Beer Has a Long Tradition Here

Beer has a long tradition in the Black Forest. Some breweries founded by monks and counts in the Middle Ages are still at operational today - and use the most modern equipment. Guests can experience this on guided tours.

One person is holding a bottle of beer in one hand. Next to him is a snack board with bread and ham.

There are three bottles of beer on a tree stump in the forest.

Once prized by the nobility, Fürstenberg Brewery beer is still popular today.

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Known as "His Majesty's Table Drink"

The brewers who use the good water in the Black Forest have a long tradition of doing so. In the House of Fürstenberg, it dates back to the 13th century. At that time, Rudolf I, King of the Holy Roman Empire, handed over the landgraviate of Baar with Donaueschingen to Count Heinrich I of Fürstenberg. From then on, the noble family also had the right to brew beer. In 1900, after Emperor Wilhelm II visited Donaueschingen, Fürstenberg-Bräu was even named "His Majesty's table drink". With this tailwind, Fürstenberg continued to develop into a major brewery. Until the beginning of the 21st century, and thus for over 700 years, its brewery was also owned by the count's family.

Zäpfle-Heimat at an Altitude of 1,000 Metres

Of course, today's beer cannot be compared with what was brewed in the Middle Ages. The Purity Law of 1521 ensured order. However, the fact that the art of brewing was developed further is mainly thanks to the monks in the monasteries. They also had a hand in the 230-year-old Rothaus Brewery: Benedictine monks from St. Blasien founded it in 1791 - at the "Zum Rothen Haus" inn, which gave it its name. It was located above the Schluchsee at an altitude of around a thousand metres. The brewery is still the highest in the country.

Outdoor area of the Rothaus state brewery with wooden barrels on the left and the large brewery on the right.

In the "Zäpfle-Heimat" exhibition, visitors can learn all about Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus

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With secularisation, the business fell to the Grand Duchy of Baden - and is still the Baden State Brewery Rothaus today. In the meantime, it has created an experience centred around beer. In the "Zäpfle-Heimat" exhibition, named after its cult beer Tannenzäpfle, guests can immerse themselves in the history of the brewery with an audio guide and learn more about the raw materials and today's production methods. On the Zäpfle Trail, a half-hour tour, you can set off with your smartphone and solve puzzles along the way. There are also information stations on the tour, and it is also possible to take a look inside the bottling plant - and afterwards you can stop off at the brewery inn.

Marriage in the Brewhouse

As in all monasteries, the Benedictines also brewed their beer in Alpirsbach. Today, the spa town in the Black Forest still brews beer in historic buildings, but with state-of-the-art technology. But guests can experience how things used to be in the brewing world of Alpirsbacher Klosterbräu. Johann Gottfried Glauner took over the business in the 19th century, which soon boomed thanks to a new railway line and is now a fourth-generation family business. There are many exhibits from the past and a historic brewhouse where you can even get married.

A couple relaxes on a wooden lounger and drinks a beer.

Two men are sitting around a campfire at night, toasting each other with a bottle of beer.

The traditional Tannenzäpfle beer from the Rothaus brewery tastes particularly good on a lounger.

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Young Craft Beer Scene

In addition to the many breweries with a long tradition, there is now also a young scene at work in the Black Forest. The brewery collective in Freiburg is part of this, founded by an international team in 2014. Together they brew stouts, brown ales and Indian pale ales - in different variations and with names such as "Bob", "Bruce" and "Dolly". The latter has already been honoured with an International Craft Beer Award.

Katharina Waldhecker has not only changed the name of her family brewery Bauhöfer, but has also launched new beers, such as the "Schwarzwaldmarie". In this export, two hop varieties from the United States provide a fruity flavour. However, the label with its retro design is clearly inspired by the Black Forest: it shows a young woman in a polka dot dress and a Bollenhut hat.