The Beer family came from Bregenzerwald, and together with Moosbruggers and the Thumbs, were important protagonists of the Vorarlberg school. The first member of the family to come to eminence was Michael Beer (1605-1666), who worked at the abbey church of St Lorenz, Kempten, which on plan is a mixture of the longitudinal and centralized type, with a domed octagon set between chancel and nave. His son Franz (1660-1726) is one of the most talented of the family, who earned his apprenticeship at the prototypical Vorarlberg Abbey Church at Obermarchtal (1686-92). His most brilliant work can be found in Switzerland.
3Johann Michael Beer (1700-1767), the son of Franz Beer, was responsible for the handsome twin-towered façade (and probably the choir) of the former Benedictine Abbey Church (now Cathedral) at St Gallen in Switzerland (1760s), together with his nephew Johann Ferdinand Beer (1731-1789).