Tap Handle #315: Hacker-Pschorr - Maibock

This is one of two Hacker-Pschorr figural taps that I've seen, and it is the more rare of the two by far. It features a goat with red eyes in a barrel, drinking out of a frothing tankard. I was lucky to grab mine at a great price due to the rarity (this beer is no longer referred to as Maibock) and the fact that since it's from Germany, it isn't readily available here in the U.S. A really beautiful tap.

The Hacker brewery was founded in 1417 in Munich, Germany. In 1793 brewery servant Joseph Pschorr married Maria Theresa Hacker, daughter of brew master Peter Paul Hacker and acquired his father-in-law’s house and brewery. In the next 15 years, through hard work and with a talent for business, he transformed the small Hacker Brewery into the top brewery among some 50 operating in Munich. When Ludwig I, the Crown Prince of Bavaria, was to celebrate his wedding in Munich in 1810, he decided it was an occasion for all of Bavaria to celebrate. He commissioned Pschorr (among other Munich brewers) to develop special brews to commemorate the occasion, which today is known as Oktoberfest. In 1820, Pschorr purchased the Bauerhansl Brewery and other buildings in the Neuhauserstraße to build the Pschorr Brewery.

In 1841 Joseph Pschorr died, bequeathing equal shares of the brewery to his sons Georg and Matthias Pschorr. George took over the Pschorr Brewery and Matthias assumed control of the Hacker Brewery. From this point on, the two breweries were operated independently, but in close proximity to each other. The brothers both constructed state-of-the-art breweries, and benefited from a direct rail line connecting to the train network for their high volume of shipping and export all over the world. During the first half of the 20th century, both the Hacker and Pschorr breweries weathered a series of tragedies – World War I, inflation, the Nazi regime, and World War II. Because of heavy bombing damage during the second war, facilities of the remaining breweries were shared. In 1972, economic and physical changes to the beer market led to an agreement to merge the two companies into Hacker-Pschorr Brewing.

By Munich law, only the six breweries within the city limits of Munich are invited to serve their beer at Oktoberfest. Hacker-Pschorr is one of the six. They currently produce 15 different varieties, although several of those are seasonal. Paulaner HP USA imports Hacker-Pschorr and Paulaner in the U.S.

Hacker-Pschorr Maibock (now referred to as Hubertus Bock) is a heller bock made with barley malts and plentiful Hallertau hopping. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 3.16 out of 5.

Hacker-Pschorr Official English Website ( for a real challenge, check out the original German site here)