Even if it is hard to imagine today, brewing used to be part of everyday life. Many households brewed their own beer - either at home or in communal breweries. Brewing also took place in monasteries. The monks covered their own beer needs with home-brewed brews and often shared their barley juice with the community. This tradition was particularly common in southern Germany, but has been lost somewhat over the last few centuries. Hardly any monastery brewery is still under the management of a religious order; most became privately owned at some point or were dissolved. Not so with the Andechs monastery brewery.
This beer-related story began more than 500 years ago. In 1458, the Benedictine monastery in Andechs not only acquired the local pub, but also received the right to tap and sell beer. Based on this permission, it is assumed that the monks had already been brewing beer before then. Although the abbey had numerous other sources of income in addition to the brewery and the inn, such as agriculture, fishing, a pharmacy and a metalworking shop, the brewery made the largest profits. The monks used the money they earned to support themselves and support people in need in the community. The brewery flourished until the monastery was closed in 1803 and all the buildings changed hands several times. Almost 50 years later, the monastery fell into the hands of an abbey again. The transition was a little bumpy and caused discontent among the local innkeepers. The beer ran out and no master brewer could be found quickly who could teach the monks. In addition, the premises were in poor condition and a lot of investment was needed to make the brewhouse and other facilities usable again. Despite all the adversities, the monks managed to restart brewing and were able to deliver beer again after a short time. In fact, business was going so well that all sorts of modernizations and extensions were undertaken. A malthouse building, rail transport and a new brewhouse were built. At the end of the 1960s, this was no longer enough and a decision was made to build a new one. The Andechs monastery brewery had established itself as a competitive competitor on the beer market and remains so to this day.
The range that brought the brewery to the top consists of classics that are brewed using traditional methods and the latest technology. The monks continue the centuries-old brewing tradition of the Benedictines and brew high-quality beers such as the dark Export, which tastefully represent the Bavarian art of brewing.
