Hofbräu München, Brewery Munich. Dating back to the 16th century, this Munich-based brewer was founded by the Bavarian State Government.
THE ART OF BREWING WITH TRADITION FOR CONNOISSEURS OF TODAY
HB - two letters, one crown: The logo of Hofbräu München is a promise and motivation at the same time. To brew a “crowned” beer, it takes both the decades-long experience in Bavarian brewing tradition and openness for new technologies, trends and urban drinking habits. To connect today's demands of connoisseurs all over the world and the centuries-old brewing craft from the heart of Munich, is one of their most beautiful tasks.
The story of Hofbräu München began with a culinary challenge more than 400 years ago: Since he found the beer brewed in his court in Munich to be of poor taste and quality, William V, Duke of Bavaria, founded the Hofbräuhaus in 1589 – the birthplace of the brewery and gastronomy. Today, the Hofbräuhaus Bavarian State Brewery in Munich is one of two still Bavarian-run traditional Munich breweries.
SUSTAINABLE CORPORATE MANAGEMENT
Beer is a natural product. Only malt, hops, water and yeast belong in the beer glass – this is ensured by the Bavarian Purity Law and has been for more than 500 years. As a state brewery, Hofbraü München feels particularly obligated to the environment and their customers. With a continually updated Environmental Statement and an EU-Eco-Audit in accordance with the EMAS Regulation (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme), Hofbräu München provides for transparency in its corporate environmental policy. The aim is to promote economic success together with ecological improvements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcG5lDW-PLgBREWING PROCESS
It’s a long process until a fresh Hofbräu beer bubbles in the bottle. At the beginning are hops, malt, yeast and water. This is what the German Purity Law stipulates and according to which Hofbräu München has been working with for more than 400 years. The unique Consumer Protection Act of 1516 is not only the standard but also seal of approval for the quality of their beers.
The brewing water for Hofbräu München is no ordinary groundwater, it originates from deep wells: their water pipes below the brewery run about 150 meters deep into the earth. There, they have access to water resources that once were left behind in the geological phase of the Tertiary in the Alpine foothills. Since before the Stone Age, this water has been preserved deep below the ground and is fresh as it was on the first day.
The hops, which give their beers its characteristic aroma, comes from the Hallertau in Bavaria. For intense flavors, bitter hop varieties such as “Hercules” and “Magnum” are added to the wort; milder aroma hops such as “Hallertauer Perle” or “Select” refine their lighter beers. After the harvest in late summer, the “green gold” of the Hallertau is dried. The stems and leaves are then removed as well as the “base components” of the unfertilized, female umbels. What remains is a slightly sticky, yellowish-green mass: the lupulin. It contains the typical bitter hops and aromatic substances – so-called “pellets” are pressed together and stored for several years at up to 10 degrees Celsius with no loss of quality.
They process approximately 6,000 tons of malt per year from eight different suppliers for Hofbräu beers. The varieties used include light and dark barley malt, caramel malt, and light and dark wheat malt for their wheat beers. Before it can be called a real malt grain, barley and wheat grains must be prepared for the brewing process. For this, the maltster softens the grain in water; it begins to germinate and grow. The maltster uses the humidity, the temperature and the ventilation to control the natural ripening. After that, the grain is allowed to dry. The longer this takes, the darker the malt will be and the stronger the color of the beer will be.
Glass for glass and bottle for bottle – to ensure that the fans of Hofbräu beers will experience their beloved beer taste again and again in consistently good quality, Hofbräu München relies on their own pure yeast culture production facility. Yeasts are unicellular organisms that are cultured in strains and multiply themselves. Whether bottom-fermented or top-fermented – the yeast decisively influences the taste of the beer. The bottom-fermenting yeast works six to seven days at a cool 7 to 9°C. At the end of the brewing process, it settles at the bottom of the fermentation tank and can be removed from the beer brew. The top-fermenting yeast loves it warmer: At temperatures between 18 and 20°C it really gets active and works for four to five days. It rises to the top with the carbon dioxide where it can be skimmed off.