When I first published this post about taking a Spaten brewery tour in Munich, it was mostly just an account of everything that had gone hilariously wrong. Ten years ago, “brewery tours” weren’t as popular in Munich as they were here in the US, and I basically found this out the hard way.
Today, taking a tour of Munich’s Spaten brewery is a much easier process that anyone can do… though there are still a few important things you need to know first! I’ve rewritten this post to include not only the recap of my Spaten brewery adventures (and the time I got trapped on a brewery tour), but also the essential info you need to tour the brewery yourself. Enjoy!
My history with the Spaten brewery tour
I’ve always enjoyed touring breweries, due in large part to my childhood tours of the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis every summer. So when I finally visited Munich, Germany (world beer capital), I figured it was obvious that a brewery tour needed to happen.
Spaten brewery 2012
My husband, a big fan of the Spaten beers, and I stumbled upon the Spaten brewery while wandering around downtown Munich, mere hours after arriving. But if I know my husband at all it was probably just like that time I “stumbled” upon the Hello Kitty department store in Taipei. I’m not even sorry.
We’d hoped to get in for a tour but… nothing. No information. No people. Nothing going on. No crazy man in a purple velvet suit and orange hat beckoning us into his magical factory. It was obvious that brewery tours just weren’t a thing here.
Also read: 9 Reasons to Stay at the Bratwurst Hotel on Your Next Trip to Germany
Spaten brewery 2014
What is that thing people say all the time? That insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? Well, I like to think of it not as insanity but as ambition. Hope, even.
Two years later we ended up in Munich again, this time for our first Oktoberfest. Once again, we ended up stalking the Spaten brewery. At least this time we found a door, that led to an office, that looked somewhat beer related. But again, there was no one around. No employees, no brochures, not even any tiny busy orange people milling about. We began to wonder if this place was even functional. We left before we set off any alarms.
Spaten brewery 2016
While preparing for our upcoming trip to Munich for Oktoberfest, I decided to do a little more digging and see what I could find on taking a Spaten brewery tour. I know, I know… I must be insane! Well, one page led to another which led to another and eventually I landed on a booking page for a Spaten brewery tour! Like, an actual, publicly-available brewery tour! They do exist!
At the time, they only offered tours on Saturdays and the first Friday of each month—and we’d be there on a Saturday. But was it as simple as filling out the form and booking ourselves on a tour? Of course not.
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They had to change their website
For starters, I had to get them to change their website so I could book the tour. Spaten—a company that has successfully run itself since the year 1397. Leave it to me.
When I tried filling out the standard-looking booking form, I discovered the only options under Title were “Lord” and “Miss.” (Red flag #1) Umm, what? Is this actually 1397?
It didn’t really matter that I was neither of those options; the real problem being the fact that the United States of America wasn’t listed as an option for Country in any way, shape, or form. (Red flag #2) A few days after emailing Spaten about this, the booking form was updated to more 21st-century standards to include “Mr” and “Ms” and the United States as options.
Spoiler alert: I let my excitement for finally being able to book a Spaten brewery tour overshadow some fundamental facts about traveling internationally. Read on.
How NOT to take a Spaten brewery tour
There were a handful of things that went wrong on the day we finally got to tour the Spaten brewery, but they all revolved around one central mistake…
The tour was only in German
I booked this tour in May, but it wasn’t until September when we were seated in the waiting area, that was quickly filling up with Germans, that it occurred to me. I leaned over to my husband and whispered: “Holy shit. This tour is in f*cking German.”
Important note: We don’t speak German.
Also read: Everything you need to know about the beer at Oktoberfest
How did I miss this?
How had the possibility of this not occurred to me sooner? Was it because the booking site was in English? Is it because, deep down, I just assumed a brewery tour was a quintessentially American tourist thing to do? I’m just chalking it up to brain fart—a condition that affects the best of us. Even though the confirmation email was in German, never did it say the tour would be.
Here are some things they noted in the confirmation email other than the fact that the tour is in German:
- “You must remain within sight and reach of the tour guide.” (What now?)
- “The consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises is not permitted, as is the taking of animals.” This is a brewery right? Not a zoo?
- “Please follow the information and instructions given by the visitor guide. The visitors’ guides are aware of the special dangers that are not always apparent to other people.” Well if that isn’t the understatement of the year…
- “We thank you for your understanding and we wish you an interesting stay.” Informative? No. Interesting? Definitely.
The tour guide knew
The email also says that photography is prohibited, but our tour guide gave me permission to take photos regardless. Actually, the conversation went like this:
Me: Do you speak English?
Him: Only a little.
Me: Am I allowed to take pictures?
Him: Yes, photography is allowed, it doesn’t matter if you use a flash or not. The only place photography is prohibited is in the bottling plant on account of the request of the manufacturer. But everywhere else it’s totally fine.
Me: Umm, that’s more than a ‘little.’
The point here being that he knew I didn’t speak German and failed to encourage me to jump ship. But alas.
Mistake #2: Believing the tour would only be 90 minutes
When booking the tour, the website clearly showed that the Spaten brewery tour would last 90 minutes. Now I know you’re not supposed to believe everything you read on the internet but sometimes… nope, there’s no excuse. This was one of those times. We were trapped inside the Spaten brewery for over three hours.
So for three long hours we followed our tour guide (and about 20 other people) through the brewery’s innards from which we could not escape. Without a clue what our guide was saying. And he had a lot to say. I mean we were literally in a classroom at one point learning about chemistry. Were we even on the right tour? We literally just put vests on and followed a group of strangers.
Mistake #3: Not leaving when we had the chance
Not booking it the hell out of there when we had the chance may have been our biggest mistake. Had we known we’d be trapped on this tour for three hours with no exit strategy, I may have just acted like I was going to the restroom, hung my vest on the stall door, and never returned.
Regardless of the fact that the confirmation email directly states “Do not remove yourself from the group,” we were all over this maze of a brewery and wouldn’t have been able to find our way out anyway. We were in an underground beer cellar at some point with actual dirt floors, I assume from 1397. There probably was something interesting about this place, but we’ll never know.
I think what kept us there was believing the tour was only “90 minutes”—part of that being beer—and the fact that we’d prepaid. Plus, it had taken so many years to even get to this point. There was no turning back now!
Highlights of the Spaten brewery tour
As miserable of a day as we had wandering cluelessly around on our Spaten brewery tour, there were a couple of high points.
Spaten brewery tour beer & food
Trapped as we were, there was at least a light lager at the end of the tunnel. So what if we’ve been here for three hours without a clue of what’s been said? Maybe they’ll let us drink all the beer we want.
“DAAAAAMN… they’re letting us drink all the beer we want!”
At the end of the tour, finally, we arrived at the Spaten brewery penthouse for a “beer tasting.” Unlike any other beer tasting I’ve sat through, our guide told us (in English, the bastard) that we could order as many of the 24 half-liter beers as we wanted from the catalog.
All the beer we could drink? Was this some kind of German fraternity? Ya know what, it actually could have been and we never would’ve known anyway. Maybe Beta Sigma Sigma Gamma (ΒΣΣΓ). Even better, they also served pretzels and other food options.
Amazing views from the brewery
The tasting took place at the top of the Spaten brewery and you know I love an aerial view. Escaping to the balcony for fresh air and a chance to call out for help was greatly appreciated.
From up here, you have nearly 360° of views including all the way to Olympiapark, the Marienplatz, and even Oktoberfest and the Alps on a clear day.
You can also take tours of the Munich airport brewery: Airbräu.
Brewery horses
Because we’d been at the brewery all day, we were still there when they brought the hoses back from Oktoberfest. We watched as they unharnessed the horses and just left them standing there. This was the most interesting thing we saw all day.
And, in accordance with the Spaten brewery tour rules and regulations, I did not take any animals!
Spaten brewery tour follow-up
If anything good came out of this experience it’s this: I can finally cross a Spaten brewery tour off my bucket list. Whether they turn out the way you hope or not, it’s always good to accomplish your goals.
And because of my epic screw-up, I have once again managed to get Spaten to change their brewery tour website. Returning to the website to research for this post, I noticed this: “Please keep in mind that these tours take place in German only.”
Spaten brewery tours in 2025
You’ll be happy to know that public tours at the Spaten brewery are now a legit and popular thing that anyone can easily book. (You’re welcome?) You can book your own Spaten brewery tour at this page: besucherzentrum.online.
But before you do, here’s what you need to know first:
- Public tours for individuals take place on Saturdays only at 10am and 1pm
- They cost €29.50 per person
- They last 3.5 hours
- The tours are only available in German
- Tours are for people 16+
So, not much has changed since my 2016 Spaten brewery tour except for the fact that the tour’s true details are actually reflected on the booking page.
Tour language?
HOWEVER. On the main booking page I linked above, you’ll see in plain bold print: “The Brewery tour is guided in german language.” BUT. When you choose a date and time and progress to filling out your contact details on the next page, they give you the option to choose either Deutsch or Englisch for your tour language. SO. I don’t know. Do with that information with you will.
If you’re an English speaker looking to take a Spaten brewery tour, I would absolutely reach out to their contact person whose name and email they list on all the booking pages under “Important Information” to ask about this. (This is not mentioned anywhere in their tour FAQ.)
Other Munich beer tours
If you still want to learn about and taste some local Munich beers in a tour kind of atmosphere, there are several popular Munich beer tours you can join that all include an English-speaking tour guide! Check out these options:
You can see all available Munich beer tours here on Viator and Get Your Guide.
More info for your Germany trip
Like this post? Have questions about taking a Spaten brewery tour? Let me know in the comments below. Have fun in Germany!
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Also in Munich right now and came across your post (excellently written and funny, as mentioned by others). Our family came over, many for the first time, to join our youngest son. He has been studying abroad and is quite adept at German (unlike the rest of us). It appears from the website, though, that tours are suspended right now. I would probably be happy to endure the 3 hours because I’m a glutton for punishment, LOVE brewery tours and did you mention UNLIMITED beer at the end? (lol) Thanks so much for your post, it made my morning, even if I don’t get to do the tour. Munich is breathtaking. We are already thinking about coming back for Octoberfest at some point.
What a great city to study abroad in! Munich is fantastic – even if you can’t take brewery tours. 🙂 (Or even if you get trapped on one.) Hope you get to make it back for Oktoberfest!
“Wait! I need to finish my beer” came to mind while reading part of this post.
Oh, I absolutely still say this at least once a week.
Loved it! Haha!! And I will now cross Spaten off my list of itinerary options for Munich this Sept. And love the dirndl! Rwwrr! Off to find a differnt brewery tour….
Haha, I take it you don’t speak German then? And thank you! If I find another brewery to visit I’ll let you know! I’m on the hunt for one myself.
Hey Ashley! My husband and I are in Munich now and I googled “Munich’s six breweries”. I couldn’t be happier that this link came up! We are laughing out loud in our hotel room! Love love love your sense of humor – and thanks for the info!
You’re in Munich, awesome!! It’s one of my favorite places. And thank you! Sometimes I’m so glad I have a blog so that life’s incredibly stupid moments can make other people laugh LOL.
Great post! Really enjoyed reading it :))) Thank you for useful tips – I will keep them in mid while choosing my tour beer in Germany. At least the pictures are really cool, especially the view!
Thank you! Yes, the views were fantastic! I hope you have a great time. 🙂
You had me cracking up at lords and ladies haha. I love Spaten and buy it every time I can find it in the U.S. I’ll keep the tour time in mind next time I’m in Germany!
Yeah they make great beers! Beer tours?… I’ll never know!
What an adventure! I admire that you were so reluctant to get to the brewery and yet it didn’t go that well. Personally, I don’t like to make my “sightseeing program” too full, so I won’t be disappointed if things go slow. I’ve learned that in Asia 😀
But anyway, it a great story!
Haha, I’m the opposite–I try to fit in as much as I can. 🙂 And thank you!
Hahaha – love this post! I too make some epic dumb mistakes while traveling and you’ve saved me from one. I do enjoy a good brewery tour, but not one in a language I can’t speak for that length of time!! That beer does look damned tasty. Thanks very much for the info!
Oh the beers (and food) were great–I just wish I could speak of the whole experience. 🙂 But you’re right, at least I can save others from doing something dumb! 🙂
This is so funny!! I would’ve been looking for an escape as well! Love how your sense of humor comes out in your writing.
Thank you so much!! Well if you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? 🙂
Haha-oh, I was anxious the whole time too. Especially not knowing when.. or IF you’re ever going to get out of there. What if I accidentally signed up for the overnight experience? HAHA. No one knows!
I really enjoyed its reading…so funny! I loved the fact that you compared it with your last visits to Munich.
I visited the city during the Oktoberfest but I didn’t have time to visit anything else at the city. I might check it on my next visit… or I might not? hahahah 🙂
Nice article!
Thank you! So you spent all your time at Oktoberfest? That’s not a bad visit. 🙂 I’m sure it was interesting… if I understood any of it!
Hahahahha well, at least it gave out a hilarious post! My latest mistake was taking my kids to Universal Studios Japan’s Halloween. Gosh, they’re big enough to know those aren’t real, but we nearly had to carry them (and there are 4 of them) out of the park.
Haha, yeah–at least SOMETHING came out of it! And that’s hilarious about Universal. I can’t talk because even I would be in tears probably LOL. So funny.
But, maybe you really didn’t want to escape! HAHA! I struggled with English tours in Germany too! Most of Europe is really good about providing English tours, but the German on stubborn. At least you got some great pictures, looks like a fun time!
You’re right–everywhere else I’ve been has offered English tours (not to mention, I’m willing to be that the majority of the other people on the tour actually did speak English). I guess being trapped inside a brewery wouldn’t have been the WORST thing. 🙂
Bahaha I found myself relating to this on so many levels. This is completely brilliant… let’s be honest who reads those lengthy confirmation emails in full anyways? This reminds me of Catholic weddings (I mean no harm by this comment) but many of my friends who are Catholic have had the LONGEST weddings known to man (love them, but whew!). No, I’m not talking about the reception (that part is the best) but the ceremony will sometimes last 2+ hours and then have about 4 hours in between the ceremony and reception. I say all this to elude to the fact that just like this tour and like these weddings you and I have had a similar “BRING ME THE BOOZE” thought. Love it!
Haha, I’ve been to many a Catholic wedding so I know what you’re talking about. And if you’re not Catholic, the whole thing is just lost. (Not to mention they might as well be speaking another language anyway) So I feel ya! At least in both cases there was booze at the end!
Ha Ha, It may have been a drag to do the tour, but it resulted in a brilliant and funny article.
HA! Thank you! At least something good came out of it–maybe it wasn’t time wasted after all! Besides, isn’t everything a learning experience? Now we know. : )
Soooo funny! Blindingly obvious it should be on the website duh! I guess the tour reflects the German psyche, i.e. they crave all the nitty gritty details of a cat’s earhole. Probably why they build such damn good cars….
The tour sounds a bit like every Norwegian wedding I’ve been to (there’s been a few…), basically 6 hours of free booze interspersed with food and speeches neither of which I understood. Thank God beer and wine is a universal language….
OMG it’s JUST like a Norwegian wedding haha!! Just a lot of smiling, nodding, waiting for beer, looking around, questioning your life choices…
YOU ARE MY SISTER OF ARMS XD This is so me……….. Thank you, I just laughed every second of reading this post (and I’m not even particularly interested in breweries) <3
Haha, good I’m not alone! It happens to the best of us LOL!!