A Taste of Time: Brauerei Scheubel’s Commitment to Slow-Brewed Perfection

In the town of Schlüsselfeld, Franconia, the oldest building isn’t the town hall or church. It’s a stone ossuary built in 1423, once used to store the remains of the locals. Today, it houses fermentation tanks and a vaulted cellar where beer matures in the cool and quiet historic site. For Stern-Bräu Scheubel, this place is more than symbolic - it reflects the brewery's core values; patience, practicality, and an unforced relationship with tradition.

This family-run brewery doesn’t make headlines. Actually, few beer tourist know of it, not to mention visit it.  But it makes lager - two of them, to be exact - according to a slow, deliberate process that hasn’t changed in decades. There’s no marketing team, no seasonal rotation, and no filter. Just quality ingredients, horizontal tanks, and up to 12 weeks of cold conditioning.

The beginnings

The Scheubels started brewing in 1828, but didn’t have a brewhouse of their own until 1980. For over 150 years, they brewed at Schlüsselfeld’s communal brewhouse. “My father started brewing around 1960,” says Günter Scheubel. “Before that, when my aunt needed beer, she went to the neighbour brewery and asked them to make a batch. They’d bring it over, and we’d store it in our cellar.”

The family had been merchants and tanners before taking on brewing. “Leather goods, butcher supplies, motorcycle jackets,” Günter explains. “That’s what they sold.”

The shift to brewing full-time came when Günter’s father inherited the farm from his aunt. The old barn, once filled with hay, pigs, and cows, was converted into a brewhouse, fermentation cellar, and lager cellar. Brewing moved in-house - and hasn’t left since.

The Schlüsselfeld communal brewhouse, where the Scheubels brewed for generations, was dismantled in 1988. It was then reconstructed at the Fränkisches Freilandmuseum in Bad Windsheim between 1994 and 1996. According to the City of Schlüsselfeld, it officially reopened at the museum on Saturday, 22 June 1996. Today, it stands as a preserved piece of Franconian brewing heritage.

Hausbrauer Bier – Fresh from the Source

After a nearby brewery closed, its former customers came to Günter’s father. Could he take them on? “They convinced him,” Günter says. “That’s how we started doing Hausbräu.”

It stuck. Today, about 30 percent of their production is filled into customers’ personal kegs. “They bring them clean. We fill them during the week. On every second Saturday from 7 AM they come to pick them up.” The beer is the same recipe as their Helles.

The charming Gasthof next to the church in the picturesque town of Schlüsselfeld 

Long lagering

Each batch is 55 hectoliters and Günter does a single decoction - "We boil our mashes". The brewhouse even has a wood-fired option, though Günter has never used it. "It’s there if we need it," he shrugs. In 1995 the coolship was replaced by a whirlpool and plate chiller - "it works well,” Günter says - and an ice water system for tank cooling. No glycol. Just frozen water, chilled overnight using off-peak electricity. 

They don’t filter the beer. The plate filter hasn’t been used in 15 years. When it became time to replace it, Günter made a different call - he insisted on buying more lagering tanks instead. Better to give the beer time to clear on its own than push it through a filter. “It gets better,” he says. And it does.

Günter Scheubel in his element - in front of the mash tun

A brew day takes about 9 to 10 hours from start to finish, including cooling and cleaning. Wort goes into fermentation tanks in two batches: first with yeast, second on top. Stern-Bräu Scheubel, like many breweries in the region, gets its yeast from Weismainer Püls-Bräu. They reuse it multiple times - “at least ten,” Günter says. “As long as you keep things clean, it’s no problem.”

At Stern-Bräu, fermentation is traditional and lagering is non-negotiable. The Helles Vollbier - its flagship beer - undergoes cold maturation for no less than eight weeks, and often as long as ten. In winter, some batches are lagered up to twelve. “We don’t let beer out of here before eight weeks,” Günter says. “During Winter sometimes twelve.”

Two Beers, One Philosophy

They brew two beers. The first is a Helles Vollbier, made with malt from Bamberger Mälzerei and hopped with Spalter Hallertau Tradition, Spalter Select and Spalt-Spalter. It’s unfiltered but clears on its own during lagering, light-colored and stable in the glass. 

The beer opens with a clean, floral aroma - light blossoms and a touch of citrus, like lemon peel rubbed between your fingers. On the palate, it starts soft with floral notes carrying over and a clear hit of lemon zest giving it brightness. Underneath, there’s fresh bread - warm, malted, and steady. Carbonation sat right in the middle: fine bubbles, just enough lift. It finishes crisp, with a striking bitterness that doesn’t linger but leaves you thirsty for more. The balance is what stands out - floral, citrus, and malt in quiet agreement. Easy to drink, but not simple. A standout Helles Vollbier. Rated 4.8.

The other is a Festbier Dunkel. All Tettnanger hops. "My brother lives in Wangen in the Allgäu. I get hops from Bentele, a grower near Tettnang. He runs a brewery (Brauerei Schöre) and also grows hops. I buy 200 kilos directly from him. When I visit my brother with my mother, I bring back the hops" - Günter explains. The malt includes 9% specialty from Steinbach Mälzerei - CaraMunich, Carafa, and Smoked malt

The first impression is malt - dark bread crust, roasted grain, a hint of dried fruit. It smells deep but clean. On the palate, it’s smooth and rounded, with soft carbonation and a steady line of bitterness underneath. There's a subtle smoke - more suggestion than statement - woven through the malt. Nothing harsh or ashy. The finish is off-dry, pulling away just before it turns sweet. It leaves the mouth clean, with a faint echo of toast and wood from the Tettnanger hops. Subtle, balanced, and comforting without being heavy. A beer for slow evenings and second pours. Rated 4.1

Both beers are best picked up directly by the source. "In summer, customers come to our drive-in for cold beer. Not like in the supermarket, where it’s warm. Ours is always cold, always fresh." - Günter points out.

The Buildings, Keller, & Community

The brewery sits in Schlüsselfeld’s oldest building, a former ossuary built in 1423, used for storing bones until 1812. The Scheubels bought it in 1870. A fire in 1955 destroyed everything around it - the house, the farm, the old brewery - but the stone ossuary survived.

“The lock is original,” Günter says. “Some ceiling beams are still charred. You can see them.” Inside is the vaulted cellar. “That’s where we still fill barrels by hand.”

Today, the building is protected. “Preservation rules are strict,” he says. “They didn’t like the window my father added. Wanted shutters. I said, ‘Give me a grant and I’ll change it.’”

Bottling happens in what used to be the cow stable. Günter, his wife, and his son Johannes do the work themselves - filling about 2,200 bottles an hour, or 110 crates.  Kegs are filled using an automatic washer/filler combo. Barrels are still rinsed and filled by hand. In the old days, things moved slower: five people, working downstairs in the vaulted cellar, managed about 30 crates per hour. The brewery delivers to about 15 customers - restaurants, beverage markets and curiously the fire department. “We’re back around 2:30. My wife’s at the pub, so she’s got it covered.” The pub being mentioned – as it is often the case in Franconia – is just next to the brewery, so the beer doesn’t have to travel far.

What does Sternbräu mean to the community?

"It’s a real meeting place. Lots of regulars not just old men, young folks too." During summer, the Keller opens Sundays and holidays only. “Not Fridays or Saturdays,” Günter says “My mother is 83. I can’t leave her alone at the pub. That may change when his son takes over". At the Keller, regulars - young and old - gather under trees or at communal tables. The brewery serves cold cuts and bread plates, but the focus is always on fresh, cold beer. And having a nice time with family and friends as is the essence of Franconian bierkellers.

The Next Generation and a Lasting Legacy

Günter's son Johannes Scheubel is already active in the brewery. He trained at the well recommended Zehendner Brewery, refining his craft, and is on track to complete his brewing education by the end of 2025. His experience ensures that the same dedication to slow brewing will continue for years to come.

For generations, Brauerei Scheubel has been a quiet cornerstone of Schlüsselfeld’s brewing culture, its beers speaking not through innovation, but through purity of process. Here, good beer isn’t rushed - it’s earned.

While the brewing world shifts toward efficiency, Brauerei Scheubel remains steadfast in its belief that time and purity is the best ingredient. Their commitment to slow brewing, natural carbonation, and extended lagering isn’t a trend - it’s the foundation of everything they do.

For those who seek beer that is made with care, tradition, and an unwavering respect for time, Scheubel offers something rare: a taste of Franconia’s brewing heritage, alive and well in every glass.

Supporting small, family-run breweries like Scheubel ensures that these time-honored techniques continue for future generations - because some things should never be rushed.

Below you will find an extensive gallery taken during my interview.