Paulaner

The brewery takes its name from Francis of Paola, the founder of the Minim order, whose friars brewed their first beers at the Neudeck ob der Au Monastery in Munich. The earliest documentary record dates to February 24, 1634. Paulaner brews according to the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, using water drawn from its own 240-metre deep wells and Hallertauer aroma hops. The Schörghuber family gained the majority holding in 1979 and remains the majority shareholder; Heineken International holds a 30% stake.

Paulaner is one of the six Munich breweries with the right to serve beer at Oktoberfest, a position first established in 1818. The brewery was largely destroyed in a bombing raid in 1944 and rebuilt by 1950. A new facility opened in Munich Langwied in 2015.

The wider range spans wheat beers, lagers, pilsners and seasonal specials. Paulaner ranks sixth among Germany's best-selling beers, and in 2016 exported 1 million hectolitres to more than 80 countries for the first time.

The brewery has been producing alcohol-free beers since 1986, when it became the world's first producer of an alcohol-free Weissbier. In 1987 it followed with one of the first bottom-fermented alcohol-free beers in the world. The alcohol-free range is brewed under the same Purity Law as the rest of the portfolio. The wheat beers within it are isotonic and vitamin-rich, making them a natural fit for fitness-focused drinkers and those using them for sports recovery.