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Real Men Drink Ale

Updated: May 3, 2023

The Medieval Stonecutters of Zeil-am-Main drank hefeweizen ale made by Göller.


Göller Brewery named their Weisse "Steinhauer" to honor these stonecutters of their village. You can see the zeiler stonecutters displayed on the beer's label.


These stonecutters have a strong connection to the wheat ale made by Göller. At the time when the stonecutters comprised the most important trade in Zeil, wheat & barley ale was the most common drink available to them. Ale came long before lager, which is now the most popular drink in Germany and the world. Lagers were much harder to make before refrigeration revolutionized the industry, so ales made up the bulk of the beer consumption. Göller's Weisse is actually their most traditional beer!

Now what about the stonecutters (steinhauer) of Zeil? The town became important in the Middle Ages for two reasons. The first was location. The town sits on the Main River in a strategic location between the warring dioceses of Würzburg and Bamberg, so fortifications were paramount. Secondly, the area around the village had plentiful sandstone. Thus was born the industry of stonecutters of which you can see ample evidence today, such as medieval walls with towers, the beautiful hill church of "Zeiler Käpelle", and the castle ruins of the Schmachtenburg.

What fuel did these busy stonecutters run on? You guessed it: the rich and unfiltered ale much like the Steinhauer Weisse made by Göller today. If you haven't tried Göller's most traditional beer yet, what are you waiting for? Be sure to mix in the tasty sediment at the bottom of the bottle. It makes a wonderful difference!

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