It’s not far from Bamberg to Lohndorf. It’s reachable by bicycle for the bold and the fit. In the winter the ride can be cold, windy, very dark. While Brauerei Hölzlein down the street offers a single draft Landbier and a stube to sit in, Privatbrauerei Reh offers the thirsty traveler an assortment of fresh bottles but little more than a bench in a garage for ambiance. This is more of a get and go brewery, but you are free to sit and drink and chat with the good folks running the show, if they’re not busy running around.

	beer name	abv	my score

I’m not going to sing praises for Reh, they aren’t staggeringly good. Your life doesn’t change. My respect for Reh comes from how consistently above average their products are. The Pilsner (3.9) is juicy and quenching and clean when had fresh. The Landbier Hell (3.7) toasty and lip-smacking.

Reh can be found in a number of the local Oberfranken Getränkemärkts in and around Memmelsdorf, Scheßlitz and Litzendorf. While not mind-blowing lagers, they are only 86 euro cents and cleaner than a lot of what you find in Franconia.

Not that I’m down on Franconian beer, just that I’ve come to the realization that few breweries are consistently solid. Many are world class only occasionally. Others more often than some.

We’re in Franconia now!

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