Franziskaner Weissbier

Monastery breweries have a long tradition in Germany. As early as the Middle Ages, men of God brewed beer to meet their own needs and to earn money for abbey maintenance and charitable causes. Although there are still around 2,500 monasteries with nuns or monks today, not all abbeys brew beer. While the Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu in Munich has a monk in its emblem, there are no clergy in the brewhouse.

How the monk became a landmark

The Franziskaner Brewery was first documented around 660 years ago. It was not, however, a monastery brewery, but was located simply opposite the abbey of the local Franciscan monastery. However, it is assumed that the brewery and abbey maintained close relations. The current name is derived from the original name "Braustätt bei den Franziskanern" (Braustätt near the Franciscans), and a monk is also the company's emblem. The monk with the glass mug was added to the brewery's official logo in 1909. Since then, his image has adorned all labels and has stood for hearty, handcrafted wheat beer in Bavaria and around the world. But at Franziskaner, wheat beer wasn't always the focus: It wasn't until 1964 that the team decided to focus on the classic beer style and refine it to perfection. This decision was followed by decades of development, which culminated in a stable core range of the finest wheat beer and a handful of other down-to-earth classics of Bavarian brewing.

Wheat and more

Every brew – whether wheat beer or not – is made from hand-picked raw materials and in accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law. When selecting its ingredients, the Franziskaner Brewery places great emphasis on the highest quality. The water is drawn from the brewery's own well, the grain is supplied by farmers in the Donau-Ries region, the hops come from the Hallertau region, and the yeast is bred in-house. In the brewhouse, old tradition in the form of copper kettles and handed-down recipes meets state-of-the-art technology. And the product range also combines both: In addition to the finest wheat beers in a wide variety of versions, there are Helles, Kellerbier, and a selection of non-alcoholic brews. The absolute crowd-pleaser is, of course, the Original Hefe-Weissbier Hell , but every other example also represents the dedication and passion of the brewery team and their high quality standards.