In 1738 the workers of the smelting work in Bodenwöhr requested permission from Karl Albrecht, Elector of Bavaria, to establish a brewhouse so that they would no longer need to import the brews of somewhat inferior quality from nearby towns. Twenty years later, in 1758, the first master brewer, Peter Still, ultimately was allowed to begin his work beside the Hammersee. In 1884, Johann Baptist Jacob (the great-grandfather of present-day owner Marcus Jacob) acquired the company. The two generations of the Jacob family that followed upheld his pioneering spirit and iron will to maintain the business to the benefit of quality and the employees. Reaping the rewards: Jacob wheat beer has been awarded the gold seal by German Agricultural Society (DLG) every year since 1994.