Even if it's 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. And brewing also took place in the 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 somewhat lost over the last few centuries. Hardly any monastery breweries are still run by a religious order; most of them became private property at some point or were dissolved. Not so at the Andechs monastery brewery.
This beery story began more than 500 years ago. In 1458, not only was the local pub transferred to the Benedictine monastery in Andechs, they also received the right to tap and sell beer. Because of this permission, it is assumed that the monks were already brewing beer beforehand. 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 locksmith's shop, the brewery made the largest profits. The monks used the money they earned to support themselves and support needy people in the community. The brewery business flourished until the monastery was closed in 1803 and all the buildings changed hands several times. Almost 50 years later, the monastery fell back into the hands of an abbey. The transition was a bit bumpy and caused discontent among the local restaurants. The beer ran out and no master brewer was quickly found who could teach the monks. In addition, the premises were in poor condition and a lot had to be invested to make the brewhouse and the like usable again. Despite all the adversities, the monks managed to restart brewing operations and were able to deliver beer again after a short time. In fact, business was going so well that all sorts of modernizations and expansions were undertaken. A malthouse building, rail transport and a new brewhouse were built. At the end of the 1960s that was no longer enough and the 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 today.
The range that brought the brewery to the top is made up of classics brewed using artisanal methods and the latest technology. The monks continue the centuries-old Benedictine brewing tradition and brew high-quality beers such as the dark Export, which tastefully represent the Bavarian art of brewing.
