While the traditional free beer distribution in Munich will go ahead this year, it has been postponed due to the overlap with the Easter school holidays.
According to data from the Bavarian State Office for Statistics, the region recorded a slight increase in beer sales in 2024. Around 23.8 million hectolitres were sold, which translates to roughly 2.38 billion Maß – the iconic Bavarian beer measure. This figure placed Bavaria significantly ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia, which reported sales of 20.8 million hectolitres. This marks the eleventh consecutive year that Bavaria has topped the national ranking.
The anniversary of the Beer Purity Law, originally declared on April 23, 1516, by Dukes Wilhelm IV and Ludwig X in Ingolstadt, is traditionally celebrated with a public festival organized by the Bavarian Brewers’ Association. A key feature of the celebration is the offering of free beer to the public. However, this year the event has been rescheduled to Monday, April 29. According to the Brewers’ Association, the festivities will begin at 3 p.m. at the usual location – the beer fountain in front of the Brewers’ House on Oskar-von-Miller-Ring 1 – with 1,000 litres of free beer expected to be served.
The original law stipulated that beer could only be brewed using barley, hops, and water. Although modern brewing regulations have relaxed to allow for different beer varieties such as wheat beer, Bavaria continues to impose stricter standards on brewing than other parts of Germany.
One lesser-known aspect of the 1516 law addressed pricing. The decree included fixed prices for beer, stating that a Maß could cost no more than one pfennig in winter and two in summer. It is also worth noting that the Maß used at the time was slightly larger than today’s version.
Beer sales in Bavaria are subject to seasonal variation. July 2024 recorded the highest figures, with approximately 250 million Maß sold. May and August followed closely with 230 million litres each. The lowest sales months were January and November, which saw beer consumption drop by about a third compared to the summer peak.
Employees in Bavarian breweries traditionally benefit from the so-called Haustrunk – a tax-free, complimentary beer allowance. However, this long-standing custom experienced a notable decline in 2023. Consumption of this perk dropped by 9.4 percent, down to 4.4 million Maß.
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