The Weihenstephan (“Sacred Stephen”) Brewery is known as the Mecca for beer.
This is not by chance the brewery is the oldest still existing brewery in the world. In 1040 AD the Benedictine monastery overlooking the town of Freising in Germany was granted the right to brew beer and it has also been established that the Benedictine monks had already brewed their own beer much earlier than this as early as 768 AD. A hops garden was founded in the grounds of the monastery, the harvest of which was certainly brewed in the monastery which incidentally means that beer made with hops, as we know it today, came into being at Weihenstephan.
The reputation of the Weihenstephan brewers as true masters of their craft has grown in strength over the centuries. Today’s modern brewery along with the world’s best known University of Brewing occupy the former monastery buildings with the Weihenstephan brewery maintaining a close relationship with the University. In the brewery students from around the world are let into the secrets of the Bavarian art of brewing, with many of the world’s best brewers having been trained here, many Breweries draw their yeasts from the famous Weihenstephan yeast library. Weihenstephan combines hundreds of years of brewing experience with the most up to date brewing technology and innovation.
The Weihenstephan beers are the result of this combination of Tradition and Innovation and are renowned all over the world.