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Munich Beer Gardens

The idea of beer gardens originates from a 19th century Munich, where they became popular during the reign of King Ludwig I.</nobr> At this time, a dark lager was the most common beer type.

By Order of The King, the beer had to be brewed during the winter months as fermentation had to occur between four and eight degrees celsius. So that the large breweries could offer their beer during the summer they dug beer cellars along the banks of the Isar river. To further reduce the cellar temperature, they covered the banks in gravel and planted chestnut trees on top to provide shade during the hot summer months. Soon thereafter, the beer cellars were not only used to store beer but also serve beer as well as food to the public. Simple "beer benches" were placed amongst the trees of these new "beer gardens" which became popular venues amongst the people of Munich.

This however negatively affected the businesses of many small breweries and restaurants who became aggrieved by this new trend and so they petitioned King Ludwig to forbid beer cellars in and around Munich to serve food. A royal decree was consequently passed to prevent the beer cellars from selling food. Instead, the patrons of the beer gardens were allowed to bring their own food. While this law is no longer in effect and all beer gardens now serve food as well as beer, the Bayerische Biergartenverordnung stipulates that beer gardens must still allow their patrons to bring their own food. Those beer garden that adheres to this rule may be considered a traditional Munich or Bavarian beer garden.

This site is a directory of the many traditional beer gardens that exist in and around Munich and how to find them.