Zoiglbier Season Eslarn – Beim Strehern

What is Zoigl?

Zoigl is an old form of home brewing in the northern Upper Palatinate: Several families in a community share a common brewery, the "Kommunbrauhaus". Each authorized person brews their beer according to a fixed schedule in the brewery and then serves it in their own pub. A yellow-and-white star – the "Zoigl star" – hangs in front of the door to indicate that beer is being served. Only five places in the Upper Palatinate maintain this tradition without interruption: Falkenberg, Mitterteich, Neuhaus, Windischeschenbach – and Eslarn.

Eslarn and the Zoigl Tavern Beim Strehern

Eslarn is located in the Neustadt an der Waldnaab district, on the border with the Czech Republic. The only active Zoigl tavern in the village is called "Beim Strehern" – a classic family business that adheres to the centuries-old rules of communal brewing. The Zoigl beer is brewed in the Eslarn communal brewery, then further processed in the house cellars and served from the tap in the pub.

A Beer with its Own Character

Zoigl beer is uncarbonated (i.e., less carbon dioxide than industrial beer), naturally cloudy, malt-focused, and varies in character depending on the brew. It is stylistically classified between Kellerbier and Helles, but every Zoigl tastes different – that's part of the appeal.

Classic Upper Palatinate Brotzeit to Accompany

The Zoigl tavern serves classic Upper Palatinate inn cuisine: roast bread, Wammerl (pork belly), sausage platters, pickled cheese, farmer's bread, Hauswurst (homemade sausage), Saure Zipfel (sour sausages). With Zoigl beer to accompany it, it becomes an experience that fascinates visitors from other regions of Germany.

Living Tradition in the Upper Palatinate Forest

Eslarn is located in the middle of the Upper Palatinate Forest, a few kilometers from the Czech border. The region is sparsely populated, rich in nature, and (still) not overcrowded with tourists. This is precisely what makes the Zoiglbier Season so appealing: you meet locals, Zoigl enthusiasts from all over Germany, and a pub culture that has long since disappeared elsewhere.