Saarland

The Otto dude has been on his search for good beer again with the 'little-un' this time to Saarland in Germany. Our first Brauhaus was The Zum Stiefel in the capital city of Saarland. Saarbrücken is naturally sited by the river Saar on the French border, in the south-west corner of Saarland. Not particularly motorist friendly, it is best to find one of the central parkhouses and walk to the old city where a particularly fine brewpub awaits. The 'Brauereigasthof Zum Stiefel' is located at the St Johanner Markt, and started life as a brewery run by Daniel Bruch back in 1702. Now in the 8th generation the Bruch family moved the brewery to a new location in 1856 and after renovation the old pub was re-opened as a brewpub in 1990. It is possible to try a range of beers at the 'Stiefel' from their own, and the main Bruch breweries. The pub is full of tradition and style with friendly service and excellent Saarlandische food dishes, which naturally means that without table reservations it is very difficult to find a place to sit. The beer range includes :-

· Hell Stiefel 12% Stammwürze 4.5% Alc - a smooth refreshing Pils type

· Dunkel Stiefel - again very smooth taste and a quickly emptied glass

· Zwickelbock - very dark with dry aftertaste, between an Alt beer and a Bock

· Zwickelbier - a Munich style Weissbier (Wheat), lightly carbonated and very refreshing

· Landbier 1702 - from the main Bruch brewery, a dark beer with a slightly malty and metallic taste and less interesting compared to the other beers.

All of which we both tried and the Hell stiefel was the best Pilsner type beer we have both had for a long time. The service in here was excellent the waiter spoke very good English. We all had traditional Saarland meals, which are quite robust and filling.

The night after our trip to Saarbrucken, we went into Homburg to the The Homburger Brauhaus with 'little-un's' sister Bernadette who did a brilliant job as our guide and chauffeur for our stay over in Germany (what a top sister in-law/friend). Established in 1990, the brauhaus is centrally located on the top floor of the Saar-Pfalz shopping centre. Open from 9:00 to 01:00 every day except Sunday when they open at 17:00. The brewpub serves Wirtsbräu Hell, Dunkel and Weizen all year round with some seasonal beers including a spring Märzen and Bock from the end of November. Served in 0.3 litre glasses, but you can also have it in a mass (litre glass), which I had filled with the excellent Dunkel. The Dunkel is correct for the style, although not exceptional, and is dark and cloudy with a big head and a slightly malty aroma and taste. The Hell is cloudy with a big head, hoppy aroma and is quite bitter. The Bock has a more chocolate malt aroma with a sweeter start but a bitter aftertaste and is less harmonic than the other beers. The food is reasonably priced and there is often live music on Friday evenings. A pleasant evening was spent there, then it was off nearer home to the 'Blue Mouse' a really lively small local pub serving the full Karlsbrau range we had the Ur-Pills and the Alt beer. We have previously been for a tour around the Karlsbrau brewery, which is the regional brewery which was excellent, and free (take note English Brewers). At the end of the tour you got a free finger buffet and you could try each of the 6 beers (.3lt) and also the bottled beers. No one came out sober on that one. Heineken have since bought out 45% of the shares and we were taking to the owner at the recent Bock festival in 2008 and when he retires if could become part on the multi national as the family are no longer interested.

See also the Internet Site for the city of Homburg in German

The next day we went walking into a nearby forest with Berni and her husband Jörg and their 2 girls. It was really nice for the time of year. Then it was off to find more sustenance as we were all hungry and thirsty after our exertions. So, with Jörg driving giving Berni a chance to sample the beers, it was off to the Schmelzer Brauhaus. Above the town of Schmelz, and to the east in a spartan new industrial area, one can find the Schmelzer Brauhaus. The brewpub is open every day from 11:00 - 01:00. The brewpubs own website is under construction but may be available by the time you read this. Run by the families Dörr and Quinten the pub serves Helles and Dunkles beers as well as truly enormous portions of food. The Helles, also known as Erzbräu is a clear amber beer brewed with apparently quite soft water, has a fruity aroma and is very lightly hopped, slightly sweet and refreshing. The Dunkles has a very mild fruit aroma and a sweetish malty smooth taste. The beer is served in 0.3 and 0.5 lts. Both beers are quite pleasant and worth a try if you are in the area, especially if you have a large appetite. This pub is Popular with bikers. We all had a traditional Saarland dish for our evening meal and, in my case, washed down with a few glasses of dunkles (I am drawn to the dark side)

If you travel 15 to 20 minutes Northwards from Merzig following the East side of the river, you will arrive in Besseringen is the Ponter Hausbrauerei at Brückenstr 36, 66663 Merzig-Besseringen, This tiny brewpub, and is claimed to be the smallest in Saarland and is only open from Tuesday to Friday from 16:00 and Saturday from 15:00. On Sunday the pub is open from 09:45 to 13:00 and then again from 17:00. Two 12% Stammwürze 5% ABV. beers are on tap here, a Helles and a Dunkles called Schwarzer Abt both served in attractive glasses. The Helles has a hoppy aroma with citric notes and has a taste reminiscent of an English bitter. The Dunkles has a chocolate malt nose. Was very quite when we were in lots of old brewery memorabilia around.

Onward on upwards as they say and as it was a nice day we set off for a bit of a “ramble” in the sunshine around a lake, and as luke happened ther was a brew pub there! Hochwälder Braugasthaus, Zum Stausee 190, 66679 Losheim  Open from 11:00 every day the brewery is in a very nice setting overlooking the lake and comprises of a very modern open plan pub with interesting bottle chandeliers as well as a very large beer garden. The large brewery itself is under the main building and contains spotlessly clean enclosed stainless steel fermentation vessels.

So after work ing up a thirst we sampled all the beers on offer, Stammwürze 4.5% ABV. Helles which is a light drinking fruity beer with a good Hallertau hop aroma and is particularly thirst quenching. Next up was the  Dunkles called Donatus which is quite lively, more malty and foams in the mouth. This beer has very good consistency and is also pleasant and thirst quenching. 5Then a nice 4.5% abv Weizen, which has a pleasant pear drop nose with a trace of coffee. Darker than the average Weizen this beer is fresh, fruity and lightly hopped with a slightly dry tail end.
All the beers are served in original shaped glasses and a good menu is on hand to satisfy most hunger requirements, in particular the Flammkuchen are recommended. They seem to do t-shirts and other souvenirs ? But we have been back a few time now and they are always awaiting stock? Still a nice display though!! 

A realy nice little brew pub is found in the village of St.Wendel, just off the main Street at Balduinstraffe 43, they do a passable Helles and a Dunckel the building is over 200 years old,  and the brewery is nice and compact, but is it used ? Visit and make your own mind up.   There web site is www.brauereihaus.de 

The second largest brewery in Saarland is located in Eiweiler.

The Grosswald Brewery which is still family run, is located at Grosswaldstraffe 130. Visit  www.grosswald.de 

They brew 8 regular beer and a couple of seasonal ones. There is no brewery tap but the beers are freely availably in the area. 

 GERMANY

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