Wilhelm V Establishes the Hofbräuhaus in Munich

On September 27, 1589, Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria commissioned a brewery to supply his court in Munich. Establishing the Hofbräuhaus allowed the court to produce its own brown beer rather than rely entirely on beer bought from local brewers or brought in from elsewhere. The original brewhouse was constructed at the Alten Hof between 1589 and 1591, with Heimeran Pongratz from Geisenfeld serving as its first brewmaster. The institution developed across more than one site. In 1607, Wilhelm's son Maximilian I established a separate wheat-beer brewery at the Platzl, while the original brown-beer brewery continued at the Alten Hof. Permission to serve food and drink to guests at the Hofbräuhaus itself followed in 1828 under King Ludwig I.