Giesinger Bräu Aims for Oktoberfest 2027: Citizen’s Petition Launched
Munich, February 20 – Munich’s Giesinger Bräu brewery is initiating a citizen’s petition to compel a public vote on its inclusion at the Munich Oktoberfest from 2027. This ambitious move challenges a long-standing tradition that has restricted beer sales at the festival to only six established Munich breweries.
A Challenge to Tradition: The Six Breweries Rule
For decades, Oktoberfest has exclusively featured beers from six Munich breweries: Augustiner, Hacker Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten. Giesinger Bräu, a relatively newer player in the Munich brewing scene, now seeks to break this tradition, arguing for fairness and the right of a genuine Munich brewery to participate.
Steffen Marx, founder of Giesinger Bräu, emphasized, “We are a Munich brewery – with our own deep well, the ‘Munich Beer’ seal, and clear roots in this city. If only Munich beer is served at the Wiesn, then the question should be allowed why a Munich brewery cannot be represented there. Exactly that is what the citizens should decide.”
Gathering Support for a Public Vote
To trigger a citizen’s decision, Giesinger Bräu needs to collect between 30,000 and 40,000 signatures. Marx expressed confidence at the opening of his Starkbierfest, stating, “I think we should be able to achieve that.” The proposed question for the citizen’s decision is: “Are you in favor of the City of Munich allowing Giesinger Bräu beer to be served at the Munich Oktoberfest from 2027?”
Giesinger Bräu has been actively campaigning for a place at Oktoberfest since obtaining the ‘Munich Beer’ designation several years ago, thanks to its deep well in the Bavarian capital. Marx has frequently voiced frustration over the lack of progress with city politicians on this matter.
The Legal Framework and the ‘Munich Beer’ Clause
A resolution by the city council is required to allow an additional brewery to participate in Oktoberfest. Paragraph 51 of the Oktoberfest operating regulations states: “Oktoberfest is the traditional Munich folk festival with Munich hospitality and Munich beer. This tradition must be preserved. Therefore, only Munich beer from the efficient and proven traditional Munich breweries (currently: Augustinerbrauerei, Hacker-Pschorr-Brauerei, Löwenbrauerei, Paulanerbrauerei, Spatenbrauerei, and Staatliches Hofbräuhaus), which complies with the Munich Purity Law of 1487 and the German Purity Law of 1906, may be served to Wiesn visitors.”
Jonas Seidl, Managing Director of Giesinger Bräu, clarified the brewery’s stance: “It’s not about confrontation, but about fairness and the question of how tradition can evolve. The Wiesn is Munich’s identity. Therefore, Munich society should also have a say in whether another Munich brewery will be admitted alongside the existing ones.”
A Shift in Political Stance
Clemens Baumgärtner, former Munich Economic Affairs Officer and head of Oktoberfest, and now a CSU mayoral candidate, was previously a vocal critic of allowing more breweries at the Wiesn. A year ago, he expressed concerns that any change to the centuries-old tradition could lead to Oktoberfest losing its character. He specifically mentioned that while he didn’t see the danger with Giesinger Bräu itself, he feared a domino effect, potentially opening the doors to other breweries, such as the upcoming Münchner Kindl-Brauerei, which is set to launch this year as an eighth Munich beer.
However, Baumgärtner appears to have had a change of heart regarding Giesinger Bräu. This year, he tapped the first barrel at Giesinger Bräu’s Starkbierfest, announcing, “Let’s see if we can make it happen with the ‘Blacks’ (CSU).” He noted that efforts with the ‘Greens’ had not succeeded in six years, despite their party platform advocating for the admission of new Munich breweries to the Wiesn.
The Munich City Council will be re-elected in the Bavarian municipal elections on March 8. While the mayoral candidates of the incumbent coalition, Dieter Reiter (SPD) and Dominik Krause (Greens), were announced as guests, they sent representatives to the tapping ceremony. Both representatives, along with Baumgärtner, were among the first to sign the citizen’s petition.
The outcome of this citizen’s petition could significantly alter the landscape of the Munich Oktoberfest, potentially setting a precedent for future inclusions and reflecting a evolving definition of ‘tradition’ in one of Germany’s most iconic cultural events.
