Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg:
Brauerei Wirtshaus Sanwald
Friday 4th January 2013
Bob Thompson
This pub was once the tap of the Sanwald brewery, now sadly closed. This brewery made only top-fermenting beers (similar to the method commonly used in Britain) and was founded in 1903 in Stuttgart. The beers were mostly Weizenbiers (Wheat) in the Bavarian style although they did brew a beer in the Berliner-Weisse mode and Kur-Alt-Bier was a Kölsch type of beer. They were taken over by Dinkelaker in 1977 and their brewery shut down some time after. However this occurred just at the time that Wheat beer was beginning its great revival. Sanwald then become the wheat beer brand of its owning company.
I am not sure if the original brewery was located near the pub. It could even have been at the back as with such a niche beer product I don't think it would have been that large. This is one of those times when I wish I had more time for research.
Looking at the signing outside you would think that the brewery was still open. Inside the theme continues with some very nice Sanwald enamel signs.
This is a very comfortable pub and looked superbly presented with the Christmas decorations still displayed. The main room with its horseshoe-shaped bar is rather small but there was more space available in the side rooms.
As it was lunchtime there were only a few drinkers but a considerable number of diners almost filled the pub. The food looked superb and was of the solid style found in Swaben (Swabia), this part of the country.
As was entirely appropriate, I ordered a Sanwald Hefeweizen (4.9%). I don't normally have this type of beer if there is an alternative but I wanted to enter into the spirit of the pub's history. Actually it was OK, having a very slight bitterness in the aftertaste but a whole lot of wheat malt flavour in the body. I have certainly had worse.
Of course there was a choice. I could have had Dinkelaker Privat (Hell, light) (5.1%), or their CD Pils (4.9%) or possibly Dom Kölsch, all the way from Cologne. There were also other Sandwald wheat beers in bottle: Weissen Dunkel (4.9%) and Krystal Weizen (4.9%).
Although this is a fairly ordinary selection for this city, the reason this pub is a feature in BeerVisits is a lot to do with its history. It is also a very nice pub in its own right.
Important Information:
Brauerei Wirtshaus Sanwald, Silberbergstrasse 157, Stuttgart-West, 70178
Tel: 0711 610 863
Open: 11.00-23.30 (subject to confirmation)
The pub is just a few minutes away from the Feuersee S-Bahn station.
You must leave by the Silberbergstrasse exit. The station is served by lines S1 to S6.
There are also some useful local buses.
Update October 2017. Hours: Monday to Sunday: 11.00-24.00.