Freising Brewery

The Gräfliches Hofbrauhaus stands in Freising, a town in Upper Bavaria. It is the last operating new building of the Gräfliches Hofbrauhaus Freising brewery, which has brewed beer since the 12th century. The brewery’s origins trace back to 1160, when a brewery was first recorded on the Domberg under Prince-Bishop Albert I of Harthausen. In 1620, Prince-Bishop Veit Adam von Gepeckh built a new brewery in the Philippsschloss. The name ‘Hof’ in its title comes from these historic princely connections. The brewery passed through noble hands after secularisation in 1803. In 1812, it was bought by the widowed Bavarian Electress Maria Leopoldine, who left it to her son Count Aloys von Arco-Stepperg. After his death in 1891, his daughter Gräfin Sophie von Moy de Sons inherited it, and the brewery became known as Gräflich von Moy’sches Hofbrauhaus. The present building on Mainburger Straße replaced the old brewery in 1911–1912, designed by the Munich firm Gebrüder Rank in a mix of neobarock and art nouveau styles. Visitors find a richly detailed central building surrounded by smaller structures. Inside, the brewery still uses equipment designed by Professor Theodor Ganzenmüller, a leading brewing scientist of his time. The range includes several wheat beers, lagers, pilsners and non-alcoholic drinks. The brewery belongs to Brauring, a co-operative of private breweries across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.