinderer"; in 2007, it runs from the 10th of April to the 2nd of July; by tradition, the first of the Flindererbier Termine (covered shortly) to dispense Flindererbier is the a Sports Centre called the ASV-Sportheim (www.asvpegnitz.de), at Stadionstraße 6. Both of the Pegnitz breweries are deeply involved in the Flinderer event; both produce a stronger, Flindererbier, which is available in a series of outlets. Jura-Bräu's is called Jura Flindererbier, whilst the Brauer-Vereinigung offering is called böheim Flinderer Spezialbier. The word Flinderer comes from the verb Flindern (im Wind flattern = flutter in the breeze), which refers to the sign stating that beer is available, so there some relationship with Zoigl, or at least with its sign; the availability of the Flindererbier "flits" from one Pegnitz bar to another, the programme being given on the Flinderer website, www.flinderer.info. In Pegnitz, outlets that currently have Flindererbier available, display the Flinderer sign, which is a Bunch of Twigs with much Green Foliage. There may also be a Pig's Bladder (Schweinsblase) by the entrance, and also used is the Hexagram covered in the White Beer Travels Zoigl page, which can be reached by clicking here. The Pegnitzer Flinderer has been running since 2000, but is based on less formalised events, dating from 1837. Click on "Flinderer" on the Brauer-Vereinigung's website for more details, including a list of Flindererbier outlets, and/or go to the Flinderer website, just cited (click on Termine for the Flinderer calendar).

Outlets for the Two Pegnitz Breweries' Beers in Pegnitz

Brauer-Vereinigung Pegnitz Outlets

Gasthaus L. Ponfick (Schlapp'n Wirt), Hauptstraße 2, tel 09241 27 51, GPS: 49.756455^o N, 11.543725^o E

The above two photos, taken outside and in the Gasthaus L. Ponfick, were taken by John White, in November, 2006. The photo on the right is of a sign hanging on a wall in the main bar, which illustrates the place's alternative name: Schlapp'n Wirt. Schlapp'n is short for Schlappen, which means a pair of old slippers (Hausschuh, literally "House Shoe" is the normal word for Slipper, plural Hausschuhe), and Wirt is a Landlord, so Schlapp'n Wirt or Schlappen Wirt (Schlappenwirt) literally means "Slipper Landlord"; I don't know what one of these is, but will ask on my next visit! The Gasthaus Ponfick is at the end of the Hauptstrasse (High Street) nearest to the railway station (Bahnhof), which is covered below. It is less than ten minutes' walk from the station, unless you break the journey at the next entry, and/or the Jura-Bräu outlet next to it.

Many pubs in Belgium and France have drinks called Diesel on their menu card, these being a blend of beer with Cola. As you can see, from the photo, above left, this place advertises Heizöl-Ponfick (Ponfick Heating or Fuel Oil); this is not a variant on Diesel, but the business that is also run from the building housing this superb pub/restaurant! On draught: böheim Hell is €1.30/2 (25/50cl). Bottled beers include: böheim Pils, böheim Altfränkisch (Dunkles Bier on the menu card) and Maisel Diät Pils, all at €2; and Maisel Hefe-Weizen, and Maisel Kristall-Weizen, both at €2.20.

The above two photos, were taken by John white inside the Gaststätte Ponfick (Schlapp'n Wirt), in November, 2006. In the photo on the left, Willi Mayer, who was running the place on the day of my visit, is pulling me a glass böheim Hell, at the place's servery. The photo to its right shows my Schnitzel mit Kartoffelnsalat und Salat (Pork Escalope with Potato Salad and a Side Salad). The beers in the photo are böheim Hell and böheim Pils. Willi used a böheim Flinderer glass for his Pils, to show me what the glass was like; the correct beer for it would be considerably darker (€2.10 on draught at Flinderer Time, in 2006). Willi stressed that they did not serve Pommes Frites (French Fries) with any of their dishes, as they regarded these frozen products as far inferior to the Home made Potato Salad that came with my Schnitzel. He was right, the whole dish was top rate, with the Potato Salad being extraordinarily good.

The food available is detailed on a blackboard, see my photo, to the left, of what was on offer on my November, 2006 visit. As you can see, apart from the Leberkäse (literally " Liver Cheese", but in fact it is a Pork and Beef Loaf ), it does not detail the trimmings that come with them, such as the Potato Salad and Side Salad that came with my Schnitzel; in fact, the ones for the Leberkäse are in some sort of code. The prices, are as follows: Entenbrust (Duck Breast) at €8.30; Schäuferle (Shoulder Joint of Pork that is less fatty than a Knuckle (Haxe)) at €7.40; Schweinebraten (Roast Pork) and Schnitzel, both at €6.40; Leberkäse mit ? at €4.60; Currywurst (Curry sausage) at €3.90; and Bratwürste (Grilled Sausages) at €3.10.

Willi told me that he was not the proprietor (Pächter), this being his wife, Waltraud Meyer, the Proprietress (Pächterin); he also told me that all walks of life come into the place; the Mayor (Burgermeister) is a regular. This was the first bar that I entered in Pegnitz. What a joy: it was magnificent! I normally crop ashtrays out of photos for my website, but the one in the photo, above right is advertising Willi  Meyer Versicherungsbüro (Insurance Office), at Mühlweg 10.

The Gasthaus Ponfick (Schlapp'n Wirt) is open from 9am to 11pm (2pm on Saturday and Sunday).

Bahnsteig Stüberl (Bahnsteigstüberl), Bahnhofsteig 2a, tel 09241 24 81

The photo of this Brauer-Vereinigung outlet, the closest one to the railway station (Bahnhof) was taken by John White, in November 2006. It also has beers from Bayreuther Bierbrauerei (www.bayreuther-bier.de), which are brewed by Maisel. The Bahnsteig Stüberl is closed on Wednesdays. On the other side of the alley, that can be seen in the bottom right of the photo, is a Jura-Bräu outlet, a Chinese Restaurant, called the Goldener Stern, which is covered below.

Schnerpf'l Bier-Bar, Rosengasse 31, tel 09241 18 02

The photo to the left of the Schnerpf'l Bier-Bar, was taken by John White, in November, 2006. In this excellent "Beer Bar", the two draught beers are: Trassl Pils at €2.10 (40cl); and Trassl Gebirgs Weisse at €2.20. These are brewed by the Privatbrauerei Hösl (www.hoeslbier.de) for Trassl-Bräu, in Warmensteinbech, which brewed itself, until 2003. The Hösl Brewery is in Mitterteich, in the Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate), which is home to a genuine Zoigl brewery; click here for a White Beer Travels Web page giving further information. At Flinderer time, böheim Flinderer Spezialbier replaces the Hösl Wheat Beer on draught.

Bottled beers in Schnerpf'l include (all at €2.20): böheim Altfränkisch; Gradl Leupser Dunkel; and three Maisel Wheat Beers.

Rosengasse is the first left off the Hauptstrasse, when coming from the railway station.

Schnerpf'l is open every day except Sunday from 7pm to 1am.

Further Brauer-Vereinigung Pegnitz Outlets

Further Brauer-Vereinigung outlets in the centre of Pegnitz include: the Cafe Herzog, Hauptstraße 27; and Kleingärtnerverein (Allotments Association), Röschmühlweg.

Jura-Bräu Outlets

Hotel-Restaurant Ratsstube, Hauptstrasse 43, tel 09241 809 084
www.ratsstube-pegnitz.de

The above photos were taken by John White, in November, 2006. The photo on the left features the Hotel-Restaurant Ratsstube on the left hand side, with Pegnitz's Rathaus (Town Hall), which dates from 1347, on the right hand side; the Baroque church in the backgrond, is the impressive St. Bartholomäuskirche (St Bartholomew's Church). The photo on the right is of one of the Jura-Bräu lamps on the outside of the Ratsstube.

Draught beers include: Jura Pils at €1.90/2.20 (30/40cl); Jura Lager at €1.80/2.20 (30/50cl); and Hefeweizen Hell, from Kaiser-Bräu (www.kaiser-braeu.de), at €2.40. Bottled beers (all at €2.30) include: Jura Anno 1900; Jura Zwick'l Bier; Laufer Hefeweizen Dunkel and Laufer Hefeweizen Leicht, brewed by the Weissbierbrauerei Simon (www.brauerei-simon.de); and Maisel Edelhopfen Diät Pils. It also has the Jura Flindererbier on draught during for an allocated period in Flinderer Time, see above.

Food includes: Kartoffelsuppe nach "Bauerin Art" (Potato Soup, Farmer's Wife Style) at €2.90; Wurstbrotzeit (literally Sausage Bread Time, but Brotzeit (Bread Time) means Snack) at €3.20; Pangasiusfilet (Zuchtwels) mit Karotten, Lauch, Gemüse, und Salzkartoffeln (Farmed Cat Fish with Carrots, Leeks, Vegetable and Boiled Potatoes) at €11.90; Steaks vom südamerikanischen Angus Rind (South American Aberdeen Angus Beer Steaks) in the range €12.50/16.20; and Schweineschnitzel nach "Wiener Art" mit Pommes frites und Salat der Saison (Pork Escalope with French Fries and Seasonal Salad) at €7.60.

The Ratsstube does not open on Mondays.

Schützenhaus, am Zipser Berg, tel 09241 26 12

This pub/restaurant/beer garden on the Zipser Berg hill, is renowned for its Carp (Karpfen), which is available cooked in Jura-Bräu Bierteig (Beer Batter). As well as this Karpfenessen, there is also Wildessen (Game) and Gansessen (Goose). Schützenhaus is away from the town centre, but readily reached from the railway station, i.e. the Zipser Berg is East of the station, reached by taking the first left when walking from the railway station, in the direction of the town centre, onto Am Waidsmannbach, then the first left onto Richard-Wagner Strasse, and then the first right onto the required road leading up the hill.

Schützenhaus is open on Wednesday and Friday from 4pm, on Saturday from 1pm, and on Sunday from 9am.

Pilsbar Lämpla, Hauptstrasse 63, www.pilsbar-laempla.sportkneipe.de

The Pilsbar Lämpla is described as a Premiere Sportsbar on one of its signs. It is close to the prominent Pfarrkirche (Parish Church), St Bartholomew's. Beers include: Jura Lager at €1.90; Jura Anno 1900 at €2.10; Kaiser-Bräu Kristall at €2.20; and Laufer Hefeweizen at €2.20.

The Pilsbar Lämpla opens every day, except Monday, from  7pm until 2am (3am on Friday and Saturday, 1am on Sunday). When there are 1. Bundesliga football matches on, it opens at 3pm on Saturdays, and at 5pm on Sundays.

Note that the place's website, has a different address for the place, which is away from the town centre, at Friedrich-Engelhardt-Strasse 11. I don't know the status of this Friedrich-Engelhardt-Strasse establishment, which has different opening hours to the ones just quoted, for the Hauptstrasse Lämpla, which I obtained from a notice in the window, in November, 2006.

China Restaurant Goldener Stern, Bahnhofsteig 1, tel 09241 808 28 98

In addition to the usual Chinese dishes such as Chop Suey at €5.50, and a lot of Duck Dishes (Entengerichte), in the range €10.50/11.50, there are dishes from other nations, such as Nasi Goreng, at €5.90, from Indonesia.  

The Golden Star's two draught beers are: Jura Lager at €2.10; and Jura Pils at €2.20. Bottled beers include: Kaiser Weizen Kristall, Kaiser Weisse Hefe Laufer Dunkles Weizen and Jura Anno 1900.

The Golden Star is not open on Mondays. On other days, including National Holiday Mondays, it is open from 11am to 2.30pm and from 5pm to 11.30pm.

Barossa, Hauptstrasse 46, tel 09241 21 04

This Jura-Bräu outlet is a bar/restaurant with International food, including unusual dishes, such as Kängarusteak (Kangaroo Steak).

Barossa is open every day except Tuesday from 11am to 2pm, and from 5pm until 11pm.

Further Jura-Bräu Outlets

At the Hauptstrasse end of Bahnhofsteig, the "Bratwurst Stüberl" (Grilled Sausage Bar) is badged Jura-Bräu. In an on-line history of Flinderer, a Jura-Bräu bar called the Gasthaus Kaete (Käte) Quoika, at Hauptstrasse 70 is mentioned, but it may have gone now. The Gaststätte Glück-Auf, Lohe Platz 1, which features in the Jura-Bräu website, is in the suburb of Lohesiedlung, which is South of the Bahnhof.

Other Pubs in Pegnitz

Zaußenmühle, Bayreuther Strasse 3, GPS: 49.757718^o N, 11.537883^o E

The above photos of the Zaußenmühle and its sign, were taken by John White, in November, 2006. As can be seen from the sign, this is an outlet for the Kulmbacher Brauerei (www.kulmbacher.de), of EKU 28 and EKU Kulminator fame, in the famous beer town of Kulmbach. It is housed in a mill (Mühle) named after a former owner, Hans Zauß, who built it around 1450; it was destroyed in theThirty Years war (1616-48), and remained a ruin for a number of years, before being rebuilt by Hans Dennerlein, in 1710. In the background, of the photo, on the left, is part of the already mentioned Schlossberg (Castle Hill).

Weisses Lamm, Hauptstrasse 42, tel 09241 808 975,
www.lamm-pegnitz.de

Although the Weißes Lamm has a Hauptstrasse address, it is essentially in the town's Market Place, hence its sub name, the Wirtshaus am Markt (Pub on the Market Square); it dates from 1674, which makes it Pegnitz's oldest pub. It is an outlet for beers from the Brauerei Stöckel, in Ahorntal-Hintergreuth. This is not an easy place to get to by public transport, so the White Lamb, clearly provides a great opportunity to try the Stöckel beers. The photo to the left of the exterior of the Weisses Lamm, which dates from 1674, was taken by John White, in November, 2006.

As well as Stöckel beers, the Weisses Lamm is one of the designated Flindererbier Termine, see above, so at some period in Flinderezeit (Flinderer Time), it will have one or both of the draught Flindererbier from the Pegnitz breweries.

Food includes: Gulaschsuppe (Goulash Soup) at €2.70/3.90 (starter/main course); Putenschnitzel (Turkey Escalope) at €6.70; and a number of Fish and Vegetarian options. Note that main course prices are without accompaniments, so if you don't want a Kloss (a form of Dumpling, which I personally don't care for, especially those that look like balls of wallpaper paste), at €0.50, with your Schnitzel "Wiener Art" (Pork Escalope) (€6.20), you can have, for example, Spätzle hausgemacht (a form of Pasta, made on the premises), at €0.50, or Kartoffelnsalat (Potato Salad), at €1.60.

On Mondays, the Weisses Lamm's bar/restaurant is shut. On Tuesday to Friday and Sunday, it is open from 11am until 2pm, and from 5pm. On Saturdays, it is open from 5pm.

Pizzeria-Calabria, Hauptstrasse 28

This has some beers from the Brauerei Leikeim (www.leikeim.info), in Altenkunstadt, on the river Main, near Kulmbach.

Pegnitz: Outline Tourist Information

The source of the river Pegnitz, which flows through Nuremberg, the Pegnitzquelle (GPS: 49.758228^o N, 11.537618^o E), a Karst Spring (Karstquelle), is in the centre of Pegnitz; it is behind the Zaußenmühle, see above. The above photos were taken by John White, in November, 2006. The one on the left is the Pegnitz Source; note the up flowing water in the main pond, in the bottom left of the photo. The water flows away from the top of the photo, this flowing water being shown in the photo on the right. In the town itself, this small "river" joins up with a bigger river, the Fichtenohe, the merged river taking its name from the smaller flow, the River Pegnitz. The Pegnitz Source, and the town's other tourist attractions, a number being mentioned above, are on a marked trail, the Stadtspaziergang, for which there is an accompanying leaflet.

Pegnitz's Tourist Information office, is on the left hand side of the Hauptstrasse, when coming from the railway station, at Hauptstrasse 37. It is open on Monday to Thursday from 8am to Noon, and from 2pm until 4pm. On Friday, it is open from 8am to Noon.

The bookshop (Buchhandlung) (Bücher sign in window), at Hauptstrasse 23, is open: on Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 12.15pm, and from 2.15pm to 6.15pm; and on Saturdays between 8.30am and 12.30pm.

Pegnitz is to the East of Pottenstein (www.pottenstein.de, White Beer Travels Web page) (two breweries), but there is no direct rail route from Bamberg, although one can get a train to Ebermannstadt, and then a number 389 bus, which goes to Pegnitz, via Pottenstein. From Pegnitz, the number 393 bus goes to Gößweinstein, via Pottenstein.

To get to the town centre from the railway station (Bahnhof) (GPS: 49.758640^o N, 11.548122^o E), turn right out of it; there is a Stadtmitte (Town Centre) sign for reassurance, and one of those "I"s for Tourist Information. Soon a footpath leading under the railway tracks appears. When you emerge from this, at the head of Bahnhofsteig, you have, somewhat appropriately, a Jura-Bräu outlet, the Goldener Stern (a Chinese Restaurant, covered above), Bahnhofsteig 1, to the left of the exit from the underpass, and, to the right, a Brauer-Vereinigung outlet, the Bahnsteig Stüberl, at Bahnhofsteig 2a. Carrying on straight, and crossing the road reached, soon puts you on the Hauptstrasse, with the wonderful Gasthaus Ponfick (Schlapp'n Wirt), immediately on the right. At the station itself, there is a kiosk: The Bistro am Bahnhof, Bahnhofsplatz. It is a self service place, which is open from 9am to 6pm, selling Turkish Pizzas, Doner Kebabs, etc. It has no seating or toilets inside, and there are none on the station; there is seating outside the Bistro. On my November, 2006 visit, I actually asked for a coffee, to be told that the machine was Kaputt (Kaput in English)! The Bistro is badged Veldensteiner, and, on draught, there is Veldensteiner Premium Pils, at (€1.20/1.60 (33/50cl)), which is brewed by Kaiser-Bräu (www.kaiser-braeu.de), in Neuhaus an der Pegnitz (i.e. Neuhaus on the River Pegnitz). Interestingly, immediately before Neuhaus railway station is reached, when coming from Pegnitz, en route to Nuremberg, the brewery is on the left, and with a glass side, one gets a very good view of the Brew House. The Kaiser-Bräu tap is in the castle that dominates the town. The scenery on this part of the journey, through the Veldensteiner Forst (Forest), is most attractive.

From Pegnitz railway station, one can get buses to places such as Pottenstein (two breweries, and stunning scenery), and Ebermannstadt (two breweries, and a train to Bamberg, via Forchheim (four breweries)). White Beer Travels guides and maps covering Bamberg, Forchheim and Nuremberg are available from the Downloads page.

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