EBG Rating: 8.5/10

Choice/Quality of Drinks:
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The Hacker family brew for Becher Brau and Manns Brau in Bayreuth. Here you’ll find a Helles and Dunkel as standard, with wheatbeer in summer, krausen and some seasonal specials. They are supposedly introducing a low % ‘Schankbier’ too.

Style/Décor:
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An ungentrified relic, quite a delight to find amidst the thousands of refit Wirtshauser and Gaststatten around Germany. The typical quaint curtains and cushions aside, it’s set up like a boozer with tables for socialising rather than dining. Tiled floor and tinted glass can be spied along with other preserved fixtures and fittings.

Atmosphere/Character:
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Truly social rather than dining focused, groups of local regulars playing cards and exchanging conversation around the table. Even thought we’re in a city, there are knocks of acknowledgement on each table as customers arrive.

Amenities/Events:
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Food, snacks, games, merchandise, limited outdoor seating

Value For Money:
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More alike Nuremberg prices than anywhere in rural Franconia or the Oberpfalz, but not a rip off.

Description:
Built in 1750 and remaining in the Mann family from 1823-1990. Originally innkeepers and bakers, leftover yeast was soon put to use in brewing. This began a storied history as a Bayreuth institution. These days, no longer in the family, or with independent brewed beer, a visit here may give cause to stop. However, the beers now brewed under a contract with only the label remaining have been kept reasonably faithful to their recipes, while the true reason to visit remains a pub which offers a genuine link to the past, a place which has absolutely not been sterilised into a tourist trap, or even a polite posh restaurant.

Instead, Manns is a regional classic, with an old-timer interior and many historic fittings to enjoy. Ownership and brewing may have passed on but the pub itself survives and thrives. Instead of walking through the door to find isolated families and diners, you’ll find a Gaststube with regulars exchanging conversation, socialising and playing games over a beer or two. It’s a magnificent sight and one you only wish was more widespread. Schafkopf, the famous card game is such a staple here even the website makes a point of mentioning it.

The staff at Manns has an international flavour, hardly surprising given it is a studenty town with a reasonable ethnic minority too. This gives a cosmopolitan touch to what would otherwise be a quite parochial spot, and that’s all for the better.

As it’s Bayreuth, don’t expect the same pricing as rural Franconia or the Zoigl area, with costs closer to the average German pub for food and drink.

If you’re in the area it is a must visit.

(Added May 2025)