Sunday 6th April 2014
Bob Thompson
When I visited Windischeschenbach for the first time in the late 1980s this was the first Zoigl house I entered. It was truly someone's front room converted to serve the public with beer. I thought this was it, the typical Zoigl pub and yes it was, then. However, over the years most of the houses have extended their seating space as more and more members of the populace have wanted to visit and enjoy the traditional Zoigl beer.
It was in the late 1990s that I noticed the real change happening. I'm not sure of all of the reasons but I would suggest that the wider use of the internet was the main catalyst for this, as for the first time; you didn't have to write a letter to get the calendar for when each house was open, as it was available on line. Also, people became more interested in their traditions than previously, as they rediscovered the heritage around them.
Inside the house had changed a little with the drinking space increased a bit and it has definitely been redecorated a few times. One thing that remains is the service area, with its beer font in an alcove and an ordinary domestic sink right by. The bottles of schnapps and mixers are found on the top of the fridge and the whole set up is reminiscent of a corner of one's kitchen. Maybe not mine, but someone's!
I settled opposite and enjoyed a half litre of the house beer and thought that it was the best of the day, although I must say that there is not a vast gulf between them all. This one had a good body, not thin, some fruitiness and a good bitter finish. Of course with all the Zoigl beer in each village arriving in the house of sale as the same wort, the differences are all in the yeast pitched there and the amount and type of hops used.
There is the usual menu of local rustic food including sausages, cold meats and cheese. Behind the house there is room for a small biergarten that is full of flowers and shrubs. It looks like a lovely place to spend a summer's evening. This is one of the least spoilt of the town's Zoigl houses and as such should be visited, should it be open the weekend you are there.
Important Information:
Zum Roud'n, Stadtplatz 3, 90670 Windischeshenbach. Tel: 09681 2185
Open: Friday to Monday, when advertised 10.00-23.00
See www.zoiglbier.de for details of dates
Buses to Windischeschenbach are infrequent and usually run only Mondays to Fridays.
The station is served by trains of Vogtlandbahn Railway Company and they operate about every hour Monday to Friday, and two-hourly on Saturday and Sunday.
They run from Regensburg to Marktredwitz via Schwandorf and Weiden.
