독일 왕자도 넘지 못한 맥주 문턱…옥토버페스트의 장사 권력

The annual Oktoberfest, a global beer festival that opened in Munich on September 19th, has become the center of a business dispute. While the festival began as a wedding celebration in the 1800s for a Bavarian royal couple, it is now governed by strict conditions related to beer production. This means even descendants of the Bavarian royal family cannot sell beer at the festival.

Currently, only six breweries are allowed to sell beer at the festival. The Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, was started in 1810 to commemorate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. The Bavarian royal family's descendants, like Louis II of Bavaria, attempted to sell their Caltenberge brewery's beer at the festival in the 1980s, but lost in court in 1990.

The court ruled that Oktoberfest is "Munich's beer festival," and only beer produced within Munich can be sold, prioritizing the city's 1487 beer purity law over historical pedigree or brewing tradition. This tradition requires that beer be brewed and produced in Munich, and that only breweries with a long brewing history can supply the festival.

The six breweries that sell at the festival dominate the supply chain. Newcomer brewery Broio, founded in 2006, is challenging this structure. Its founder, Stefen Marx, is campaigning for a citizen's initiative to allow his beer at Oktoberfest starting in 2027, requiring around 35,000 valid signatures. However, local breweries argue that the production conditions are necessary to maintain quality and regional identity.

The festival's beer must be produced in Munich, and only established breweries with long brewing histories are allowed to supply it. Meanwhile, Broio argues that the "traditional brewery" criterion blocks new entrants. The dispute extends beyond beer sales, as the management rights for major beer tents have also become legal battles.

Current tent operators, often connected to breweries or long-established food businesses in Munich, have argued that the current system favors them due to their experience and tradition. They have even proposed opening tenders globally, but Bavarian highest regional court dismissed this application as invalid. The matter may now be taken to the European Court of Justice.

The next Oktoberfest, expected to draw about 670,000 attendees, is projected to have a €2.4 trillion economic impact.