Weltenburger Kloster, the World’s Oldest Monastery Brewery

~Weltenburger Kloster and Its Beers~

The morning fog in Kelheim has just lifted as we walk down the ramp to board the boat. We set sail, passing the imposing Befreiungshalle, the neo-classical hall commemorating the battles that ejected Napoleon and his armies from the German states, on our way upstream. The channel begins to narrow and the banks on either side steepen into cliffs as we enter the Danube Gorge, a sublime wilderness of vertical rock slabs and outcroppings crowned by lush green woods. A few kilometers on, and there it is looming up in front of us: Kloster Weltenburg.

We file off the boat and enter the monastery grounds. Some head left to visit the church, while others turn right and head straight to the Klosterschenke Weltenburg for a morningtide beer.

History By the Liter

It’s easy to see why the monks of the early Middle Ages set up shop here on this bend in the Danube Gorge. The white cliff surroundings are certainly stunning, and the topography served strategic purposes. The Romans had already built a military settlement on the mountaintop, along with a road that linked this remote border outpost on the Danube with the Via Claudia Augusta. When the monks arrived sometime between 575 and 617, they founded a monastery in the benevolent shadow of the fortress atop the Frauenberg, a monastery that’s said to be the oldest in Bavaria.

But that’s not the only age-related claim for which the Weltenburg monastery is famous: records indicate that the Benedictine monks had been brewing beer here since 1050, making it the oldest surviving monastery brewery in the world.*

*It’s worth noting that Weihenstephan, the one-time monastery brewery near Munich, traces its brewing existence back to 1040, allowing it to claim the title of longest continuously operating brewery in the world. But what’s a decade within the space of a millennium after a few beers?

Kloster Weltenburg’s gradual rise to prominence as a religious site was marked by the usual setbacks that beset towns and monasteries during the Middle Ages and early modern period. By the 1700s Kloster Weltenburg had become wealthy enough to commission the services of Cosmos Damian and Egid Quirin Asam, the most renowned German representatives of late Baroque sculpture and architecture. What the Asam brothers wrought with their church at Weltenburg is marvelous: a lavish confection of marble columns and sculptures that draws your gaze in all directions before it finally settles upon the gloriously backlit statue of St. George slaying the dragon. The Asam Bock, a stellar beer that mimics the dizzying effects of visiting the Church of St. George, is named in honour of their handiwork.

From the Church to the Beer Garden

The quiet contemplativeness of sacred space quickly gives way to the joyfully secular sounds of beer mugs clinking as you walk out of the church and face the Klosterschenke Weltenburg directly in front of you. I, for one, am easily drawn by the siren call of this kind of music, and make straight for the beer garden — even though the rain has begun pelting down.

Even if the interior of the Klosterschenke Weltenburg is plenty cozy, we weren’t going to let a little rain stop us from being outside. We promptly ordered the Barock Dunkel and the Asam Bock, then set about contemplating the menu. The Donau Fischpflanzerl (fish cake) is scrumptious, and comes with a uniquely tasty potato salad mixed with lightly pickled cucumber. If the season’s right, order the superb Spargel dish (white asparagus) with a rich but airy Hollandaise, perfect potatoes, a roasted tomato, and ham that comes smoked and air-cured.

Sublime Setting, Sublime Beer

And then there’s those beers. The monks at this still-active Benedictine monastery no longer brew the beers themselves, but the tradition is in good hands. Brewing operations have been overseen by the Brauerei Bischofshof since 1973. Current brewmaster Ludwig Mederer, though only thirty-six years young, has already garnered several European Beer Star medals during his ten years at the helm.

Weltenburger Kloster brews a range of German classics, but the only ones available at the Klosterschenke are the Hefe-Weissbier Hell, the Anno 1050 (a Märzen), the Barock Dunkel, and the Asam Bock. No matter: nothing quite compares to drinking these beers a few score meters from the source.

On this dripping-wet day we warmed ourselves with the Barock Dunkel, a richly malty beer with plenty of toasty dark bread, chocolate, and hazelnuts, all rounded out by black cherry and a whiff of spicy hops. Full bodied but not filling, it’s the perfect match for food. (Two Tankards)

If the Asam Bock has long been one of my favourite Doppelbocks, it tastes even better in Kloster Weltenburg’s leafy beer garden, rain be damned. Clocking in at 6.9%, it’s not the heftiest Doppelbock — which is a good thing at 11:30 a.m. With all that fresh pumpernickel, Ovaltine, cocoa, and caramel, you could even skip lunch and just stick with this liquid bread delight. And that’s just the beginning. Dates, raisins, honeyed Smyrna figs, Black Forest cherry cake, and a dusting of spice soon join the chorus. Rich and creamy on the palate, Asam Bock finishes with a hint of earthiness (licorice, bread crust) and enough hop bitterness to keep the more Baroque elements of the malt in check. (Three Tankards)

When all is said and done, catch the boat back through the gorge to Kelheim for dinner and drinks at Schneider Weisse. Prost!

Last Sips

Kloster Weltenburg is on the eastern edge of the Hallertau hop-growing region and makes an excellent day trip from Regensburg or Ingolstadt. Boats to Kloster Weltenburg depart from Kelheim (and, much less frequently, from Regensburg). Get the train from Regensburg or Ingolstadt to Saal (Donau), where frequent buses run to Kelheim. Scroll through this timetable to find the train and bus connections you need.

Boats depart to Kloster Weltenburg every half hour between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Boats run in the opposite direction every half hour as well: last departure is at 6:30 p.m. Schedule and info here (German only). Prices as of 2020: €7.50 one way, €12.50 return.

Brewery tours: Unless you’re part of a group, Weltenburger Kloster currently offers tours from April to October on Saturday only. Info here (German only).

In true Benedictine spirit, the monastery offers reasonably priced accommodation for weary souls at the Gästehaus St. Georg. Click on “Zimmer,” switch the site to English, then book the room that suits your needs. This is an ideal option if you’ve hiked or cycled here and arrived later in the day.

Speaking of hiking, you could walk here from Kelheim as well. It’s about 6 kilometers along the Altmühltal Panoramaweg, and involves a short ferry ride from the north to the south bank of the Danube. You can find more details in Rich Carbonara’s Beer Hiking Bavaria (pp.124-129). For cyclists, Kloster Weltenburg is along the epic 2800-kilometer Donauradweg that runs the length of the Danube.

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And if that schnitzel’s too expensive, there’s always beer. Vielen Dank, and thanks so much!

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Sources

For notes on the brewery, see: https://www.weltenburger.de/. For menus and info on the Klosterschenke Weltenburg tavern and beer garden, click here.

Beate Weigert, “Junger Braumeister, junge Donau,” Mittelbayrische (4 May 2015).

“With the brewery in the world’s oldest abbey brewery,” Bavaria.By (n.d.).

Rich Carbonara, Beer Hiking Bavaria (Helvetiq: 2019).

Graham Lees, Good Beer Guide to Munich and Bavaria (CAMRA: 1994).

Interpretive panels, Besucherzentrum im Felsenkeller, Abtei St. Georg in Weltenburg. For information on visits, visit this website.

All images by Franz D. Hofer

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