Zoigl: the Upper Palatinate’s beer culture

Brewed communally, poured in turn, and unique to every cellar: Zoigl is the Upper Palatinate’s liquid cultural heritage.

You’re driving through a village in the northern Upper Palatinate when a six-pointed star on a building’s facade catches your eye. It’s not a Christmas decoration; it’s an invitation. The “Zoigl” star is displayed only on days when beer is served. Once known as the “Bierzeiger”, or beer sign, “Zeiger” gradually morphed into “Zoigl” in the local dialect. So, open the door and step inside. This is where the Upper Palatinate’s beer culture comes to life.

Zoigl is a bottom-fermented, unfiltered beer: naturally cloudy, aromatic, and easy to drink. It is not produced in a commercial brewery. Instead, people make it communally in a shared brewhouse. Five villages in the northern Upper Palatinate still uphold the tradition: Neuhaus, Windischeschenbach, Falkenberg, Mitterteich, and Eslarn. In Neuhaus, the practice can be traced back to 1415.

The right to brew is attached to the establishment, not to a specific brewer. It is recorded in the land register and is passed down through generations. The holders of these brewing rights, known as “Rechtler”, prepare their wort together in the communal brewhouse before fermenting it in their own cellars. And because each follows their own recipe, every “Zoigl” tastes different – some mild, others more robust.

When it is time to serve, the brewers take turns opening their “Zoiglstube” – often simply the front room of their home – usually for one extended weekend each month. Hearty cold platters are deposited on long wooden tables, and strangers rarely remain strangers for long. The Zoigl calendar keeps track of who is pouring and when. Since 2018, Upper Palatinate Zoigl culture has been recognised in Germany’s nationwide directory of intangible cultural heritage.

The experience is well worth the trip north from Parsberg. But if you prefer to stay a little closer to home, take a look at the beer list in our Hirschenblobb bar. There you’ll find a Zoigl Kellerbier from the Bruckmüller brewery in Amberg – naturally cloudy, unfiltered, and full-bodied. True communal Zoigl remains the preserve of the traditional “Zoiglstuben”, yet this beer comes close to the original. We recommend pairing it with tapas from the Klosterbraü Manufaktur and, in the warmer months, a seat in our outdoor beer garden. Prost!