After Nuremberg was home to long-established traditional breweries for centuries, it has now also been home to young, modern breweries for some time now. The medieval city offers a diverse culture of pleasure and beer has always been an integral part of it. The beer goes perfectly with the small Nuremberg grilled sausages and goes well with the region's world-famous gingerbread. Eppelein & Friends, Karsten Buroh's craft beer manufactory, has been one of Nuremberg's new and contemporary breweries for a number of years now.
The manufactory was founded in 2015 and honors with its name a historical figure who made a name for himself in the Nuremberg area with his rather dubious behavior. The brewery's namesake is none other than Eppelein von Geilingen. According to legend, the knight, born Apollonius von Geilingen, lived at the gates of what is now Franconian Switzerland and was starving. Because knights were no longer in demand after the end of the Crusades and chivalry, Eppelein had difficulties financing his wife and eight children. Out of this emergency, the desperate knight began to raid merchant wagons. Eppelein was up to mischief unmolested for almost ten years before he was first punished with the Nuremberg Reichsacht and finally caught a few years later. For his actions he was sentenced to death by hanging, but it never came to that. If you believe the stories told in and around Nuremberg, the robber baron managed to escape by jumping over the castle wall on his horse. Only years later was Eppelein arrested again and this time actually executed. In the vernacular of Nuremberg, Eppelein von Geiling is considered a hero of the poor and oppressed and is celebrated as a city legend.
The brewery named after this man takes inspiration from the creativity, extraordinary life and rebellious streak of its patron and brews beer that is just as unconventional and free-spirited as he is. In order to be able to guarantee the best possible quality, Eppelein & Friends brew in small quantities. The top priority of their work is naturalness: The brewing pieces are neither pasteurized nor filtered and only ingredients that have been carefully checked and selected make their way into the kettle. The range consists of classics of the Franconian brewing style, international craft beers and limited special brews. The Bavarian Purity Law serves as a guide for the brewers, but there are always brews that do not meet its strict specifications. If Eppelein & Friends have their way, beer should be a flexible, moveable, modern and creative medium that tastes good and is fun.