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On almost every corner of downtown Munich you can find a Beer Saloon.


The 'Franziskaner' is also best known for its excellent Weisswurst

Is Beer a synonym to Munich, Germany?

Beer capital of the world

The big city atmosphere and rural charm, art treasures, customs and high-tech: This very special "Munich mix" has helped the capital of Bavaria to achieve world renown. But what adds the final touch to the city's popularity is the drink that is associated with Munich throughout the world: beer.

Internationally Munich is undoubtedly the Number One beer metropolis. The Oktoberfest, a festival of Munich's beer and one of the Bavarian capital's trade marks, is a household term in all parts of the world. It is not without good reason that there are 3,000 "sister" Oktoberfests spread out all over the world. And who doesn't dream of experiencing the original in Munich sometime in their life or at least of visiting the "beer Mecca" one day? There are opportunities for revelling in the joys of Munich's beer on the River Isar at all times of the year.

Nockher Hill (Nockher Berg)

The strong beer season – tapping the barrel on the Nockher Hill is a long-standing tradition

In Munich it is looked upon as the fifth season of the year, the strong beer season.

The strong beer barrel tapping of the "Salvator" (strong beer) at the Paulaner Brewery on the Nockher Hill is opened each year by the merry drinking bout called the "Salvator Polit Show" on the Nockher Hill (Nockherberg).

Read more details here: Nockher Hill (Nockherberg)

The history of Munich's beer

Soon after Munich was founded as a town (in 1158) by the Guelph duke, Heinrich the Lion of Brunswick, the Wittelsbachs came to power (1180). They turned Munich into their seat of royal power (1255) and quickly realised how important beer was for the town's tax revenue, but also for their own pockets. Brewing rights were only issued by the ruler of the day.

Brewing itself was a matter for the monks. The Augustinians – Munich's oldest still extant brewery goes back to them – set to work as far back as 1328. In order to put a stop to adulterating the beer from the outset Duke Albrecht IV issued strict Beer Regulations for the royal seat of Munich in 1487 – so before the official Bavarian Purity Requirements, which were decreed by Duke Wilhelm IV in 1516. The Munich Beer Regulations are the oldest written food laws in the world. They stipulated that beer could only be brewed using barley, hops and water. The word yeast did not come up in the regulations. Its use for certain brewing processes had long been accepted. And at that time wheat was in such short supply that it had to be reserved for baking bread. The Munich brewers still adhere to this historic decree to this day.

On Brewers' Day, which was already a tradition in the Middle Ages, the Munich brewers solemnly swore an oath to observe the Purity Requirements. In even years the Brewers' Day is celebrated together with the Town Foundation Festival and is a festival for all Munich's citizens and guests, with a pageant, groups in local costumes, brass bands and brewery coaches with their magnificent teams of horses.

Munich Bock beer has a history of its own. About 450 years ago it was imported to Munich from the town of Einbeck in the Netherlands. The beer had to be brewed especially strong for the long journey. From the 17th century Munich brewers themselves began to brew it in the Einbeck way. This then became known as Einbeck and was popularly referred to as Bock beer. It is brewed as Festbock in Advent and as May Bock after the Strong Beer Season.

Six large breweries for Munich

Whereas at the beginning of the 20th century there were still 25 breweries, today six large breweries are responsible for keeping up Munich's reputation as the beer metropolis: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräuhaus, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten-Franziskaner.

These six world-renowned brands – today under the roof of only four companies as a result of mergers – together brew some 5.8 million hectolitres of beer each year.

Beer Gardens & the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany