The "Exceptional" Beer I Encountered While Drinking My Way Through the Six Major Tents: Why Augustiner Alone Uses Wooden Barrels and Stores Them in That Tower [Schmatz Visit Report ②]
"Which tent's beer do you recommend the most?"
This was a question that had honestly bothered me long before I went to Munich's Oktoberfest. As Schmatz, a company that handles German beer in Japan, I knew I couldn't answer it without actually tasting and comparing them. So, with that in mind, I embarked on a "tasting pilgrimage" to the six major brewery tents!
What surprised me first was the difference in the tents' "personalities"
The six major breweries (Augustiner, Paulaner, Löwenbräu, Hofbräu, Hacker-Pschorr, Spaten) each set up gigantic tents (Zelt) that can accommodate thousands of people.
The Hofbräu tent, as its name suggests, had a very international atmosphere. People danced on tables and clinked glasses with unfamiliar gestures. It's actually the only tent that officially allows dancing on the benches. Foreign languages filled the air, and the atmosphere was distinctly "touristy."
Hacker-Pschorr's "Himmel der Bayern" (Heaven of Bavaria) impressed with its unique worldview, featuring a blue sky and white clouds painted on the ceiling. Spaten's Schottenhamel tent is a historic venue where the annual opening ceremony, "O'zapft is!", takes place, and its outdoor beer garden is the largest of all tents.
Each place had its own charm. But the answer I'd been given beforehand by German beer experts in Japan kept coming to mind: "It has to be Augustiner."
The moment it touched my lips, I thought, "Ah, this is different."
Entering the Augustiner Festhalle, I felt the air was slightly different. The interior of the tent, whose basic structure hasn't changed since 1928, had a soft light created by the green canopy, giving it a vintage, calming feel.
We sat down and received our 1-liter Masskrug (beer mug). The moment it touched our lips, we all felt the same thing.
**Less carbonation. Mellow. It glided down my throat.**
Despite an alcohol content of 6.3%, which is by no means low, it was easy to drink. Why? The answer awaited me when I stepped out of the tent.
The only one of the six major breweries still using wooden barrels
◯ In fact, since 1987, the other five companies had switched to steel tanks.
Augustiner has a fundamental difference from all other breweries: it serves from **wooden barrels (Holzfass)**.
In fact, all the other five major breweries at Oktoberfest now use stainless steel tanks. The turning point was 1984. Several breweries began switching to tanks due to the difficulty of procuring wooden barrels, and since 1987, only Augustiner has continued to uphold the tradition of wooden barrels.
◯ 200-liter handmade oak barrels, known as "Hirsch"
Augustiner's wooden barrels are called "**Hirsch**," which literally means "stag." The prevailing theory is that when full, they weigh approximately 300 kg, which is roughly the same weight as an adult stag.
Each barrel is handmade by a craftsman (Schäffler) and takes 8 to 10 hours to produce. They have a capacity of 200 liters and a lifespan of about 30 years. The interior is regularly coated with a traditional natural resin (Picherei) and carefully maintained. Incidentally, the barrel manufacturing plant is directly owned by the brewery near Munich, and the Hirsch barrels are made with the same handcrafted methods as 100 years ago.
A staggering **1,100 wooden barrels** are used during the festival. In a fully operating tent, a single 200L barrel is emptied in about 20 minutes. Empty barrels are collected every night, cleaned and refilled at the brewery, and returned to the venue the next morning. This 24-hour cycle ensures "constantly fresh barrel beer."
The "tower" standing outside the tent – its true identity amazed me
◯ A cooling tower born in 1926, revived in 2010
Stepping out of the tent, I happened to glance up – and saw an unfamiliar structure.
It was a **Kühlturm (cooling tower)**. A tower about 25 meters tall with a wooden exterior.
Its history dates back to 1926. The original tower, built simultaneously with the Augustiner Festhalle, disappeared after World War II. It was then **revived in 2010 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest**. While rebuilt with modern technology, its exterior faithfully reproduces the 1926 design.
◯ Amazingly, 55 Hirschen are stacked inside.
Inside the tower are stacked 55 Hirschen (approximately 11,000 liters). Cooling is not done by modern mechanical refrigeration, but by traditional **Stangeneis (ice blocks)**. Large columns of ice surround the barrels, maintaining a constant temperature.
At night, the tower is illuminated from within. This tradition dates back to the 1920s, and the glowing tower becomes a small landmark around the tent.
While the other five companies efficiently supply beer from stainless steel tanks, Augustiner alone continues to maintain these wooden barrels and this tower. Standing before this tower, I was speechless for a while. It was the moment I truly understood the meaning of "exceptional."
Why is beer from wooden barrels "mellow"?
◯ CO2 escapes to the outside of the barrel.
The main reason wooden barrel beer tastes mellow is the difference in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels.
Wood is a porous material. Unlike stainless steel tanks, which completely block gas, CO2 diffuses little by little to the outside through the pores of wooden barrels. While typical lagers contain about 3.5-4.5g/L of carbonation, wooden barrel beer generally has about 2.7-3.3g/L. This difference creates that "mellow" taste.
Furthermore, it's interesting to note that wooden barrel beer **is not pressurized with CO2 at all**. The beer flows naturally by the force of Hirsch's gravity alone. Beer poured quietly by the barrel's own weight, exceeding 200kg, even has a different head formation. Augustiner itself officially explains it as "mellowness due to less carbonation."
◯ By the way, let's talk about freshness.
Empty barrels are collected every night, cleaned and refilled overnight, and then brought back the next morning. In a tent where one barrel is emptied in 20 minutes, many barrels are constantly being rotated. This is less efficient than the tanks of other breweries. However, Augustiner has chosen a policy of "always fresh barrel beer" over efficiency.
Why it's still the most beloved in Munich, even without advertising or awards
Augustiner, founded in 1328, is Munich's oldest independent brewery. Today, the Edith-Haberland-Wagner Foundation still holds 51% of its shares, maintaining its independence as a privately held company.
While Paulaner is under Heineken, Löwenbräu and Spaten are under AB InBev, and Hofbräu is state-owned by Bavaria – Augustiner alone remains "of Munich" while the other five belong to global capital or public institutions.
They barely advertise. No TV commercials, no outdoor advertising, no sponsorships. A quote from the management in an industry magazine interview was striking: "If you have a good restaurant, you don't need advertising." Their over 60 directly managed restaurants and beer gardens function as "living advertisements," and word-of-mouth and tradition alone support the brand.
Reservations for Oktoberfest tents are almost entirely filled by local regulars about a year in advance. This structure makes it difficult for tourists to get in, which further strengthens the image of "the locals' tent." Augustiner's specialness isn't just about the wooden barrels.
"But why is it so satisfying to drink?"
The mellowness of the wooden barrel, the daily freshness cycle, the low CO2 – despite being so "easy to drink," why does it still offer that satisfying "I've had a beer" feeling?
The answer to that question was hidden in the brewing process itself. In the next visit report, we'll visit a beer hall in central Munich and uncover the secret behind that "satisfying drink."
Want to experience the depth of German beer at home? Schmatz's online shop delivers carefully selected German beers by staff who know the real thing.
→ [Click here for the Schmatz Online Shop]
For more on "Helles," the beer style to which Augustiner belongs, please see here.
→ [Complete Guide to Helles, the King of South German Beers]
