Local Brewery/Beer Trail

In Germany, it's usually more of a restaurant or guest house operated by the brewery than the North American version of the brew pub. I don't know any specifically within Frankfurt proper, but without a doubt there probably are some.

The easiest example I can think of to reach via public transportation is a restaurant operated by Glaabsbräu in the town of Seligenstadt. The beer is decent, if nothing particularly special, although the town is very attractive and worth a visit.

Woinemer in the town of Weinheim (just north of Heidelberg) also operates a pretty good Brauhaus. Weinheim has a very attractive market square, although the Brauhaus is located elsewhere in town.

I think the best regional brewer is Schmucker, based out of the small village of Mossau deep within the Odenwald mountain region. The restaurant is excellent, however it would be very difficult to reach without a car.

10 nights in Frankfurt? I'd definitely get outta Dodge for at least a few days. Beer-mecca Bamberg would be perfect. It's about 2.5 hours from Frankfurt. So many breweries, brewery-restaurants and beer gardens and cellars here that you don't need transport - just walking-shoes. Many good reasons to visit Bamberg anyway, including its medieval old town center (UNESCO World Heritage status.)

Bamberg:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/624
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamberg#/media/File:Bamberg_town_hall_from_opposite_bridge.jpg

Beer:
http://en.bamberg.info/brauereigaststaetten/
http://en.bamberg.info/bierkeller/
http://en.bamberg.info/poi/fraenkisches_brauereimuseum-4670/
http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/bambpubs.htm

This map shows a suggested beer-path:
http://www.bierland-oberfranken.de/deutsch/brauereiwanderungen/steigerwald_6/bamberger_bergbier_runde_1/details_121.htm

Thanks. The Bamburg suggestion is just what we were looking for. Please keep the suggestions coming.

When we went to Germany and Austria a couple of years ago we used some resources like this https://www.mikrobrauer.com/?map=de#6/51.163/10.448 to seek out the German equilivant of a microbrewery (mikrobrauer). My husband and brother, from Oregon who was on this trip, are home brewers and were wondering if they could find some non traditional German brewers. They used other resources and websites but found it was rewarding if you could find a braumeister who was brewing things other than lagers and pilsners. One braumeister even invited my brother to wade down (literally, the floor was covered in an inch of water) into his keller to sample some cherry bier.

If you do use online resources do check out the braurerei's own website to confirm hours, etc. If you are visiting braurerei with attached restaurants like the above posts suggest, you won't have to be as concerned about the establishment being open to visitors.

I should have mentioned that Bamberg is just one beer-lover option in the region of Franconia, which is packed with breweries. This site may be a good resource for you as well:

Beer biking and hiking routes: http://en.franken-bierland.de/biertouren_franken/
Franconian Beer-Land homepage: http://en.franken-bierland.de/?setLanguage=true

Thanks Russ, those look like some great options.

Bamberg is quite a long distance from Frankfurt by European standards.

Frankfurt itself is cider rather than beer country. I don't know if any Kelterei offer tours to visitors.

"Bamberg is quite a long distance from Frankfurt by European standards."

I agree. I'd book a stay there. 10 nights in Frankfurt is getting in your way and doesn't sound all that appealing in the first place.

I'd go to Bamberg and spend some time around there. It's close to Nürnberg, Würzburg, Rothenburg odT, and the northern part of the Romantic Road (Bad Mergentheim, Weikersheim, Dinkelsbühl, and Nördlingen).

If you visit Karlsruhe I recommend to visit the "Vogelbräu" they have two locations - one directly in Karlsruhe, the other one in Ettlingen, about 10 km away. Both locations are nice, but I would prefer the one in Ettlingen. It can be reached by Tram easily using the Lines S1 and S11 from the main station. The one in Ettlingen is the bigger one and it is a little bit more like what I would expect to find, when I would be looking for a German brewery.

In the Franconian Switzerland (near Bamberg) there is a walking route to visit local breweries.
http://www.bavaria.us/5-seidla-steig-franconian-brewery-walk-bavaria

Franconian Switzerland- it looks absolutely nothing like any area of Switzerland I've ever seen, but still beautiful nonetheless. It has a particularly high density of castles as well, some of which are very well maintained. However, it's very difficult to get around without a car.

However, I'm still puzzled why the crowd keeps pointing to Franconia, when the original poster clearly indicated they're staying in Frankfurt. Yes, Frankfurt is close to Germany's largest wine producing region, but there's still plenty of breweries in the vicinity. No region of Germany lacks breweries... well, perhaps some of the sparsely populated regions of the north might, but definitely not south Hessen!

Yes we have an apartment for the stay in Frankfurt, however we don t mind getting up and catching a train to a destination within 3 hrs from Frankfurt. If we were a arrive somewhere around 10am we would stay in that area until 7-8p then train back. I know is probably not the most efficient thing to do, but that's what will be doing.

Here is the cheap way to get to Bamberg by rail, assuming it is a weekday.
Buy an RMV Gruppentageskarte to get from your location to Kahl(Main). It is 28 euro total from Frankfurt Hbf.
Buy a 5-person Bayern ticket for 43 euro.
Take the 8:34 Regional Express to Wuerzburg. The RMV ticket will cover the fare to Kahl(Main), which is actually in Bavaria. Then the Bayern ticket will kick in for the journey to Bamberg. Your train gets to Kahl after 9 am, so that makes the Bayern Ticket valid. On week ends, you can leave earlier, since the Bayern Ticket is not time restricted then.
Return trains are at 7:25 pm and 8:26 pm. It's about 3 hour journey using regional trains, but with fast trains it is still 2 1/2 hours for a lot more money.
The Bayern Ticket will also give you free use of the local trains and buses when you get to Bamberg.

The Frankische Schweiz got its name a long time ago when it reminded some hiker of the Swiss lowlands, certainly not the high Alps. There is a ski hill here in Wisconsin called Little Switzerland. With 100 meters of vertical, it is a very, VERY, little Switzerland indeed.

Dinkelsbühl and Würzburg also have the own brands. Both " hell" and "dunkel" and both good.

http://www.bavaria.us/5-seidla-steig-franconian-brewery-walk-bavaria

Funf Seidla Steig is a great walking tour of 5 small breweries with an outstanding walk throughout the countryside. Have had the opportunity to complete it multiple times. The Nuremberg Northeast (Nordost) Train Station has a direct train line to Grafenberg to enjoy the day. The beer is great, the people are friendly, and the walk through the forest, fields, and cherry trees and outstanding. If you are someone who likes to hike (non strenuous, other than the distance which is about 10 miles) and enjoy great beer, this is for you.

Thanks for all the great suggestions.