A LOOK AT SPATEN - FRANZISKANER

By Adam Warriner

After all, its 600-year tradition makes Spaten the oldest existing brewery in Munich and one of the oldest in Germany. Moreover, Spaten has always been at the forefront of progress in brewing. It was at Spaten that Carl Linde developed his first refrigerator, and the Spaten “spade” is one of the oldest trademarks in the world (1884), making the company a pioneer in the history of advertising.
Spaten is also a synonym for the history of beer brewing in Munich. Hardly another brand embodies this tradition to the same extent as Spaten’s “Münchner Hell”. Fresh and full-bodied, with an amber colour and magnificent flavour, this famous lager symbolizes the life- style of the city and its inhabitants. In 1894 it became the first beer of its type to enter the market, yet fully adheres to Bavaria’s “Purity Law” of 1516. It has been Munich’s beer par excellence for over a century.
The success story began over 600 years ago in Munich. In 1397, the Munich Tax registry lists a Brewer that would become Spaten. Over the course of the next few centuries, Spaten thrived under three brewing dynasties. First the Starnberger Family (1522-1622), then the Spatt Family (1622-1704), followed by the Siesmayr family (1704-1807). It was the Spatt family that gave the Brewery its present name.
In the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries, several generations of the Sedlmayr family of beer brewers (their descendants still direct the affairs of the company) have controlled the Spaten brewer. It is this family that brought high regard and much attention to Spaten. Not only was the Spaten Brewery the first to use refrigeration, it also is the first to use steam engines in the brewing process, the first to export its beers via air plane and the first to brew a light lager beer.
In 1807, Spaten was the smallest of the Munich Breweries. Under the Sedlmayr family, Spaten would become Munich’s largest brewery by 1867. A title they would hold for 13 years.
Spaten would start its worldwide distribution in 1891 when it established a subsidiary in London. By 1909, Spaten had started regular exportation of Beer to America. Today, Spaten Beers are available in over 59 countries on 6 continents.
Another one of Spaten’s innovative brews is Spaten UR-Marzen, more commonly known as Spaten Oktoberfest bier. In 1872, Spaten developed this Viennese style malt beer. It was introduced to the Oktoberfest Beer Barons in 1873 who loved it. To this day, Spaten Oktoberfest is still served at Munich’s Oktoberfest. In fact, the first keg of beer tapped at the Oktoberfest is a Spaten Oktoberfest.
The Munich Oktoberfest – known by the locals as the “Wiesn” – is the biggest public festival in the world and was held this year for the 170th time. Each year, the Oktoberfest is attended by around 6 million visitors, who drink around 5 million litres of beer and consume over 200,000 pairs of pork sausages – mostly in the “beer tents” put up by the 6 traditional Munich brewers.
No other brewery is as conspicuous on the Oktoberfest fairgrounds as Spaten. Fresh, sparkling Spaten Oktoberfest beer flows on tap in three large tents and one smaller one – a taste sensation, accompanied by jaunty music and culinary treats.
In 1922 Spaten merged with the Franziskaner-Leist Brewery to form a joint-stock company known as the Spaten-Franziskaner-Leistbräu AG. Since 1997, Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu KGaA is united with Löwenbräu, another of Munich’s most venerable breweries in Germany. The company’s brands have proved successful both at home and abroad. One reason for this is the rapid rise of Franziskaner Weissbier to the international forefront of Weiss beer brands.
Already late in 1962 the Spaten Brewery had the idea to produce their own filtered Weiss beer. Then, in 1964, at the Oktoberfest, the “Spaten Champagner Export Weissbier” was presented for the very first time. In 1969 the name was changed to “Club-Weisse”. In the middle of July 1974, the Spaten Brewery started also to produce their own unfiltered Hefe-Weissbier. It was placed on the market under the name Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier with the famous Franciscan friar, created by the Munich artist Ludwig Hohlwein.
Since 1984, the Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier is sold as independent brand. The sales growth of Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier has improved constantly during the last 30 years. And in fiscal year 2002/ 2003, the Munich Brewery is proud of having reached the 1 million hectolitre mark for Franziskaner!
All total, the Spaten Brewery produces 4.1 million hectolitres (108.3 million gallons) of beer. This ranks Spaten as a top ten Brewery in Germany. Spaten also is among the top 5 breweries exporting beer out of Germany.
All in all, Spaten has survived many wars and epidemics over its 600 years of history. The brewery is still standing and continues to brew great German Beers including Spaten Lager, Spaten Optimator, Spaten Pils, Spaten Oktoberfest, Franziskaner Hefe Weiss and Franziskaner Hefe Weiss Dunkel.
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PRIVATBRAUEREI STÖTTNER
A Self-Guided Tour & The Perfect Weissbier
by Kristian Huber
I had first met the Stöttner family and tasted their fantastic beers while I was studying at Doemens. One of my classmates worked at the Stöttner-bräu in Pfaffenberg, about ninety-minutes north of Munich, and we had taken some trips up there together, enjoying their delicious offerings. Andreas Stöttner, now in his mid-30’s runs the production with his father, while his mother tends the Stube. The Stöttner’s always showed enthusiasm at my interest in their brewery; I mean, how many brewers from Chicago come to Pfaffenberg declaring, “I tell everyone I know about Stöttner beer!”
I find their openness and generosity an honor, thus completing the circle.
On this particular visit, I had the good fortune of catching Andreas in the brewery yard, as he was getting ready to leave for an “appearance” at a local festival. The absolute commitment to their very loyal customers is a specialty of the Stöttners, and undoubtedly one of the many reasons that they are one of the few mid-sized German breweries that still successful these days.
I greeted him and introduced him to Greg, my brewer-colleague visiting from the States. On the way to his car, he simply told me to get the key from under the “secret hiding place” and walk around the plant at leisure, adding, “you know where everything is”, then told us not to forget to take a case of beer for later. Making sure I had heard him correctly, I checked and found the key exactly where he had said it would be. So I opened the door and we stepped inside his brewery, looking back just in time to see him wave as he drove away.
Greg and I were in awe of their new 40HL Brewhouse, its modern conception a stunning contrast to the traditional values in this region. Mash-Lauter vessel, kettle, heat-exchanger, and whirlpool were all visible and inspected by our curious brewer-eyes. We then made our way into the fermentation cellar where the smell of fermentation was wonderful, and again, the totally spotless surroundings gave us confidence that the beers were good and clean. Another very steep stone staircase downward and into the lagering cellar, 6 meters underground. The enameled aluminum lagering tanks were stacked two high, and the sound of natural carbonation was bubbling through the fermentation locks.
Next, we went up a steep staircase and into the most aromatic room of the house, the weissbier fermentation room. Two large open stainless steel tanks were calmly fermenting away the stunning Stöttner Weissbier. Thick, creamy yeast floated on the tops of the fermenting beer, and the typical weissbier aromas were prickling our noses, making Greg and I very thirsty. A short trip through the recently renovated bottling plant ended our self-guided tour (of course, we did not forget to pick up a case for a proper sampling).
Later, down in the Stube, Frau Stöttner came in and told us that we should help ourselves to beer, but the kitchen was closed for the afternoon. As I poured us a weissbier, I realized how truly kind and open this wonderful family had been; they had allowed me into their facility (unaccompanied) and made us feel very much at home, something of a rarity (I dare say) in the usually closed-door Germany.
Stöttners Weissbier is their house specialty; a beer that Andreas (with great foresight) decided to revive in this region after he completed his degree at Doemens in the mid-90’s. It is pale in color and very yeasty, the huge chunks of yeast fall to the bottom of the glass indicating that only a top-fermenting yeast is used. The aroma is a true wonder to me – banana and pineapple esters balanced with the spicy phenolics that typify weissbiers..
The targeted low content of CO2 makes it very drinkable indeed. It has become his flagship brew, giving the brewery the nickname “the Weissbier Expert”, although a full range of beers round out the Stöttner portfolio including the massive “Pfaffenator” Doppelbock, available in Spring.
A few delightful weissbiers and some Helles later, and we bid farewell to Frau Stöttner, thanking her for the hospitality. Then, toasty-buzzed, Greg and I walked (case of beer in hand) to the train station for the slow ride back to Munich for a night of conversation and glass after glass of the perfect weissbier.
Privatbrauerei Stöttner D-84066 Mallersdorf-Pfaffenberg, Germany
www.stoettner.de (Beer sales available from the warehouse, but, sorry, NO tours.)