The 2023 winner of the KC Bier Meister’s Homebrew Scale-Up Contest, Logan Beets, came to our brewery and brewed a special kind of lager that is seldom seen in today’s craft beer lineups: a Zoigl. Logan’s Zoigl bier will be on draft ONLY at Kansas City Bier Company beginning Saturday, August 12th, for a limited time.
What is Zoigl Bier?
Historically, a Zoigl is a lager brewed according to traditional methods in community brewhouses, or “Kommunbrauhaus” in just five towns (Eslarn, Falkenberg, Mitterteich, Neuhaus, and Windischeschenbach) in the Oberpfalz region in Bavaria, near its border with the Czech Republic. This regional tradition dates back to the early 1400s, and has been passed down through generations. Buildings that hosted beer brewing were marked with a “Bierzeigel” or “beer sign”. In regional dialect, “Zeigel” became “Zoigl”, and thus the name for Zoigl beer was born.
It is fitting that Logan’s winning recipe was a Zoigl-style bier; as the winner, he was invited to brew his winning recipe in the Kansas City Bier Company facility and release the bier in our taproom on draft only, echoing the 500 year old tradition that still takes place in the Oberpfalz region.
Traditionally, any homeowner within the area of the “Zoiglbraurecht”, or legal brewing right, have the opportunity to use the brewing facility. So, anyone could come and brew beer for themselves or their neighbors. In the beginning, as this began long before the discovery of yeast and pasteurization, Zoigl was unfiltered and unprocessed. This meant that once the cask was opened, the beer had a very limited “shelf life”. In the beginning, many brewers with Zoiglbraurecht (brewing rights) brewed beer simply for their own consumption, but would often invite their neighbors to come and drink beer that was leftover. As time went on, some began commercializing their practice, charging a small fee for beer drinking.
The Zoigl Star
The brewhouses that brewed and served Zoigl did not mark their buildings with signs or advertisements like other pubs or breweries. Instead, they hung a 6-pointed star outside of the house. It is made of two equilateral triangles, one pointing up and one pointing down. One triangle symbolizes the three essential ingredients of beer: water, malt, and hops (remember, yeast was not discovered yet). The second triange represents the elements: fire, earth, and air. While this symbol is not exclusive to the Oberpfalz region, it holds a special significance there, signifying that beer is brewed and served within!
This tradition lives on today in the Oberpfalz region. While it is not extremely well-known outside of Germany, the popularity of Zoigl has increased, both in the commercial bier market and within pubs near the Oberpfalz region, who hope to capitalize on the popularity of the region’s tradition. To differentiate the genuine Zoigl biers that are brewed within the 5 Oberpfalz towns according to tradition, the brewers within these towns now label community brewhouses and Zoigl biers with the “Echter Zoigl von Kommunbrauer”. This logo ensures that the beer was brewed in a community brewhouse located within the same town, using the traditional methods and ingredients, and brewed entirely within the labeled premises.
Join us on Saturday, August 12th, to raise a toast to brewing tradition and community with a Zoigl-style bier!
