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 b ...

Andechs Andechs is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria in Germany. It is renowned in Germany and beyond for Andechs Abbey, a Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB ...

Upper Bavaria Upper Bavaria (, ; ) is one of the seven administrative regions 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 of the district gove ...

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

Andechs Abbey Andechs Abbey is a Benedictine monastery, now a priory but formerly an abbey, in the municipality of Andechs, in the Starnberg (district), ''Landkreis'' of Starnberg, Upper Bavaria, Germany. A place of pilgrimage on a hill east of the Ammersee, t ...

, a priory of

St. Boniface's Abbey St. Boniface's Abbey () 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 restoration of the monaste ...

, a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbey situated 40 km away in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. It is the only monastic brewery in Germany that brews

Bock Bock () is a strong German beer, usually a dark lager. History The style now known as ''Bock'' was first brewed in the 14th century in the Hanseatic town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony. The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers ...

beer year-round for nationwide distribution. Every year, the brewery produces over of beer. A portion of the beer is served on-site at a restaurant and

Biergarten A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

at the abbey, Klostergasthof Andechs; the remainder is exported throughout Germany and worldwide. The activities of the Andechs monks, such as help for the homeless in Munich, are financed with proceeds from brewery - without the aid of any church tax funds.
Klosterbrauerei Andechs Monastery Brewery

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 foo ...

was built on the site in 1906, and the first

bottling Bottling lines are production lines that fill a liquid product, often a beverage, into bottles on a large scale. Many prepared foods are also bottled, such as sauces, syrups, marinades, oils and vinegars. Bottling lines usually include label ap ...

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 brewhouse was renovated in 2007.

Beers

Andechser beers are brewed exclusively in Andechs using the traditional multiple mashing process. Only aroma hops are used, no bitter hops. The best-known beer is the

Doppelbock Bock () is a strong Beer in Germany, German beer, usually a dark lager. History The style now known as ''Bock'' was first brewed in the 14th century in the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony. The style was later adop ...

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 w ...

) and over 7%

Alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV) is a common measure of the amount of Alcohol (drug), alcohol contained in a given alcoholic beverage. It is defined as the volume the ethanol in the liquid would take if separated from the rest ...

. In addition, the brewery produces a

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

, Spezial Hell, Bergbock Hell, Export Dunkel,

Hefeweizen Wheat beer is a top-fermented beer which is brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are German and Belgian ; other types include Lambic (made with wild yeast), Berliner Weisse (a ...

, and

Dunkelweizen Wheat beer is a top-fermented beer which is brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are German and Belgian ; other types include Lambic (made with wild yeast), Berliner Weisse (a ...

. 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, https://www.andechs.de/en/monastery-brewery.html
Interview with Father Valentin Zeigler
1455 establishments Beer brands of Germany Breweries in Germany Companies based in Bavaria