The Ultimate Guide to Munich’s Breweries and Beer HallsMore than 500 years ago, when most countries struggled to supply citizens with clean drinking water, Bavaria was codifying the tenets of beer production. It enacted the Reinheitsgebot — or beer purity law — in 1516, a statute that limited brewers’ collective arsenal to just four ingredients: water, malt, hops and yeast. The Bavarian law spread across Germany and is still in effect today, practiced at breweries and around the country, including at the historic destinations dotting beer-obsessed Munich. Munich often conjures images of dirndl-clad servers running beer steins to packed tables inside massive tents at annual Oktoberfest celebrations, and for good reason — Munich’s Oktoberfest is the best and most authentic in the world. But the two-week festival is just one part of the city’s beer culture. Munich is home to many of Germany’s, and Europe’s, oldest breweries, where locals and visitors can gather year-round to drink centuries-old recipes, snack on sausages and schnitzel, and listen to live polka bands. Here’s where to partake. |