Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan


The Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan is a German brewery located on the site of the former Weihenstephan Abbey in Freising, Bavaria. In 2014, the total output was. The brewery advertises itself as "The World's Oldest Brewery", although this claim is disputed.

History

Establishment

Until the 1950s, the brewery described its date of foundation as the year 1146. At this time, a document allegedly dating to the year 1040 resurfaced. In it, Otto I, Bishop of Freising bestowed a brewing right upon the abbey. The document is generally dismissed as a forgery from the early 1600s. The first written record of the brewery dates to the year 1675. Another source, dating to 768, indicates the presence of a hops garden nearby.

State Brewery

In 1803, as part of a larger wave of German secularization, Weihenstephan Abbey was dissolved. The cloister passed into ownership of the Bavarian government, where it was incorporated as the Königlich Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan. In 1921, the brewery adopted its current name. Today, although it is fully owned by the government of Bavaria, it is run as a modern enterprise in line with private sector practices. The grounds around the brewery were developed into a campus of the Hochschule Weihenstephan-Triesdorf.

Awards