| Type | Brewery |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1383 |
| Headquarters | Munich, Bavaria, Germany |
| Number of locations | Munich |
| Key people | Andreas Girke, Günter Kador, Dr. Jörg Lehmann |
| Products | Beer |
| Owner(s) | Anheuser–Busch InBev |
| Employees | 400 |
| Website | www.loewenbraeu.de |
Löwenbräu (German pronunciation: [ˈløːvənbʁɔʏ]) is a brewery in Munich, Bavaria, Germany owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Its beers are brewed according to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. Löwenbräu means "lion's brew".
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The brewery was probably founded as early as 1383. In 1524, a Jörg Schnaitter, pierprew, (beer brewer) is mentioned in connection with the property at the address 17 Löwengrube. Löwenbräu was mentioned for the first time in 1746 in the Munich beer tax book. The lion in the name originates from a 17th-century fresco in the brewing-house, depicting Daniel in the lions' den.
In 1818, Georg Brey, a brewer of peasant origins, bought the brewery, which began to grow under his management. In 1826 brewing operations began in the Nymphenburger Strasse. In 1848 the brewery received permission from the king of Bavaria to make bock beer. The transfer of brewing to Nymphenburger Strasse was completed in 1851. By 1863 Löwenbräu had become the largest brewery in Munich, producing a quarter of the city's beer output.
In 1872, Löwenbräu was incorporated under the name "Aktienbrauerei zum Löwenbräu". Ludwig Brey, as brewer and owner of the corporation, acquired the neighbouring properties of Nikolaus Nassl, a "Bierwirt" (seller of beer). By Brey's order in 1882/83 the Rank brothers built the Löwenbräukeller according to the plans of Professor Albert Schmidt on the property of the brewery in the Nymphenburger Strasse. The grand opening of the Löwenbräukeller was on 14 June 1883. In 1886 the lion trademark was registered. Around the turn of the century Löwenbräu was the largest brewery in Germany, though strongly dependent on exports.
In 1921, Löwenbräu merged with another brewery, Unionsbräu Schülein & Cie. Joseph Schülein, who was Jewish, became a member of the supervisory board of the brewery. On 28 December 1921 Munich Bürgerbräu merged with Löwenbräu, retroactively to 1 September 1920. Many additional pieces of real estate came into the possession of the brewery, including the Bürgerbräukeller. The supervisory board of the corporation was also enlarged; Wilhelm von Finck, one of the owners of Bürgerbräu, became a member. In 1927 Löwenbräu brewed Weissbier for the first time. One year later, for the first time, beer production exceeded a million hectoliters per year. In 1936 the Schülein family, who owned a majority share of the brewery, fled Nazi persecution, going to the USA. Löwenbräu was named "Jewsbeer" by the Nazi's because of the owner Joseph Schülein. In 1942 the brewery was renamed "Löwenbräu".
The Löwenbräu brewery was destroyed during an Allied air raid in 1945. After the war, an agreement was reached with the Schülein heirs in the USA, ensuring the survival of the brewery. In 1948 the brewery began to export beer again - first to Switzerland.
Due to its good market position in Munich and Upper Bavaria and financing made possible by its large real estate holdings, world-wide sales increased. In North America Löwenbräu came to be considered the archetype of Munich beer, as shown by its presence at the Hanover fair and the EXPO in Montreal 1967. Gradually August von Finck secured for itself the majority shares of the brewery and the company, including its real estate assets, was deconsolidated.
Since the 1997 fragmentation of the company, Spatenbräu, together with Franziskaner Bräu, has belonged to the Spaten-Franziskaner-Löwenbräu Group. Jobst Kayser Eichberg held the majority of shares until 2003. The Spaten-Franziskaner-Löwenbräu Group was sold in 2003 to the Belgian Interbrew Group. All remaining real estate was transferred to SGI Sedelmayr, which is owned by Jobst Kayser Eichberg. Now only the production and the names remain within the Group. In 2004 AmBev and Interbrew united with InBev. Since 2005 all marketing and logistics of the Spaten-Franziskaner-Löwenbräu Group has been carried out from the German headquarters of the InBev group (Beck's) in Bremen.
In 2008 the Oetker group negotiated with InBev to acquire the brewery. In October 2010, InBev Germany confirmed that the plans to move from the city centre of Munich to the city borough of Langwied had been rejected.
Löwenbräu beer has been served at every Oktoberfest in Munich since 1810 and is one of only six breweries permitted to serve beer at this festival, the others being Augustinerbräu, Hofbräuhaus, Hacker-Pschorr, Paulaner, and Spaten. Only beers that are brewed within the borders of the city of Munich are permitted to be sold at the Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest beer is also a registered trademark of the Club of Munich Brewers. It is also known as Münchner Bier (Munich Beer).. Bavarian beer (Bayrisches Bier) and beers produced in Munich (Münchner Bier) are protected by the European Union as a PGI Protected Geographical Indication.
During the Oktoberfest, Löwenbräu brews a special beer called "Oktoberfestbier" or "Wiesenbier" (literally "meadow beer", referring to the Bavarian name of the Oktoberfest site, the "Wiesn"), a fresh, light amber lager (Märzen). Löwenbräu supplies two tents at the Oktoberfest, the Löwenbräu-Festhalle and the Schützenfestzelt.
Löwenbräu Keller has also one of the oldest Biergärten in Munich. But the brewery is no longer the building that was sold when Löwenbräu started the amalgamation of Spaten-Franziskanerbräu with Monachia real estate.
The filling facilities in the Nymphenburger road were closed and moved to the brewery area of the old Spaten-Franziskaner Bräu in Mars street. The Sudhaus Spaten was shut down in 2005 and is today the visitor's museum of the Spaten-Löwenbräu Group. To a large extent the filling facilities at Dachauer road were demolished in 2007 in favor of a new development (the Nymphenburger Höfe). The buildings of the original brewery remained only at Nymphenburger/Sandstraße, the Sudhaus Löwenbräu and the fermenting cellar, as well as the Löwenbräukeller, a protected monument, at the corner of Dachauer and Nymphenburger roads. The buildings are no longer properties of the brewery; the brewery rents them from SGI real estates and Monachia real estate. Today within the InBev family only Löwenbräu and Spaten are local breweries. Franziskaner is a major beer brand in the German market. For beer brewed in Munich the brewery uses fresh groundwater (Tertiärwater), approximately 13,000 year old water reserves from a depth between 250–800 m under the brewery at Nyphenburg Road/Sandstraße.
In the Spaten-Franziskaner-Löwenbräu group today, Sudhaus Löwenbräu produces Spaten, Franziskaner, Löwenbräu, and Beck's beer for sale in south Germany and export to southern Europe, north Africa and the Middle East. This is in addition to other beers that are not advertised, such as Pure Beer in 0.5 l cans for a trading company in Braunschweig, Germany.
Today Löwenbräu produces all beers from the Löwenbräu, Spatenbräu, Franziskaner, and Beck's breweries as well as other beers on special order.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:L%C3%B6wenbr%C3%A4u Löwenbräu] at Wikimedia Commons
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