There are a number of things that people in Munich are proud of. One of the biggest things, perhaps the biggest, is Munich beer, which the breweries themselves regularly proclaim to be the best in the world. They show off this self-confidence not only every year during the Oktoberfest, but also every two years at Brewers’ Day.
On Brewers’ Day, the young brewers are released by the mayor. This tradition has been alive again since 1962 after a decades-long break. On Saturday, 20 young men and women from the graduating classes of 2023 and 2024 were symbolically released by Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) at Marienplatz with the wooden ferula.
The ferula is a guild symbol of the brewers. Lowering it onto the right shoulder is something like a knighthood that marks the end of a successful apprenticeship.
And because beer is so important to Munich, it is celebrated accordingly. In the parade, the breweries bring out their decorated horse-drawn carriages, flanked by flag bearers, mountain troops and brass bands. Leading the way is the Münchner Kindl, currently played by Franziska Inselkammer. And then there are the Schäffler, who normally only dance every seven years, but put in a special shift on Brewer’s Day because Schäffler, i.e. barrel makers, and brewers are naturally close.
For the first time, Augustiner managing director Martin Leibhard opened the celebration. This year he took over the chairmanship of the Munich Breweries Association from former Paulaner boss Andreas Steinfatt. Leibhard presented his predecessor with a commemorative mug, the kind that only brewery graduates usually receive. And Steinfatt, who values speaking on stage at least as much as wearing his lederhosen, used the opportunity to say a long farewell himself. He had enough of an audience: the prospect of free beer once again attracted thousands of people to Marienplatz, including many football fans from Scotland who had been populating the city since Thursday and gorging themselves on its beer supplies – as if they were trying to drink Loch Ness dry.
Mayor Reiter, wearing jeans instead of leather trousers, interpreted this unusual thirst as a sign of the quality of the local brew, in comparison to the “stuff” that the Scots had brought with them. “I think they’ve been purified forever.” The fact that it remained calm despite the collective intoxication led Reiter to conclude: “Munich beer helps to create peace and joy.”
As a “fun fact,” Reiter reminded us that the Munich Purity Law was passed in 1487 and is therefore 29 years older than the Bavarian one. “We in Munich have always been a bit faster than the rest of Bavaria.”
Only three women were among those honored this year. The quota of women still needs to be worked on, said Martin Leibhard. “It used to be better.” Stefanie Werner, for example, explained why she chose a profession that is still dominated by men. “I wanted to do something with a manual job,” said the 19-year-old from Kastl in the Altötting district. Her father had encouraged her to train as a brewer. Then she applied to Paulaner in Munich and was hired straight away. What she particularly appreciates about her job is the variety, she says. Her favorite beer: wheat beer.
She has since turned her back on Munich and moved back to the countryside. She now works at the Schönram brewery in the Traunstein district. The circumstances in Munich are too difficult for her, she said, especially because of the expensive apartments.
Leonhard Bremer, 23, stayed at Augustiner after completing his training. Last year he was named the best young brewer in Munich. Because he comes from Würzburg, a wine-producing region, he didn’t have much to do with beer in the past, “but then I grew to love it.” He too wanted to learn a trade after graduating from high school. When everyone was raving about German beer during a stay in the USA, it strengthened his decision to become a brewer. His favorite beer: Helles.
This was available for free from all the breweries on Marienplatz. The floor was sticky with spilled beer – which is also supposed to be a sign of quality, at least according to legend.