Beer Hall "Hofbräuhaus", Munich, Germany.
The Hofbräuhaus (“Court Brewery”) is a world-famous large beer garden with a beer garden located in Munich. It is one of the city's main tourist attractions. Over the years, the Hofbräuhaus was visited by Mozart, Lenin and Krupskaya, and it was here that Hitler announced the official program of the Nazi party. In this report I will talk about the history of the Hofbräuhaus, show some of my own, as well as archival photographs.

But first, a little history...

The court brewery in Munich was founded on September 27, 1589 by the Bavarian Duke William V the Pious, and initially brewed only heavy dark beer from dark Munich malt. William's son and heir, Maximilian I, did not like this variety, preferring a milder wheat beer (German: Weissbier). In 1602, the Duke banned all private breweries from preparing weissbier, securing a monopoly for his court brewery, which allowed it to produce 1,444 hectoliters of wheat beer in 1605 alone.

In 1607, Maximilian I decided to move the production of wheat beer and build a new brewery in Munich - the Hofbräuhaus (“court beer house”) on Platzl street. Since 1828, the brewery has been open to the public. In 1897, the building was rebuilt as a restaurant, and in 1958 it was completely reconstructed.

In 1610, Maximilian I, by his edict, allowed Munich innkeepers to purchase beer from the Hofbrauhaus and serve it not only to the courtiers, but also to ordinary citizens. Since 1781, the composer Mozart came here. Over the course of 200 years, in addition to statesmen, many burghers also became addicted to the royal beer.

In 1828, by decree of King Ludwig I, a public beer hall and tavern was opened right in the Hofbräuhaus. On October 1, 1844, the king again demonstrated his concern for the people by lowering the price of beer: from now on, instead of 6.5 kreuzers, a liter mug of Hofbräu beer cost only 5, so that, as Ludwig I said, “the working class and the soldiers were able to afford a healthy and affordable drink.”

To protect against counterfeiting, in 1879 the “HB” (Hofbräu) brand became a registered trademark; the director of the brewery assigned the exclusive right to use it to the Royal Court Beer House in Munich.

During his first emigration, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, at that time an active member of the RSDLP, living illegally in Munich on Kaiser Street, visited the Hofbräuhaus. During this period, the editorial office of the Iskra newspaper operated illegally in the city. The editorial staff, in addition to Ulyanov-Lenin, included Plekhanov, Martov, Axelrod, Zasulich, Parvus and Potresov. From April 1901, Krupskaya became the editorial secretary, who later wrote in her diary in German: “Besonders gern erinnern wir uns an das Hofbräuhaus, wo das gute Bier alle Klassenunterschiede verwischt” (We especially fondly remember the Court Brewery, where there is excellent beer erases all class differences).

On February 24, 1920, the first major public meeting of the German Workers' Party began in the Main Hall of the Hofbräuhaus, attended by more than 2,000 people. At this meeting, which lasted four hours, Hitler announced the 25 Point Program, which became the official program of the Nazi Party, and proposed renaming the organization the National Socialist German Workers' Party.
This date is considered the date of the formation of the NSDAP and for 11 years every year, starting in 1933, after the National Socialists came to power, it was celebrated at the Hofbrauhaus. On February 24, 1941, at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Nazi Party at the Hofbräuhaus, Hitler announced a plan to intensively use submarines in combat.

All photos are taken from Google image search, incl. from the archives of Life magazine.

During the Second World War, during strategic bombing, the building was heavily damaged, with the exception of a small part of the ground floor and cellars, thanks to which several hundred valuable antique beer mugs were saved. The building was completely restored after the destruction of World War II only in 1958. The total number of seats in the restaurant is about 4,000.

Today it is a bright, lively and cheerful place, although 100% touristic...

Personalized mugs with locks:

A couple of years ago, on May 9, a group of friends and I were passing through Munich on the way from Dortmund to Salzburg. Naturally, we stopped at the Hofbräuhaus in the evening; in the huge hall, several “Russian” tables sang “Katyusha” and raised their glasses to Victory Day, completely drowning out the Bavarian barrel organ. Whether it’s good or bad to sing “Katyusha” in the Hofbräubaus on Victory Day is a debatable question, I think that in the modern world you just need to remember Victory Day. And the beer hall is precisely created for songs and fun, I don’t see anything reprehensible in the fact that Russians can raise a toast together on May 9 anywhere in the world.
Much has changed since the war, and a resident of the victorious country now needs to “humble himself” by going “to bow” to the German embassy for a visa...

I have long wanted to devote a separate page to this interesting topic, but I could not find a more detailed description anywhere except in Alexander Petrochenkov’s guidebook “Bavarian Beer”. I am pleased to present an excerpt from this book dedicated to the Big Munich Six.

Publishing house of Anton Zhigulsky. Moscow 2008

All photographs presented in this section are from my personal collection. Complete photo collection.

Munich Big Six

Speaking about the capital of Bavaria, Munich, it is impossible to do without mentioning the “Big Munich Six” - the six largest brewing companies in Munich, whose formation is most closely intertwined with the history of this city: Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Spatenbräu, Augustiner-Bräu, Paulanerbräu and Hacker-Pschorr Br äu. Beers from these six brands dominate Munich, and for many foreign beer drinkers, these brands limit the horizon of Bavarian brewing.

Of course, Munich beer is not limited to the products of the Big Munich Six. A detailed examination of the worthy products of these six traditional brewers is certainly worth some time and effort. Which pub, beer garden or beer hall in Munich to go to - you can decide on the spot. The main thing is that there can be no mistake here: in Munich you will not be offered bad beer anywhere.

However, even more refined Bavarian beers can be found outside of Munich. But this will be discussed further. In the meantime, let's look at what the Big Six Munich brewers offer.

I have long wanted to devote a separate page to this interesting topic, but I could not find a more detailed description anywhere except in Alexander Petrochenkov’s guidebook “Bavarian Beer”. I am pleased to present an excerpt from this book dedicated to the Big Munich Six.

Munich Big Six

Speaking about the capital of Bavaria, Munich, it is impossible to do without mentioning the “Big Munich Six” - the six largest brewing companies in Munich, whose formation is most closely intertwined with the history of this city: Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Spatenbräu, Augustiner-Bräu, Paulanerbräu and Hacker-Pschorr Bräu. Beers from these six brands dominate Munich, and for many foreign beer drinkers, these brands limit the horizon of Bavarian brewing.

Of course, Munich beer is not limited to the products of the Big Munich Six. A detailed examination of the worthy products of these six traditional brewers is certainly worth some time and effort. You can decide on the spot which pub, beer garden or beer hall in Munich you go to. The main thing is that there can be no mistake here: in Munich you will not be offered bad beer anywhere.

However, even more refined Bavarian beers can be found outside of Munich. But this will be discussed further. In the meantime, let's look at what the Big Six Munich brewers offer.

Hofbräu

We have already mentioned the world-famous Munich court brewery Hofbräu, or HB for short. The court brewery was built in Munich in 1589: the Bavarian Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria decided to get serious about beer for the needs of the Bavarian royal court and established the Hofbräu brewery, which still exists today. At first, dark beer was brewed here, and then, from 1603, white beer. The court brewery had many exclusive rights. The privilege of supplying beer to a narrow circle of court nobility was soon complemented by the right to trade for export outside Munich. Since 1610, Hofbräuhaus began supplying beer to tavern owners and private individuals. In 1614, Hofbräu was headed by master brewer Elias Pichler, originally from the town of Einbeck, who had previously supplied his strong Einbeck beer to the Bavarian court. Pichler was simply lured to Munich, where he began brewing his strong bock beer, which in Bavarian pronunciation became Ainpökisch, then became known as Oanbock, and eventually became simply Bock. The Bock beer that goes on sale in early May is called Maibock, a seasonal beer that HB still brews today.

In 1850, the royal family leased the Hofbräu brewery to the Schneider family. The brewery, as a historical site, is now owned by public authorities and is located on the outskirts of Munich. It should be noted that there are also court breweries with the name Hofbräu in other Bavarian cities, as well as in other German states, but these are other breweries that have nothing in common with the Munich Hofbräu brewery.

The court brewery is undoubtedly one of the attractions of the Bavarian capital, invariably attracting crowds of tourists from all over the world. After all, HB is not only a starting point in the history of Bavarian brewing, but in the past it was the site of regular gatherings of the Nazis led by Adolf Hitler in the years between the first and second world wars. The beer garden Hofbräuhaus (Am Platzl 9), founded in 1828, is located in the heart of Munich, near the town hall and Marienplatz. The flow of visitors was so great that at the end of the 19th century it was necessary to build a new restaurant premises. In 1944, the beer garden was partially destroyed by bombing, but in 1958 the Hofbräuhaus building was restored and opened to the public. The restaurant is run by the Sperger family.

In the Hofbräuhaus beer garden in February 1920, Hitler first announced his program and founded the National Socialist Party. Currently, the spacious halls of this restaurant accommodate thousands of visitors and are not empty at all. It is curious that the residents of Munich themselves do not really like the Hofbräuhaus restaurant, preferring the more modest and cozy restaurant and biergarten Hofbräu Keller. By the way, the famous beer hall putsch, which Hitler and his associates staged in 1923, took place in the Munich restaurant Burgerbräu Keller, which was literally next door to the Hofbräu Keller. Today, a cultural center has been erected on the site of the former Burgerbräu Keller, but the Hofbräu Keller has survived. After the failed putsch, Hitler briefly went to prison, where he wrote his programmatic book Mein Kampf, which immediately became a bestseller. For this reason alone, “Hofbeuhaus” has some relation to our and world history.

V.I. was an equally serious connoisseur and admirer of Bavarian beer. Ulyanov-Lenin: after ending his exile in the Siberian village of Shushenskoye, he waited in Pskov for his international passport to be issued, since he was not allowed into St. Petersburg, and from there in 1900 he went into exile. Having lived briefly in Prague (and, apparently, having acquired a taste for excellent Czech beer), Ulyanov, under the nickname Dr. Iordan Iordanov, moved to Munich, where he lived for two years in the prestigious Schwabing district, carefully examining the local beer gardens and biergartens in the English Garden. There is a lot of evidence that during the years of emigration Ulyanov was a passionate beer lover. Apparently, it was over a glass of Munich beer that he was first struck by the idea of ​​creating his own party of a new type, the one that later became “mind, honor and conscience.” It was in Munich, over a glass of beer, that Ulyanov became Lenin, for the first time signing his programmatic work “What to do” with the pseudonym “N. Lenin." Here he began publishing the revolutionary newspaper Iskra. Lenin's wife Nadezhda Krupskaya tells in her memoirs how in August 1913 she and Ilyich stopped briefly in Munich, and spent the time from train to train in the Hof-Bräu beer hall, hotly discussing the future world war with their comrades over a glass of beer. “On the walls, on beer mugs, there were the letters “H.B.” everywhere,” writes Krupskaya. “Narodnaya Volya,” I laughed.”

The entertaining musical program in the restaurant begins at 19:00: folk dancing in national costumes, singing in the Tyrolean style of yodeling, ending with the joint performance by all those present of a song that has long been the unofficial anthem of this famous brewery and its beer garden: noah:

In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus, eins, zwei, g’suffa.

Da läuft so manches Fässchen aus, eins, zwei, g’suffa.

Da hat schon mancher brave Mann, eins, zwei, g’suffa.

Gezeigt, was er so vertragen kann. Schon früh am Morgen fing er an,

Und spat am Abend kam er heraus! So schön ist’s im Hofbräuhaus!

HB produces a wide range of beers under its brand, among which it is worth mentioning HB Altmünchener Hellgold - a light Munich lager; HB Altmünchener Dunkelgold is a dark Munich lager of red-brown color with a malty fragrant aroma; Münchener Kindl Weissbier is a refreshing bottle-matured wheat beer with a rich fruity and confectionery bouquet; and a beer with the paradoxical name Hofbräu Schwarze Weisse - that is, a black white beer of a rather dark color, which is distinguished by a pronounced aroma and rich taste of roasted malt. Hofbräu offers one of the best brands of dark Munich lager, produced since 1589, and also offers several other beers seasonally: Maibock (bronze-colored May bock), Oktoberfestbock (holiday Oktoberfest bock), Weihnachsfestbier (special Christmas beer).

Publishing house of Anton Zhigulsky. Moscow 2008

Lowenbrau

The Löwenbräu brewing company probably does not need any special introduction: Löwenbräu beer can be found on the shelves of many Russian stores, and can also be seen on billboards and in television advertisements, where for some reason this beer is often called not “Löwenbräu”, but is distorted in the American manner: “ Levenbrau." Perhaps Löwenbräu is the most famous German brewing brand in the world, as the company exports hundreds of thousands of hectoliters of beer to many countries around the world, and licensed beer under the Löwenbräu brand is produced not only in Russia, but also in many other countries. For example, in Malta this is the only brand of beer that is produced on this island, which, by the way, does not even have its own sources of fresh water. In the USA, Miller Brewing Company has been producing Löwenbräu overseas under license for decades.

However, if you think that you are already familiar with Löwenbräu beer, you definitely need to visit Munich to dispel this misconception. And although there is no particular reason to claim that Löwenbräu is the best Munich beer, you should definitely try this beer in Munich, and not just in its licensed incarnations, known throughout the world. As an export product, Löwenbräu beer is supplied today to 140 countries! But still, there is nothing better than a traditional liter mug of real Bavarian lager, leisurely drunk in a Munich beer garden.

The first documents confirming the beginning of the production of beer under the name Löwenbräu, which means “lion brewery,” date back to 1324. And soon after the Thirty Years' War, the familiar image of a lion appeared on the brewery's coat of arms, as if taken from the coat of arms of Bavaria. At the beginning of the 19th century, the brewery moved to Nymphenburger Strasse, which is located north of Munich Main Station, where it still operates today. There is also a small beer garden and the Löwenbräu beer garden nearby on Stiglmaier Platz, where you can always taste fresh beer from this brand. Another great place worth visiting is the large beer garden "Chinesischer Turm" with a tall pagoda in the center of the English Garden - this is the main park and one of the attractions of the Bavarian capital.

The Löwenbräu brewery offers its customers a large selection of beers. The Pilsner-style lager Pils with its impressive hop aroma and bitterness is popular. And the dark Munich lager Dunkel has a pronounced bread and malt aroma. White yeast Hefe-Weissbier has perfumery and confectionery notes and is slightly carbonated, while filtered wheat Kristallweizen is light, refreshing with citrus tones. The dark double bock of Triumphator Dunkel Doppelbock has an appetizing malt aroma, a pleasant consistency with hints of cocoa in the taste and a long warming aftertaste.

Paulanerbräu.

The Paulaner brewery is famous for producing one of the strongest brands of the legendary beer Salvator Starkbier, without which Munich's annual strong beer festival Starkbierzeit, which begins on March 19, is not complete. However, under the Paulaner brand today you can find different types of beer for every taste, including non-alcoholic and light (leicht) diet.

The Paulaner company was founded in 1629 by the Italian Paulanian monks in the monastery in Neudeck, who emigrated to Bavaria from Paula. Initially, the Paulanians brewed beer solely for their own pleasure, but in 1780, Elector Karl-Theodor allowed the production of Salvator beer to take away, and it was able to be appreciated by most Bavarians. Now, drinking Salvator on Munich's Nockherberg mountain annually opens the spring holiday "Time of Strong Beer" (Starkbierzeit) in March, three to four weeks before Easter. The first barrel of beer here is always opened by the Prime Minister of Bavaria.

Since then, the brewery and its products have been steadily gaining momentum. Secularization and privatization in 1809 benefited the Paulaner brewery: it was refurbished with the latest technology and acquired extensive artificially cooled cellars for storing beer. Water for beer production is obtained from its own source at a depth of 240 meters. By the end of the 19th century, the brewery became a joint stock company Paulanerbräu. In 1928, Paulanerbräu merged with the small brewery Thomasbräu, acquiring the name Paulaner-Thomasbräu AG, and in 1998 with the Hacker-Pschorr brewery. Today it is the largest brewery in the Bavarian capital, although the Paulaner company is now part of a holding company that deals not only with beer, but also with other types of business - construction, real estate, hotels, air transportation.

A place that is definitely worth a visit to thoroughly get acquainted with the company's beer is the Paulaner Keller restaurant (formerly called Salvator Keller) on Hochstrasse. There is also an extensive beer garden with 3,500 seats. Since 1895, Paulaner has been producing one of the best brands of light Pilsner beer in Munich, Pils, which today leads in terms of consumption. Of course, among the company’s products there are many other well-known and popular beers. The best beer from this Munich brewery is, of course, the signature double bock Paulaner Salvator - this is a powerful, rich, strong beer, warming and reminiscent of fresh fried bread in its aroma. Dark traditional lager Alt-Münchner Dunkel is a pleasant malty beer with a dry hop finish. The export variety is represented by the Original Münchner Urtyp brand with a rich hop aroma, dense malt with bitterness in the aftertaste. Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb, an unfiltered yeast white beer with natural yeast sediment, contains hop and floral notes in its aroma.

Spatenbräu.

Spaten means "shovel" in German. The image of a shovel adorns the coat of arms of this worthy brewing company. Where did this shovel come from? According to surviving records, the first owner of the Welser Prew brewery in 1397 was Hans Welser, who is generally considered to be the founder of this business. In 1622-1704, the brewery was owned by a certain Mr. Spatt, whose name was inherited by the enterprise, although over time it was transformed into the current Spaten (Spaten) - “shovel”. This metamorphosis is easily explained: the shovel, along with the lattice fork and ladle, is a traditional symbol of the art of brewing.

But the real glory and fame for the Spaten brewery was brought by Gabriel Sedlmayr, whose initials GS are also present on the company’s coat of arms in addition to the image of a shovel. The name of Gabriel Sedlmayr in the 19th century is associated with the emergence of a famous dynasty of Munich brewers, who brought worldwide fame to this enterprise and seriously influenced the development of brewing in Bavaria and throughout the world. In 1807, he took over the brewery, then one of the most run-down of the total number of 52 breweries in Munich, and within a couple of decades brought the Spaten brand to third place and soon became the chief brewer of the royal court.

After his father's death in 1839, his sons Gabriel II and Joseph Sedlmayr built a new Spatenbräu division on Marshrasse, where the brewery is still located today. Then in 1842 Joseph acquired Leistbräu, and in 1858 the famous Munich brewery Franziskaner. Thanks to this acquisition, the company is now called Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu, although the complete unification of these breweries under one roof did not happen until after the First World War. The two brewer brothers lived quite peacefully, and each in his own way successfully contributed to the expansion of the joint family business. During the Oktoberfest of 1872, Joseph first introduced to the public a new variety of amber beer of the March type, which was brewed according to the example of Viennese beer, and from then on received the name Oktoberfestbier and became a mandatory seasonal drink in Munich. And Gabriel II went down in history with his scientific and technical research to improve the brewing process, the most famous of which was the development and implementation of ammonia refrigeration units, which made it possible to significantly improve the process of bottom fermentation, thanks to which Munich beer acquired its current appearance and became very noticeably different from the products of the past years. Since 1867, the brewery became the largest in Munich and held this position until 1890. In 1894, the brewery developed its light lager variant, Spaten Münchner Hell, in response to the growing popularity of Pilsner beer, and in 1895 was the first brewery to offer this variety on the Munich market. Spaten-Bräu was then followed by the rest of the Munich brewers

In 1922, the breweries owned by members of the Sedlmayr family merged into a single joint-stock company under the long name Gabriel and Joseph Sedlmayr Spaten-Franziskaner-Leistbräu AG. In 1925, a popular advertising slogan appeared: "Lass Dir raten, trinke Spaten" ("Take my advice: drink Spaten"). During the Second World War, the brewery was completely destroyed by bombing, but already in 1950 the brewery resumed its exports to European countries and overseas. In 1964, the company's brewers were among the first to recognize the revival in demand for white beer and released their new brand, Champagner Weisse.

Since 1992, the brewery has overcome the cherished production barrier of 1 million hectoliters of beer per year. And when in 1997, the brewery celebrated the 600th anniversary of its activity, it merged with the famous Munich brewing company Löwenbräu, which is located next door to Spaten-Franziskaner. The concern is the leading beer producer in the Bavarian capital, and the Sedlmayr family remains actively involved in production management, although some traditions have been lost today.

The brewery is proud of its commitment to cutting-edge technology: in 1821 the company first used a steam engine, then in 1873 it became famous for the introduction of refrigeration units developed by Karl von Linde, and in 2000 Spaten created its website and began its online activities . In 2001-2002, in honor of the centenary of the first German Antarctic expedition, the Spaten brewery sponsored a new scientific expedition to the seventh continent, focusing on research into so-called telemedicine in extreme conditions.

The Spaten brewery produces an amber-red March lager under the Oktoberfest label, but today the beer is primarily exported to the United States. In Germany, Oktoberfestbier is much more popular - a lighter, golden lager with a creamy aroma and a pleasant malt character. Light Munich Spaten Münchner Hell has a hop aroma and a clean, sweet malt flavor with a slight nutty dryness on the finish. In Pils, the hop aroma and taste are felt much brighter, giving way to a soft malt taste. The light Premium Bock has a pronounced malt character. The Optimator double side is creamy and nutty, but not bright.

The Spaten brewery produces wheat beer under the Franziskaner brand. Yeasted white Hefe-Weissbier, although it has a fruity complexity of aroma, is still less bright and impressive than filtered white Kristall-klar, which has a complex, refined aroma and taste, in which notes of citrus, dessert apples, flowers and herbs are clearly felt, and dark white Weissbier Dunkel contains notes of banana and tropical spices in its fruity bouquet.

Augustiner-Bräu.

Munich literally means “city of monks.” Most of the Munich breweries were created by brothers who offered their constant prayers, but did not forget about the need to get their daily bread. The monks of the Augustinian order kept their finger on the pulse: although monasticism eschews many of the temptations and joys of worldly life, Catholic monks always allowed themselves a few mugs of a foamy drink, and they knew a lot about beer better than others.

The first Augustinian monastery on the Haberfeld on the Neuhauser Gasse road appeared on the site of the current brewery back in 1294. There is evidence indicating that the Augustinians were brewing beer in Munich as early as 1328. That year, a third of Munich burned down in a great fire, but the Augustinian brewery survived. Since then, Augustiner-Bräu has become the oldest surviving brewery in the Bavarian capital. And although in 1803, as a result of Napoleon’s reforms and the secularization of monasteries, the brewery became a secular institution, it has retained its traditional name to this day. In 1817, after the monks left the monastery in protest, the brewery moved to its current location on Neuhauser Straße. The privatized brewery was then purchased by Anton and Theresa Wagner in 1829, and Augustiner-Bräu has been a private family business ever since. The other part of the enterprise, where the Braustüberl beer garden is located, faces Landsberger Straße. The restaurant in its current form was built by the famous Munich architect Emanuel von Seidel in 1885. Today the company is located on Landsberger Strasse, which runs from the south along the railway tracks to Munich Main Station. During the bombing of the Second World War, the brewery building was almost completely destroyed. Today, this restored red brick structure is protected as a historical monument and is one of the city's landmarks.

Augustiner-Bräu brewers carefully observe old traditions. Although the beer is bottled by an automated line, Munich's favorite draft beer is bottled in traditional oak barrels. High-quality malt is prepared here in our own malthouse. But above the malthouse of the Augustiner-Bräu brewery, clouds of steam no longer rise into the sky, as in the old days above all Munich breweries: the heat from the steam is reused to generate energy. But the secret of the wonderful beer of the Augustinians, apparently, lies to a large extent in the special water of excellent taste, which is extracted from its own spring on the territory of the brewery from a depth of 230 meters.

And although many Munich residents consider Augustiner beer to be the best Munich beer brand, it should be noted that in general there is no bad beer in Munich. Augustinian beer is not difficult to find in Munich. There is a traditional beer garden right in the brewery building. But the most convenient and famous place is the restaurant and beer garden Augustiner Keller, which is located near the northern exit of Munich Main Station next to the tall building of the Bavarian Radio (Bayerischer Rundfunk). Another famous beer garden that is definitely worth a visit is the Hirschgarten (Deer Garden), which seats around 8,000 visitors and is located near the majestic Nymphenburg Castle.

The beer from this brewery has many loyal fans. The main variety is the light lager Hell - soft and purely malty. Dunkel - Munich dark with a stable head of foam. Edelstoff is an export variety with similar qualities. Dark Maximator is a nutty and fruity double bock. Hefe-Weizen - unfiltered yeast wheat with fruity and confectionery tones.

Hacker-Pschorr Bräu.

This brewery, as the name suggests, combines two separate enterprises. At the beginning of the 19th century, the brewery, which has ancient roots dating back to the 14th century, was taken over by Josef Pschorr, once called the “King of the Munich Brewers”, since by 1820 his brewery had become the leader among the then numerous breweries in Munich. His two sons went their own ways, creating separate branches of the business. The Pschorr brewery was headed by Georg, and Matthias took over the Hacker brewery. The brothers did not compete with each other so much as they competed peacefully, and at the same time they both succeeded. In 1881, Matthias Pschorr incorporated his company, sold part of the shares, but remained its leader. He died in 1900, a bachelor, leaving no heirs. Pschorrbräu remained a family business for four generations, and only became a joint stock company in 1922, remaining under the control of the Pschorr family.

When the Pschorrbräu brewery was destroyed in a bomber raid in 1944, production was temporarily moved to Hackerbräu, where Pschorr beer was brewed two days a week. And in 1972, the companies merged by exchanging their shares. The complete merger of the companies was completed in 1984, when the current Hacker-Pschorr Bräu brand was born. Some of the company's beer restaurants still use wooden beer mugs to emphasize tradition. The Hacker-Pschorr brewery was among the first in Munich to master the production of Weizen beer - wheat beer. In 1998, Hacker-Pschorr Bräu was absorbed by the Paulanerbräu brewery, which continues to produce beer under the former Hacker-Pschorr brand. The Bavarians associate the name of the company Hacker-Pschorr with the phrase Himmel der Bayern - “the sky of Bavaria”. The company is a sponsor of mountain tourism: together with Deutscher Alpenverein, it has developed 12 mountain hiking routes in the Alps, which are popular among Bavarians.

Traditional dark Munich lager Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Dunkel is dark chestnut in color with a spicy aroma with a hint of coffee and cinnamon and a dry finish. Dark white yeast beer Dunkle Hefe-Weisse with a fruity orange aroma with a good malt taste and a pleasant sourness in the finish. Kristall Weisse filtered white beer has an impressive fruity aroma and apricot flavor with a dry, nutty finish. Festive March Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen has a traditional amber-reddish color with an appetizing malt aroma and taste and a dry hop finish.

Munich...The city of Oktoberfest, beer, beautiful architecture and the craze for the disgusting Bayern.
For me, the Munich beer scene is divided into two parts - big brewers and small ones. Let's start with the big ones.

Spaten

The Spaten plant is located on a gigantic territory surrounded by the streets Marsstrasse, Spatenstrasse, Denisstrasse and Karlstrasse. This is probably the most famous Munich beer. There is no bar at the factory. The restaurant nearby, according to recent information, is closed and put up for sale, so of the places I know of for tasting Spaten, the only place left is

Spaten an der Oper

located on Max Josef Platz opposite the opera building. The place is very pretentious, you can’t just drink beer, you’ll have to have lunch. The prices are steep, but according to reviews the cuisine is decent.

Beer - 10
Food - 8
Service - 8
Atmosphere - 5 (for pathos)

Augustiner

Augustiner beer is the most consumed Munich beer, with Munich residents themselves drinking a large share. It is also called folk beer. Light hell and weiss are good in any weather; for cold weather there is Maximator. There are several specialty restaurants in the center of Munich, but my favorite is

Augustiner Keller

http://www.augustinerkeller.de/
on Arnulfstrasse. This is, in fact, not only a restaurant, but also a beer garden, where it is very pleasant to sip beer in the shade of the trees. In addition, the food here is delicious, and the hot assorted meats are generally beyond praise. It contains duck and rabbit, a couple of sausages, and a piece of pork ham. Very tasty place. In addition to this restaurant, there are Augustiner establishments on Neuhauser Strasse and at the intersection of Brauhausstrasse and Platzl.

Scores (minimum - 1, maximum - 10):
Beer - 10
Food - 10
Service - 10
Atmosphere - 10

Levenbrau

After INBEV purchased Levenbroy, there were serious fears that the brand would wither away or lose its original identity, as often happened with factories around the world, but, fortunately, they were not confirmed. My favorites within this brand are Dunkel (dark), Schwarzweiss (dark wheat) and Doppelbock Triumphant. I visited two Levenbroev restaurants: at Max Josef Platz and

LevenbräuKeller

http://www.loewenbraeukeller.com/en/
at the intersection of Dachauerstrasse and Nimpenburger Strasse. A large beer hall, which is traditional for Munich, very tasty food, the entire Levenbroy line, souvenirs with the symbols of the brewery and just a good atmosphere.

Scores (minimum - 1, maximum - 10):
Beer - 10
Food - 10
Service - 10
Atmosphere - 10

Paulaner

Hacker-Pschorr

http://www.hacker-pschorr.de/
The least interesting brewery of the big Munich six, in my opinion. In the center there is a restaurant of this brewery at the intersection of Sedlinger Strasse and Haken Strasse, but I didn’t like it there, the food was mediocre, the waiters were stupid, the beer was ordinary.

Scores (minimum - 1, maximum - 10):
Beer - 8
Food - 8
Service - 5
Atmosphere - 10

Hofbräu

http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/
Last in order, but far from last in quality, their light variety is deservedly loved by many. But, in fairness, I note that the lion’s share of its popularity belongs to the notorious Hofbrauhaus, the beer hall in which the Beer Hall Putsch began, from which Adolf Hitler began his rise to power. By the way, the Hofbräuhaus building never saw the Nazis within its walls; it is a remake, standing at the intersection of Brauhausstrasse and Platzl. The present building was razed to the ground in 1945. Nevertheless, you need to go to the Hofbrauhaus once. For the sake of the atmosphere of fun, which is supported in every possible way by an orchestra in national costumes playing national songs. For the sake of the souvenir shop, the coolest in Munich, for show in the end. There are an insane amount of people there, but the waiters manage to bring your order within 2-3 minutes.

Scores (minimum - 1, maximum - 10):
Beer - 10
Food - 8
Service - 7
Atmosphere - 10

The Hofbräuhaus is one of the oldest breweries in Munich. Now it is a beer garden with a garden located on Platzl.

Hofbräuhaus was founded in the 16th century as the court brewery of the Bavarian dukes. Over time, beer became available not only to dukes, but also to ordinary citizens. In the 19th century, the Hofbrä u brand was registered to protect against counterfeiting. In the same century, the old brewery building was replaced by a new restaurant building.

The new building can accommodate about 4,000 people. Halls of the Hofbräuhaus: the Schwemme hall (cellar) with Bavarian music, the Bräustüberl office (beer room), decorated in retro style, the main hall, which in addition to the stage and tables houses a museum of the history of the brewery, and an open-air garden. Evenings with Bavarian music and dancing are held daily in the halls. People are offered three types of beer: dark bottom-fermented, light bottom-fermented, and top-fermented wheat. They also make beer cocktails with lemonade. For a snack - Bavarian dishes (white sausages and roast pork). At the kiosk you can purchase memorable souvenirs with Hofbräu branded attributes.

Beer Paulaner

The Paulaner beer garden is very popular among locals and tourists, so it is not very cozy here until 7 pm due to the large number of visitors. After the townspeople go home, the pub becomes much more comfortable. In summer, this place is even more cozy: you can sit at tables outside under the spreading chestnut trees.

There are 400 seats in the beer hall with self-service and 300 with service, there is also a VIP box and a children's playground. The beer hall serves all types of Paulaner beer, which is produced by the largest brewery in Bavaria, which has the right to present its beer at the beer festival - Paulaner Oktoberfest. The beers presented here are: Paulaner Original Munich Hel, Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier, Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel, Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier non-alcoholic and even seasonal varieties Paulaner Maibier and Paulaner Oktoberfest.

The establishment is open from 10 am to 1 am.

Beer Augustiner

The Augustiner Beer Hall is a great place to sample traditional Bavarian cuisine, sample local brews and enjoy the atmosphere of a beer festival. It is located in Munich, Germany. The territory of the pub is very large, it occupies an entire square and consists of a lower and an upper zone (the lower zone has a self-service principle).

In the beer hall you will find high-quality cuisine combined with a traditionally cozy atmosphere. The various rooms and halls of the old building, which literally breathes history, will satisfy a wide variety of needs and tastes: from the wonderful homely furnishings of the "Birstüberl" to the cellar with its unique vaulted ceilings, which are about eight meters high. Here you will be offered traditional Bavarian dishes, as well as a variety of specialties from other cuisines, including light vegetarian ones.

They rely on the highest quality and use of local, seasonal products, the only downside is that you won't be able to book a table here during Oktoberfest.

Beer Hacker Pschorr

The traditions of real Bavarian brewing are carefully preserved in the Hacker Pschorr beer hall, located in the center of Munich, on Weinstrasse. This is a rather small establishment, designed for 100 people. The products of the monastery brewery, founded in 1455, are served here, namely one type of dark beer and two types of light beer.

One of the signature dishes is the “Bavarian plate”, on which several types of Bavarian sausages and meat are aesthetically laid out. Guests are also offered a large variety of snacks. Beer is drunk from 0.5 liter glasses. Its cost ranges from 10 to 15 euros per glass.

The beer was named after the Hacker Pschorr trademark, created in 1417, when a new Hacker brewery was built in Munich, named after the surname of its founder. This place is very popular during Oktoberfest, so if you want to book a table, make sure to do so in advance.

Beer Hall Spaten

The Spaten beer garden is located in Munich on Marsstrasse directly opposite the Kings Hotel Center. This is a small classic German establishment where you can not only enjoy the national drink, but also have a hearty meal. The atmosphere here is quite simple, without any special frills, but the food is excellent!

Translated, Spaten means “shovel”, this is a symbol of the brewery of the same name, which implies a shovel for malt. The owner of the establishment is a colorful Croatian who adheres to all the rules for transporting and storing beer, you can be sure of the quality of the drink provided to you. Spaten beer, like all Bavarian beers, is brewed in accordance with the Purity Law, which was passed in 1516.

Many beer-goers prefer to drink a light drink between meals to cleanse their taste buds. If you want to try the original taste of German beer, you will have to pay about 10 euros for a liter mug. These are the prices that were here at Oktoberfest 2012.

Lowenbrau beer hall

The most famous beer establishment in Munich is Lowenbrau. This iconic restaurant seats 2,000 people, has a 1,000-seat beer garden and is located close to Munich Central Station.

The establishment was opened in 1883, and in the past it accommodated almost twice as many visitors. The fact is that during the bombing in 1944, the huge hall was destroyed, and after the end of the war it was restored in a much smaller size. But, nevertheless, Lowenbrau remains one of the most luxuriously decorated beer establishments in Munich.

The establishment attracts visitors all year round, bringing joy not only from beer (which, by the way, is brewed across the street), but also from excellent Bavarian cuisine. Here it is customary to enjoy beer with fried pork ribs.

Sights of Munich