Haner is a farmstead Zoiglstube located on the outskirts of Puchersreuth, Oberpfalz between Windischeschenbach and Neustadt a.d. Waldnaab. They serve the commercial Eismann Vollbier Zoigl, a generic but serviceable landbier that’s just good enough to warrant a visit and compare to the Kommunal Zoiglbier of Oberpfalz.

The interior is small and the hearth is warm, the beer is chilled (too cold to begin, honestly). The patrons are friendly and talkative, a sign that everything is right in this part of the world. Even the Mönchshof branding on the walls and above the tap have a nostalgic charm not unlike the Hamm’s signs that hung at dad’s old bar.

The Eismann Vollbier is unfiltered amber, served in steinkrug or glass Willi Becher. It calls itself Zoigl but it’s not an actual Zoiglbier. It wasn’t made in a Kommunbrau, probably was not made on a wood-fired, non-electric system. And it certainly was not fermented, conditioned, and served from the brewer’s family home. This Eismann beer is a Zoigl in name only, and like similarly-named commercial (privately-made) beers in Oberplfaz, it takes advantage of a recognizable beer name without fulfilling the criteria for what that name means, even though Zoigl lacks legal protection. So it’s not a real Zoiglbier, but how does it taste?

Hops and malt are suitably expressed in this beer, but the body is noticeably lacking, there’s no malt savoriness from a long boil, and the mineral quality of Oberpfalz water is absent. Still it’s a serviceable lager, suitably-balanced and flavorful enough for a session in this cozy outpost.

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Michael James

BJCP-certified beer judge, photographer, and software developer from Boulder, Colorado. I use this site to chronicle my worldwide beer adventures shared through photography and stories, with a focus on traditional old world brewing practices.