Editing Beer garden (section)

==History==
[[File:Rescript Max I. Joseph 1812-01-04.png|thumb|left|upright|Decree by King [[Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria]], dated 4 January 1812, allowing Munich brewers to serve beer from their cooling cellars, but no food other than bread]]

Facilities of this kind existed for example in Bamberg since 1605 under the German term [[:de:Bierkeller|"Bierkeller"]] ("Beer cellars"). At that time, the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bamberg|Archdiocese of Bamberg]] was directly subordinated to Rome and not yet to the [[Duchy of Bavaria]]. Hence, the first "Biergarten" in the strict sense of the term and of the decree of 1812 by the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]] developed at the beginning of 19th&nbsp;century in [[Munich]]. While it is unknown which brewery was first, it was likely one of Munich's big six: [[Löwenbräu]], [[Hofbräuhaus]], [[Augustinerbräu]], [[Paulaner]], [[Hacker-Pschorr]] and [[Spaten]].<ref name=Gemutlichkeit>{{cite web|url=http://allaboutbeer.com/article/gemutlichkeit/|title=Gemütlichkeit - All About Beer|access-date=4 July 2017|archive-date=5 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005202015/http://allaboutbeer.com/article/gemutlichkeit/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Seasonal limitations on when beer could be brewed were already in the Bavarian brewing regulations by 1539. In 1553, Albert V decreed a period from 29 September, the [[Michaelmas|Feast of St. Michael]], to 23 April, the [[Saint George's Day|Feast of Saint George]], for its production. The cool seasons were chosen to minimize the risk of fire when boiling mashed grain into [[wort]]. Numerous conflagrations had occurred, which resulted in the prohibition of brewing during the summer months. In response, large breweries dug cellars in the banks of the River [[Isar]] to keep their beer cool during storage. "Beer cellars" for consuming beer on premises naturally followed.

[[File:Jan Steen (1)Wirtshausgarten.jpg|thumb|180px|Tavern Garden. Painting by [[Jan Steen]], {{Circa|1660}}]]
To further reduce the cellar temperature during the warm seasons, 19th-century brewers layered gravel upon the cellars by the bluffs and planted [[Aesculus hippocastanum|horse-chestnut trees]] for their dense spreading canopies and shallow roots, which would not damage the cellars.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schäffer |first=Albert |date=2012-05-21 |title=120 Minuten sind nicht genug |trans-title=120 minutes aren't enough |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/biergaerten-120-minuten-sind-nicht-genug-11759037.html |language=de |newspaper=[[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]] |access-date=2016-10-11}}</ref> Soon afterward, serving cool beer in a pleasant shaded setting emerged. Simple tables and benches were set up among the trees, creating the popular "beer garden" that is known today. Food service followed, aggrieving smaller breweries that found it difficult to compete, and they petitioned Maximilian I to forbid it. As a compromise, beer gardens allowed their patrons to bring their own food, which is still a common practice. Most beer gardens offer clothed tablesets, whose guests must buy food from the house. Those who bring their own food must use the bare table sets, unless—which is common—they bring their own cloth(s) also. With the advent of widespread [[lager]]ing in the later 19th century, beer gardens grew more popular than ever.

Maximilian's decree is no longer in force, and many beer gardens forbid victuals not sold through the establishment. Common [[Bavarian cuisine|Bavarian fare]] such as ''Radi'' ([[radish]]), ''Brezn'' ([[pretzel|soft pretzel]]), ''[[Obatzda]]'' (cheese dip), ''halbes [[Hendl]]'' (half a grilled chicken), ''[[Hax'n]]'' (knuckle of pork), and ''[[Steckerlfisch]]'' (grilled fish) are often served. Equally important to the beer garden is an atmosphere of ''[[Gemütlichkeit]]'',<ref name=Gemutlichkeit /> conveying a feeling of warmth, friendliness, and belonging. Reinforced by shared tables, it is often accompanied by music, song, and fellowship among strangers.

That is so integral to beer garden culture that the ''Bayerische Biergartenverordnung'' (Bavarian Beer Garden Ordinance) of 1999 permits traditional tree shaded venues that allow their patrons to bring their own food to close later and exceed the noise limits that are otherwise in force.<ref>Bavarian Minister of the Environment and Health: ''[http://www.stmug.bayern.de/umwelt/laermschutz/recht/doc/biergart.pdf Bayerische Biergartenverordnung von 1999] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215114624/http://www.stmug.bayern.de/umwelt/laermschutz/recht/doc/biergart.pdf |date=2010-02-15}} (Bavarian beer garden decree of 1999)'' (German)</ref> The term ''Biergarten'' is not otherwise restricted, and anyone can call any kind of open-air restaurant by that name,{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} but purists{{who|date=July 2015}} distinguish between a ''Wirtsgarten'',<ref name=wirts /> in which only the brewery's food is sold (such as the outdoor tables at the [[Hofbräuhaus am Platzl]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.munichbeergardens.com/Hofbr%C3%A4uhaus|title=Munich Beer Gardens - Hofbräuhaus|website=munichbeergardens.com |access-date=4 July 2017}}</ref> and a ''Biergarten'', in which patrons may bring their own.