Germany
Ownership: Wittelsbach family — descendants of the former Bavarian royal house
Known for: Royal-family-owned Bavarian abbey lager. Cult status among connoisseurs. The Bräustüberl on Lake Tegernsee is one of Europe's great beer garden experiences.
History: The brewery dates to 1675 in the old monastery building at Tegernsee in the Bavarian Alps. When the monastery was secularised in the Napoleonic era, the Wittelsbach royal family — the former kings of Bavaria — acquired it and have owned it ever since. The Helles is genuinely exceptional and has achieved cult status among serious Bavarian lager drinkers. One of very few breweries in Europe still owned by a former royal house.
