Aufseß Kirchweih

Aufseß — the Brewery World Record

Aufseß in the Upper Franconian district of Bayreuth (09472) is one of Germany's most remarkable villages: with around 1,300 inhabitants, it hosts four traditional breweries — Aufsesser Bräu (Brauereigasthof Rothenbach), Ketschauer Hof, Penning-Zeißler, and Stadter in the district of Sachsendorf. This results in one brewery per 375 inhabitants — a brewery density that is unmatched anywhere else in the world and immortalized in the Guinness Book of Records. In the Franconian Switzerland, a region already boasting the highest brewery density in Europe, Aufseß stands out as an absolute highlight.

Kirchweih as the Central Festival Week

The Aufseß Kirchweih traditionally takes place around the 3rd Sunday in September — in late summer, when the hop harvest has just finished and the days are still warm. Four days of festivities in the brewery inns and on the village meadow, accompanied by brass band music from local bands, Franconian pub cuisine (Schäuferla, Pressack, Sauerbraten, Bratwurst, Krautsalat), and of course, the beers from the four Aufseß breweries.

The Four Aufseß Breweries

• Aufsesser Brauerei / Brauereigasthof Rothenbach — the best-known of the four, with its own brewery in the valley, a beer garden on the Aufseß river, and 7 year-round varieties plus seasonal beers like Bock and Hopfentrunk (freshly brewed with fresh hop cones)
• Brauerei Ketschauer Hof — a small inn brewery with house beer made according to an ancient recipe
• Brauerei Penning-Zeißler — a family brewery with a full-bodied beer full of character
• Brauerei Stadter (Sachsendorf, district of Aufseß) — the fourth brewery in the municipality, often a stop on the Aufseß Brewery Hiking Trail

The Aufseß Brewery Hiking Trail

Those who use the Kirchweih as an occasion for a longer stay can walk the Aufseß Brewery Hiking Trail — a hiking route that connects all four breweries plus the neighboring breweries in Hochstahl (Brauerei Reichold) and Heckenhof (Kathi-Bräu). A circular route through the Franconian Switzerland with a beer stop in each village — hiking five breweries in one day is not unusual in Franconia, but rarely so concentrated as here.

In the Franconian Switzerland Nature Area

The Franconian Switzerland, geologically a karst landscape with dripstone caves, castle ruins, and rock formations, is one of Franconia's regions for hiking and beer hiking. Aufseß in the Aufseß valley lies in a quiet side valley between Hollfeld and the Wiesent river — rural, idyllic, with the characteristic charm of beer garden culture. The Kerwa in mid-September marks the high season.