Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu
Munich, Bavaria, Germany · Est. 1397
Also known as Spaten, Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu GmbH
Tally's Take
Why this matters
If one brewery has a claim to inventing the modern world's beer, it is this one. Sedlmayr took British brewing science back to Munich, applied it to cold fermentation, and the result is most of what the planet now drinks. He also trained Josef Groll, who went to Bohemia and brewed the first pale lager. The chain from Spaten to almost every lager on earth is remarkably short.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2003Sold to Interbrew
Interbrew acquires Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu in 2003, bringing both the Spaten and Franziskaner names — and Löwenbräu with them — into what would become AB InBev.
The Beer Library
Beers
Spaten Oktoberfestbier
SeasonalMärzen
Märzen was brewed in March and lagered through summer in ice caves, because brewing in warm months was banned. Spaten formalised the style, and Oktoberfest is what the leftovers became.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Spaten Münchner Hell
Year-RoundMunich Helles
Munich pale lager, developed after Bohemian pilsner started taking the market. The answer to Pilsen from the city that taught Pilsen how to lager.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1397Founded
- 2003Sold to Interbrew
Interbrew acquires Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu in 2003, bringing both the Spaten and Franziskaner names — and Löwenbräu with them — into what would become AB InBev.
Today the chain tops out at Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu is controlled by Founder / family.
Anheuser-Busch InBev — SEC filing · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · 2026-02
PrimaryHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-05Reviewed 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu
- Who owns Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu?
- Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu is based in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
- Is Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu still independent?
- No. Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and is no longer independent.
- When was Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu acquired?
- 2003. Interbrew acquires Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu in 2003, bringing both the Spaten and Franziskaner names — and Löwenbräu with them — into what would become AB InBev.
- When was Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu founded?
- Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu was founded in 1397 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
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