It is no exaggeration to say that a trip to Munich, the Capital of Bavaria, the land of the Oktoberfest, would be incomplete without a visit to its famous beer halls.
This is also an opportunity to experience Gemuetlichkeit, a sense of well-being and cordiality that Munich is so famous for!
Interestingly, Oktoberfest, the annual beer festival, starts in the month of September, the celebrations last for 16 days, starting around late September from a weekend that goes on till the first Sunday of October.
This was the custom till 1989.
From 1990, after East and West Germany got united, October 3rd, German Unification Day, is invariably included in the celebrations by stretching the number of days.
We were in Munich for 3 days, on our second evening in the city, we decided to do some 'Beer Hall Hopping' and visited two of the major beer halls in Munich, Hofbraeuhaus and Augustinerkeller.
There is a whole lot of history and culture entwined with this simple pleasure activity of drinking beer in Munich .....
What makes German beer special...
In 1516, Bavarian Duke Wilhelm IV passed the Beer Purity Law. The law stipulated that all beer was to be made from barley, Hops and clean water.
Hops are green cone-shaped flowers that lend bitterness and aroma to beer. Bavarian hops are special, they are grown in the Hallertau region, just north of Munich and are considered to yield the best results as far as the quality and taste of beer is concerned.
Thus, German beer made from barley, hops and clean water came to be an extremely popular variety of beer.
Interestingly, this law is effective throughout Germany even today.
Little wonder then that German beer still holds its position of pride amongst its many competitors.
The history behind Oktoberfest
The first-ever Oktoberfest was celebrated in Munich to mark the wedding celebrations of the Bavarian crown prince Ludwig I to Princess Therese of Saxony-HIldburghausen in October of 1810.
Bavaria at this time had just been recognised as a new kingdom. People of Munich were invited to join in the festivities to celebrate the royal nuptials in the fields outside of the city gates.
The area was called Theresienwiese or Theresa's Meadow in honour of the new royal bride.
The festival became such a rage that the locals decided to hold it again in 1811 and the tradition just stuck.
To date, Oktoberfest is held in the same venue where it was first held. The 100-acre field 'Theresienwiese' is now the official venue of the Oktoberfest where around 2 million gallons of beer is consumed each year during the Oktoberfest!
And now a visit to the beer halls ....
Hofbraeuhaus
The most popular beer hall in Munich is the Hofbraeuhaus, literally translating into the court's brewery. The brewery is state-owned by the Bavarian Government.
This beer hall is just a 5-minute walk from Marienplatz in the heart of the Old Town and has an average footfall of over 35,000 people daily!
The brewery was set up in 1589 and was granted the status of the Royal Brewery of the Kingdom of Bavaria.
For many years, Hofbraeuhaus held a position of monopoly in Bavaria.
I read somewhere that in the 1700s, the income generated from the sales and taxes of beer from this brewery constituted almost 30% of the total income of the state of Bavaria.
The ambience around the brewery is surreal, there must be at least 1000 people sitting inside the beer hall and so many more sitting around in the gardens outside.
Not all of them looked like tourists to us, there were hordes of locals, many of whom had fixed reserved seats in the brewery we learnt and they had their Beer steins, a traditional beer mug, made of stoneware, adorned with motifs. That's some love for beer, I must say!
My Tip -
The brewery is very crowded. It's almost impossible to imagine so many more people thronging its already super-crowded quarters during the Oktoberfest.
The tavern and the gardens can accommodate up to 1500 guests. Seating is free but you have to wait your turn.
There is an option to make reservations in advance. There is a rider, though. All bookings are possible 6 months in advance....Whew! Six months? I wonder if I heard it right!
We were running short of time and had no bookings, so we headed to the Augustinerkeller.
Augustiner Brewery
Augustiner is relatively new. It started its operations in 1812.
Their speciality is the Augustiner Helles Beer, Helles meaning light in German.
It's considered one of the best lager beers in the world, especially if you have it served directly from the wooden barrel instead of the bottle.
The brewery has a typical 'Bierstube', a typical German tavern for serving beer.
There are beautiful lawns outside in the brewery with dense chestnut trees providing shade to endless tables with chairs for people to sit.
The brewery was relatively less crowded when we reached there.
My Tip -
Light beer was exquisite. I've never tasted anything like this before.
Don't forget to sample some typical German and Bavarian dishes and beer!
We ordered Wurstsalat, a simple salad of salami and onions and a fish platter. It was delicious.
My final take -
Between Hofbrauhaus and Augustiner, the former will give you a more authentic German beer hall experience, not in terms of the beer itself and the food served but just the ambience.
Everything about the place is loud, noisy and fun...that is if you can find yourself a place to sit!
Waitresses dressed in the traditional dirndl, a 3-piece short skirt dress with a tight bodice and a sensuously low neckline and a live band playing some classic German melody add to the authenticity of your experience.
Augustiner is also very lively, though not as clamorous as its counterpart, the food and the beer are equally good or even better, so I've heard and even tasted it.
So, take your pick.
This was our last evening in Munich. I can't think of anything that could beat our beer hall experience!
Except for a day trip to the fairytale castle of Neu Schwanstein. Read more about it by clicking on the link below -
So, if you're planning to visit Munich, don't miss visiting the breweries!
And if you do, then share your experience with me.
And if you're interested in getting some practical and useful travel tips, click here
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