From Garage to Oktoberfest: Giesinger Brau

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Zymurgy Magazine

By Ryan Pachmayer

The world’s most famous beer festival hasn’t added a new brewery in over a century. Tents at Oktoberfest are only allowed to pour beer from the six official Munich breweries. This status quo has remained unchanged for so long that even a tiny increase in beer prices from one year to the next can dominate news coverage surrounding the festival.

That may very well change soon, however, since Giesinger became the seventh official Munich brewery in 2020. Does this mean it can pour beer at the festival? Well, not quite—or at least not yet. There are plenty of politics still involved in Giesinger’s status as a potential seventh brewery at the festival. But after I spoke with various figures in Germany, including many in the brewing industry and also a government official, the likelihood of this happening in the near future is more likely than not.

Giesinger isn’t betting on it quite yet, though. In fact, the brewery doesn’t really like to talk about it too much at all these days. Owner Steffen Marx prefers to discuss the company’s growth, the next big production target, and his responsibility to the people he employs.

Access the full article in the July/August 2024 Zymurgy Magazine.

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