Some brewery stories are about growth.
Others are about survival.
And a few rare ones are about returning home.
The story of Münchner Kindl Bräu belongs firmly in the last category.
From the Rosenheimer Berg to History
The original Brauerei zum Münchner Kindl was built in the late 19th century on the Rosenheimer Berg in Haidhausen. The location was chosen with quiet ingenuity: beer cellars could be dug directly into the hillside, keeping the beer naturally cool long before refrigeration became widespread.
Founded in 1880, the brewery became part of Munich’s dense and competitive beer landscape. In 1905 it was taken over by Unionsbräu, which itself was absorbed into Löwenbräu in 1921. The legendary Münchner Kindl Keller survived wartime damage, housed what was once Munich’s largest hall, and even hosted political speeches by figures such as Rosa Luxemburg.
By the late 1960s, however, the Keller was demolished. In its place rose the Motorama shopping centre. The Münchner Kindl name slipped quietly into history — another Munich brewery lost to consolidation and urban change.
A Family Decides to Bring It Back
More than a century later, entrepreneur Dietrich Sailer decided that this was not where the story should end.
In 2015, Sailer secured the naming rights to Münchner Kindl. Together with his sons Leo and Luis Sailer — brewers in the sixth generation — he set out to rebuild the brewery not as a nostalgia project, but as a fully functioning Munich brewery rooted in tradition and craftsmanship.
Their chosen site lies at Tegernseer Landstraße 337, on the southern edge of Munich, on land once occupied by an American forces fuel station. Crucially, it sits within the city limits — a non-negotiable requirement if a beer is to be officially called Münchner Bier, and one day, perhaps, poured at Oktoberfest.
Built Like a Basilica, Run Like a Family Brewery
The new Münchner Kindl Brauerei is anything but modest in vision.
The brick building is designed in the style of a three-aisled basilica, echoing 19th-century industrial architecture. Inside, plans include:
- A working brewhouse
- A traditional Wirtshaus with just under 200 seats
- A Getränkemarkt where beer can be purchased in wooden casks
- A seminar room styled after the 19th century
- A tasting room and small museum space
- Even a horse stable — because some deliveries will be made by Bierkutsche
In winter, if conditions allow, a beer sled may even make an appearance.
The Sailers manage the project themselves — without a developer or architect running the show. Father and sons are on site daily, sweeping floors, solving problems, and adapting plans when reality intervenes. And reality has intervened more than once.
Digging Deep — Literally
To qualify as Münchner Bier, the brewery must brew with water drawn from beneath the city itself. The minimum depth required was 140 metres. Most Munich breweries strike water between 150 and 180 metres.
The Münchner Kindl team had to drill to 250 metres.
The result is now the deepest brewery well in Munich, drawing water that has been underground for thousands of years. Beneath layers of clay and sand lies classic beer-garden gravel — geological poetry for a brewer.
For a brewery planning an initial output of just 10,000 hectolitres per year, the scale of infrastructure is striking: custom-made pitched wooden lagering barrels holding 43 hectolitres each, a deep well, and a building designed to last generations.
Brewing with the Past — Literally
Perhaps the most remarkable detail of all is the yeast.
Through a chance rediscovery and modern PCR testing, an original Münchner Kindl yeast strain was identified and revived. The Sailers have already brewed their first trial batches using this historic yeast, offering early tastings during tightly limited “Bier & Baustelle” open days — all of which sold out almost immediately.
It’s a rare thing: not just a revival of a name, but a revival of flavour memory.
Not Big Beer — Munich Beer
The Sailers are under no illusions. Munich’s beer landscape is dominated by historic giants whose names are known worldwide. But this is not a fight for volume or global reach.
This is about:
- A family brewery
- Brewing inside the city
- Respecting tradition without freezing it in time
- And reclaiming a small but meaningful piece of Munich’s beer identity
As Munich prepares to welcome what will become its eighth officially recognised Münchner Bier, the return of Münchner Kindl feels less like a launch and more like a long-overdue homecoming.
Beer is more than a product
At Beer Troopers, we’re drawn to stories where beer is more than a product. Where place, persistence, and people matter.
The Münchner Kindl Brauerei is not reopening because the market demanded it. It’s reopening because a family believed that a city’s brewing culture is worth protecting — and rebuilding — even when it would be easier not to.
We’ll raise a glass to that. 🍺
Opening is currently planned for 2026. Munich is ready.