Hofer Bier

It is safe to assume that the inhabitants of Hof have always brewed their own beer and the conferring of town privileges in 1319 provided the legal basis for beer brewing. Brewing is an art. That is a truism implying that it was only in the course of time that trained specialists for this craft evolved out of the initial making of home-brew beer without any guild rules at all. The local history of Hof abounds with tales about this subject. The annalists found it worth noting that in the 16th century people in Kulmbach preferred beer from Hof or that excessive beer prices led to a demonstration with the result that the town council had to stipulate the beer price. Early regulations to assure the quality of the beer are also mentioned.

Today there are five medium-sized breweries in Hof, some of which can trace their origins back to the old communal brewing rights. The quantity of the delicious local brews cannot be compared to the output of mass production beers such as those advertised on television. However our various brews all have their own character and the brewery owners are not anonymous but personally known. They vouch for the excellent quality of their beers. Hof, situated in the north-east of the region with the highest density of breweries in the world, is justly proud of its brewing tradition and its place in the present-day beer scene.

“Schlappentag” is a local festival celebrated on the Monday after Trinity Sunday since 1432, when the tradesmen in Hof were obliged to arm themselves following an attack by Hussites two years earlier. The last possible day for the required target practice at the shooting range, to which many a master craftsman or journeyman turned up straight from his workshop and still wearing his clogs (called “Schlappen” in the local dialect) became what Hof’s inhabitants now lovingly term their own national holiday.