EPO: 1000s Of Patents Behind The Beer At Munich’s Oktoberfest

By Catherine Saez

Hooray for patents (and trade secrets)!

The Munich Oktoberfest, the world-famous beer festival, is a display for a range of inventions, according to the Munich-based European Patent Office. A search in the patent database of the office revealed there are more than 2,000 European patents in every beer tent.

According to an EPO press release, beer taps top the list with 1,813 European patents. And there are over 400 patents on drinks-dispensing equipment, plus 74 on rising installation.

Some days at the festival, up to 400,000 litres of beer are served, “so a lot of inventive technology is needed to ensure the flow of beer does not run dry,” the release said.

However, the drink itself is not patented. “A beer’s recipe is the most closely guarded secret in the brewery, and the master brewer is its keeper,” said EPO.

Johannes Tippman, head of Weihenstephan Brewing Research Centre, quoted in the EPO release, said, “If we patented the recipe we would have to disclose it and then anyone could brew our beer.”