Weihenstephan: On the Cutting Edge of Brewing at the World’s Oldest Brewery

Weihenstephan is a brewing institution steeped in superlatives. The very name of this venerable old brewery north of Munich evokes associations with some of the most respected wheat beers in the world, beers like the style-defining Hefe-Weissbier, and Vitus, a lush Weizenbock. And not only is Weihenstephan home to one of the most famous brewing schools in the world, it’s also the world’s oldest existing brewery.

A Monastery Brewery Overlooking Freising

Today’s brewery traces its roots to 724, the year when St. Corbinian gathered together twelve companions and founded a Benedictine monastery atop the Nährberg Hill in Freising, a town that was on its way to becoming a powerful and prosperous religious center. There’s a good chance that the monks began brewing in the centuries that followed, but it wasn’t until 1040 that Abbot Arnold received the right to brew and sell beer from Otto I, bishop of Freising.* That might seem a long time to wait for brewing privileges, but no matter: Weihenstephan has managed to stake its claim to being world’s oldest existing brewery on the reception of these privileges.

*The owner of a hop garden in the vicinity of the monastery was obligated to pay a tithe to the monastery, which, according to records from 768, he paid in the form of hops. This has fueled speculation that brewing was already taking place within the walls of the monastery. (Source: Bayrische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan.)

*February 2024: This date — 1040 — is the subject no small amount of dispute, as I’ve learned of late. I’ll have a post on this at some point in the near future.

Things weren’t always easy for the monks. The monastery burned to the ground no fewer than four times, it was depopulated by plague and famines, and it often found itself in the path of European wars. It was even rocked by an earthquake. That was all before 1803, when the monastery came into the hands of the Bavarian state during the secularization of the Napoleonic era.

Several decades later, the state set out on a path that would elevate Weihenstephan’s significance in brewing history tremendously: it moved its Central Agricultural School from Schloßheim to Weihenstephan in 1852 — and with it the school’s brewing students. The institution was eventually incorporated into the TU-München in 1930 and has been in the premier league of brewing schools ever since.

Freising

Before it was famous for brewing atop the Weihenstephaner Berg, Freising was an ecclesiastical town that once wielded more influence than Munich from its cathedral precincts atop the Domberg. In this sense, Freising is a tale of two hills, both of which have left an indelible mark on this town of 45,000 inhabitants. It’s a picturesque town, a mélange of narrow Gothic lanes and opulent Baroque buildings, the kind of place with pastel facades and church spires punctuating the horizon.

The town’s principal landmark is the twin-steepled Mariendom, which towers high above the Altstadt. The opulent interior of the Mariendom was designed by the brothers Cosmas Damian and Egid Quirin Asam, the same pair responsible for the monastery church at Weltenburg. During the eighth century, Freising was elevated to the status of a bishopric, a status it held until 1821, when the episcopal see was moved from Freising to Munich. Today, the Mariendom atop the Domberg is the co-cathedral of the archbishopric of Munich and Freising.

Visiting the Bräustüberl Weihenstephan and Its Beer Garden

Once you’ve gotten your bearings in town and visited the Mariendom, you’ll probably have worked up a decent thirst. Walking is the best way to get from the center of Freising to the holy grail atop the town’s other sacred hill. Your scenic quest will bring you through the town and along a stream that runs through the woods.

After you climb the embankment, the route takes you past the brewing school campus, through the Weihenstephan gardens, and on to the Bräustüberl Weihenstephan, a cozy tavern with dark wood and well-worn floors in the shadow of the brewery.

Like all good beer pilgrims, you’ll want to stop off for food and liquid sustenance before continuing on to the inner sanctum for your brewery tour. The panoramic view from the dark green shade of the Bräustüberl’s beer garden, impressive even on a misty day with grey clouds slung low over the horizon, is a more than just reward for your effort to get here.

The Beers of Weihenstephan

Now it’s time to make some decisions about beer. Since you won’t often see Weihenstephan’s non-wheat beers in bottle shops, start off with the 1516 Kellerbier or the Edel Pils. The hazy Kellerbier is like orange-hued liquid caramel and is one well-hopped beer. Herbal notes join forces with spicy pepper before melding with caramel-accented malt reminiscent of graham crackers. Soft, round, and gently carbonated, this full-bodied beer is like a meal in itself. (Two Tankards)

Not so the Edel Pils with its slender body and crisp, refreshingly dry finish. But it does share one attribute with the Kellerbier: hops — noble hops redolent of perfume, spice, and pepper. Elegant on the palate, the spicy hops gradually give way to a country bread maltiness and a suggestion of honeyed sweetness before the round bitterness returns at the finish. And the Edel Pils looks mighty fine, too: crystal-clear in its tulip glass, with bubbles shooting upwards like fireworks. Superb. (Two Tankards)

As for that standard bearer, the Hefe-Weissbier, it’s a delicate melding of mild banana and apple-cinnamon with subtle clove, vanilla-accented light brown sugar, and custard dusted with nutmeg. On the palate, its peppery effervescence is met by rich honeyed malt and a touch of nuttiness before finishing crisp and spicy. (Three Tankards)

If you want something with more of a kick, go for the Vitus, a honey-coloured Weizenbock. Clocking in at 7.7%, Vitus hides its claws well. At first blush it smells and tastes like a Hefeweizen, but it’s more than that. An intriguing bouquet mingles light-brown sugar with marzipan, banana custard, and cloves — a prelude to a beer with an incredibly rich honey-like taste and unctuousness tempered by a cheerful effervescence. (Three Tankards)

There’s plenty more to try — and the hearty food’s what you’d expect from a Bavarian Wirtshaus as well — but you can do that after your tour of this state-of-the-art brewery, all gleaming stainless steel and massive conical fermenters tucked into age-old buildings.

Odds and Ends

Tours:

Tours are led by advanced students of Weihenstephan’s brewing programs. As far as brewery tours go, they’re standard affairs: a recounting of the history of brewing, an explanation of the brewing process, and a whole lot of shimmering surfaces from there on out — a complete contrast with the traditional identity projected by Weihenstephan’s branding. The brewhouse portion of the tour doesn’t trade in nostalgia: there are no polished copper kettles here, and no trips down to historic cellars à la Pilsner Urquell. For an extra €3, you can participate in a guided tasting of Weihenstephaner’s greatest hits. It’s worth the extra few euros. Then again, if you’re an old hand at brewery tours, you could just skip the tour and soak up the ambience at the Bräustüberl.

Tidbits of Bavarian culinary history:

Weihenstephan is intimately bound up with one of Bavaria’s most beloved beer garden snacks: Obatzda (or, as they call it here, Obazde). The dish was reputedly developed by Katharina Eisenreich, the innkeeper at the Bräustüberl Weihenstephan from 1920 to 1958. Obatzda consists of camembert cheese (sometimes mixed with blue cheese), butter, onions, paprika, caraway seeds, and a shot of beer to give it just the right consistency.

Hops:

Freising lies at the southern edge of the Hallertau hop region. The Deutsche Hopfenstraße, a seventy-kilometer route that heads due north through Germany’s Hallertau hop growing region, links Freising with Abensberg. Cyclists take note: You can ride the route as well.

Weihenstephan and its brewing school:

As the home of TU-München’s world-famous brewing program, this age-old brewery is also on the cutting edge of brewing technology. Students enrolled in TU-München’s Brewing and Beverage Technology program can choose between two different tracks. One program of study covers a broad range of topics, giving students experience not only with the brewing process, but with a range of brewing-related technologies, including ingredients, distribution, and equipment. The second program is more practical, training students to become master brewers.

Hofbrauhaus Freising:

Like many other Bavarian towns its size, Freising boasts more than one brewery. Locals have a soft spot for the Hofbrauhaus Freising, while visitors gravitate toward the more famous brewery atop the hill. If you’re in Freising for longer than the space of a day trip, make time to visit the homey Weißbräu Huber with its small garden out front, or the or the Hofbrauhaus Keller a half a kilometer away. Both serve up beers from the Hofbrauhaus Freising.

Getting there:

Freising is about 40 kilometers north of Munich. Depending on which train you get, it’s a 25-minute or a 40-minute ride from Munich’s Hauptbahnhof. If you’re taking the S-Bahn, be sure to get on an S1 train bound for the terminus in Freising and not the nearby airport. The Bayern Ticket is a good option for a day trip from Munich.

Sources

TU-München, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan für Ernährung, Landnutzung und Umwelt: recounts the history of Weihenstephan.

Bayrische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan (for notes on the history of the brewery, its connection with TU-München, and its beers)

All images by Franz D. Hofer

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