In the city of Freising in Bavaria (Germany) there is a very old monastery that attracts visitors all year round.
This abbey, which has the same name as the mountain, has an interesting detail: it is considered the brewery oldest in the world, still in operation.
The location is called Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan and produces around 14 different types of beer, most of which are made from wheat, hops and malt.
In addition, the products have already received important awards, such as the gold medal at the World Beer Cup 2016 in the “South German Hefeweizen” category and the silver medal in the “German Beer” category.
According to the updated data, the process of beverage fermentation is carried out fundamentally and unchanged.
However, the company admits that it is currently using some modern technologies to speed up the production of its products.
A supposedly thousandyearold brewery
Bavarian State Brewery Kloster Weihenstephan, in Germany Image: Pahu/Wikimedia Commons/Reproduction
Until 1950, Weihenstephan claimed to have been founded in 1146. At that time, however, documents emerged that allegedly dated the institution's beginnings to the year 1040.
In it, the first bishop of Freising, a man named Otto, gave the abbey permission to produce beer.
Soon this situation caused several controversies and many people started saying that the 1950 document was just a forgery from the 17th century.
However, this does not prevent the brewery declares itself to be the oldest in the world that is still active to this day.
As expert Jörg Spengler, a renowned German historian, notes, the first mention of the place dates back to the second half of the 17th century, and before that there is no official evidence of the production of drinks in this region.
“There is no reliable evidence of a brewery in Weihenstephan until it is mentioned in a confirmation document from the Elector [título de nobreza] Ferdinand Maria, in 1675,” wrote for the yearbook of the Society for Beer History.
The founding of monastery it is even older and well documented. The first site was a church built by Saint Korbinian around 720 AD in honor of Saint Stephen.
According to records from before the 9th century, there was a monks' dormitory next to the building. Hop cultivation in the abbey dates back to this time.
The website run by the establishment claims that there was a vegetable garden nearby and that the owner had committed to paying a tithe of 10% of production, with the input to be used to make beer.
This historic building has survived destruction, foreign invasions, plagues and fires, as well as a major earthquake. Today the brewery operates as a publicprivate partnership.
In 1803 the monastery was dissolved and incorporated as the Royal Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan (brewery Royal Bavarian Weihenstephan).