Region & History

How old is beer in Straubing? Karmeliten Brauerei traces its roots to the year 1367. According to its own account, the brewery was sold in 1374 to the Carmelite monastery, which had stood in the city since 1368, making it a cloister brewery. So beer was being brewed here long before a duke in Ingolstadt issued his decree in 1516.

Things didn't stay quiet, though. In 1769 the Carmelites were banned from selling their beer after private brewers put pressure on the authorities. In 1848 the monastery was able to buy back the brewery and malt mill from the state. In 1879 the business passed to Karl Sturm, and it has remained in family hands ever since.

The second major address is Brauerei Röhrl. It traces its roots to a brewery inn dating from 1431, said to have been built by monks from Metten Abbey. The company itself was founded by Josef Röhrl in 1881. From 1929 the operation moved to the Sommerkeller on Heerstraße, where deep lagering cellars are found. In 2008 the Sillner family, owners of the Labertaler mineral and medicinal springs, bought the brewery.

The Gäubodenvolksfest began in 1812 as an agricultural fair, ordered by King Maximilian I Joseph for the Lower Danube district. Since 1898 it has been held only in Straubing; back then around 25,000 guests came to a town of about 17,000 residents. Today, according to the organizers, more than a million visitors attend.

There is no separate designation of origin for Straubing beer. The EU register lists only "Bayerisches Bier" (PGI, since 2001) for the whole of Bavaria. Order a stein here and you'll mostly get beer from Straubing itself and from neighboring breweries such as Irlbach and Arcobräu.