1589 The founding of the Hofbrauhaus
Wilhelm V, the Duke of Bavaria (1579-1597), had a thirsty and demanding household. They were dissatisfied with the beer brewed in Munich, and so beer had to be imported from the town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony. Wilhelm ordered his retinue to think of ways of reconciling cost and pleasure, and on September 27, 1589, his chamberlain and counsellors Ch. Strabl, A. Amasmeyr, S. Prew and G. Griesmair submitted a suggestion: why not build a brewery? Wilhelm was delighted with the idea and on the very same day (!) recruited the brewmaster of Geisenfeld Monastery, Heimeran Pongraz, to plan and supervise the construction of Hofbräuhaus (the "ducal brewery"), and to be its first master brewer.

The Hofbrau brewery outside of Munich, Germany is a brewery so engrained in its traditions that the beers are still made according to the original specifications from 1589. They have three signature beers, that are available year round at the Bavarian Grill: Hofbrau Original a light Munich lager, the Hofbrau Dunkel, a dark lager beer, and the Munchner Kindl Weissbier, a light wheat beer.

During spring we like to feature the Hofrau Maibock and during Oktoberfest their light special brew for this festive occasion.

The original Hofbrau recipes follow the German Purity Law of 1906. The law deemed that beers can be made of only four ingredients-malt, yeast, hops and water. Although the Purity Law is no longer enforced by the European Union, the Hofbrau brewery continues to abide by these standards. The hops that Hofbrau uses are a special variety grown north of Munich. There are four types: The "Northern Brewer" and "Magnum" are a bitter variety while the "Hallertauer Pearl" and "Select" are a milder variety. The malt used comes from wheat and barley local to Munich and is controlled purely biologically, which means no chemical additives or preservatives ever touch the grain. And the water used to boil the hops, malt and yeast is naturally purified water from the Hofbrau breweries own wells that tap water 600 ft. below ground.

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