The last of the six big Munich breweries which are allowed to serve their brew at the Oktoberfest beer festival introduced here is Löwenbräu. In the second half of the 19th century, the Löwenbräu brewery was the biggest beer producer of the Bavarian capital and signs of the greatnes can still be seen in the city. Löwenbräu is alleged to have been founded around 1383. In 1524, Jörg Schnaitter, a beer brewer, is mentioned in connection with the property at the address 17 Löwengrube. The brewery was first mentioned in 1746 in the Munich tax records. The lion emblem originates from a 17th-century fresco in the brewing house, depicting Daniel in the lions' den.
In 1818, Georg Brey, a brewer of peasant origins, bought the brewery, which began to grow under his management. In 1826, brewing operations began moving to a new location on Nymphenburger Strasse; the move was completed in 1851. By 1863, Löwenbräu had become the largest brewery in Munich, producing a quarter of the city's beer output. The brewery has since changed owners and is part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. Löwenbräu is still being brewed in Munich. For the Oktoberfest, Löwenbräu brews a special Märzen beer called Oktoberfestbier or Wiesenbier. The two main tents at Oktoberfest serving Löwenbräu are the Löwenbräu-Festhalle and the Schützenfestzelt.
The beers brewed under the Löwenbräu brand are: Löwenbräu Original , Löwenbräu Münchner Hell, Löwenbräu Münchner Dunkel, Löwenbräu Triumphator, Löwenbräu Alkoholfrei, Löwenbräu Urtyp, Löwenbräu Pils, Löwenbräu Dunkle Weisse, Löwenbräu Löwen Weisse Hell, Löwenbräu Radler Beer and Löwenbräu Oktoberfestbier.
