The Klosterbrauerei Andechs is a monastic

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

in Andechs,

Upper Bavaria Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany. Geography Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat o ...

, Germany, well known for its Andechser beers. The brewery is run by the monks of Andechs Abbey, a priory of

St. Boniface's Abbey St. Boniface's Abbey (german: Abtei St. Bonifaz) is a Benedictine monastery in Maxvorstadt, Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It was founded in 1835 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria, as a part of his efforts to reanimate the country's spiritual life by the re ...

, a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

abbey situated 40 km away in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. It is the only monastic brewery in Germany that brews

Bock Bock is a strong beer in Germany, usually a dark lager. Several substyles exist, including: *Doppelbock (''Double Bock''), a stronger and maltier version *Eisbock (''Ice Bock''), a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer and ...

beer year-round for nationwide distribution. Every year, the brewery produces over of beer. A portion of the beer is served on-site at the abbey; the remainder is exported throughout Germany and worldwide.

History

The earliest documented reference to beer being brewed in Andechs Abbey dates to 1455. The Benedictine monks have continued the brewing tradition in the centuries since. A seven-story

malt house A malt house, malt barn, or maltings, is a building where cereal grain is converted into malt by soaking it in water, allowing it to sprout and then drying it to stop further growth. The malt is used in brewing beer, whisky and in certain food ...

was built on the site in 1906, and the first bottling facility was added in 1950. In 1972, the abbey decided to create a separate brewing facility at the foot of the mountain, which was completed in 1974, followed by a new brewing building in 1983. The fermentation and storage facilities were expanded in 2006, and the brewing house was renovated in 2007.

Beers

The best-known beer is the Andechser

Doppelbock Bock is a strong beer in Germany, usually a dark lager. Several substyles exist, including: *Doppelbock (''Double Bock''), a stronger and maltier version *Eisbock (''Ice Bock''), a much stronger version made by partially freezing the beer and ...

Dunkel, with an original extract of 18.5% (18.5° Plato or 1.076

original gravity Gravity, in the context of fermenting alcoholic beverages, refers to the specific gravity (abbreviated SG), or relative density compared to water, of the wort or must at various stages in the fermentation. The concept is used in the brewing and ...

) and over 7% Alcohol by volume. In addition, the brewery produces a

Helles Helles or hell is a traditional German pale lager beer, produced chiefly in Southern Germany, particularly Munich. The German word ''hell'' can be translated as "bright", "light", or "pale". Flavour profile Helles-style beers typically are f ...

, Spezial Hell, Bergbock Hell, Export Dunkel, Hefeweizen, and Dunkelweizen. File:Andechser Weissbier Hefetrüb.JPG, Andechser Weißbier Hefetrüb File:Andechser Weissbier Dunkel.JPG, Andechser Weißbier Dunkel File:Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel.JPG, Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.andechs.de/die-klosterbrauerei.html
Interview with Father Valentin Zeigler
1455 establishments Beer brands of Germany Breweries in Germany Companies based in Bavaria Pages translated from German Wikipedia