The Best Beer Gardens in South Carolina & Some Biergarten History

Biergarten History

The birth of the Biergarten in Germany goes back to the mid-1550s. Albert V, the Duke of Bavaria, limited beer production to the cooler months of the year, namely between September 29 to April 23. This law was put in place because of the danger of fire from the very hot brewing kettles during the summer months. Bavarian houses were traditionally made of wood and were located very close to each other. During the warmer, drier summer months there was a higher risk of fire than in the cooler, wetter weather of fall to spring.

But a wonderful unforeseen consequence arose. Brewers discovered that the beer fermented in cooler temperatures actually ended up purer. The yeasts native to Bavaria thrived on a slow, cool fermentation, with temperatures between 45-56 degrees Fahrenheit being optimum. And after fermentation, the beer needed to be aged and thus stored for several months at even cooler temperatures.

As this was a time before refrigeration, breweries constructed huge underground cellars for storing the beer. This process was called “lagern” in German which means “to store.” Thus bottom-fermented beers began to be called lagers. To make certain the barrels were protected from heat, the brewers distributed gravel over the ground and planted verdant chestnut and linden trees which, as they matured, would yield plentiful shade from the sun.

Think about it: shade, gravel, beer…soon someone placed a few chairs under the trees so that patrons could sit and relax while enjoying a cold beer. Before long, tables were brought in and they started selling food with their beer.

Unfortunately, these Munich brewers angered local restaurant and tavern owners who were losing customers to these new inviting outdoor spots. These complaints were brought before the Bavarian king, Maximilian I, and somewhat surprisingly he ruled in their favor. On January 4, 1812, he prescribed that the Munich brewers could sell beer and bread, but nothing more.

Yet Biergartens continued to be a popular meeting place and it became commonplace for customers to bring their own sausage and cheese to complement the beer and bread.

By 1897, the prohibition on Bavarian breweries selling food was abolished, but by then the practice of bringing food to the brewery had become entrenched. Even though a Biergarten was allowed to sell food, it was not out of the ordinary for customers to continue to bring their own.

Though Biergartens first originated in Bavaria, they soon spread to other regions and cities in Germany, eventually becoming a national institution.

In 1999, the Bavarian Beer Ordinance proclaimed that the Biergarten was indispensable to Bavarian culture and thus need not comply with restrictions on hours (can stay open till 11) or noise (the band can play). It also ordained that any open air restaurant where outside food is allowed may call itself a Biergarten.