Beer With a Higher Calling
Weihenstephan, which calls itself the
world's oldest brewery, is a place where tradition,
scholarship, and the art of brewing come together. Being
a devotee of beer and history, it was high on my "must
see" list when I visited Munich last
year.
On an unseasonably warm afternoon, I boarded the train for a trip back in time. After a half-hour ride into the outer suburbs, I arrived in the small town of Freising, where a refreshing breeze was blowing. Outside the station, I found a sign marked with the hiker icon and "Weihenstephan"; it pointed the way to a footpath that paralleled a stream. Following the path for about a mile, I arrived at the entrance to the brewery grounds. From there, it was another mile's walk, most of it uphill.
On my way up, I paid a visit to the
botanical garden; and, later, poked my head into a
classroom building where the next generation of brewers,
including a fair number of women, were learning their
craft. Not far away was the state-of-the-art brewery
itself; and, nearby, the "Getranke Markt," which was
doing a brisk business in bottled beer at prices
Americans can only dream of.
Hiking in the sunshine had worked up a thirst, so I trudged up the hill to the beer garden and grabbed a place at one of the small picnic tables overlooking the hilly countryside. The tall trees had just started to bud; the birds were singing loudly, and the noises of the city were far behind. After snapping some photos of the beer garden, I made my way to the taps for some fresh Bavarian beer.
Almost all the Weihenstephan beers were available, most in half-liter as well as one-liter steins. The lineup included Original, a Bavarian Helles; Edel-Pils; Dunkel Export; Dunkel Starkbier and Kobrinian, both strong dark beers; Weizenbier, a Bavarian-style wheat beer; Leicht, a light beer; and Hefeweizen, a wheat beer with suspended yeast. Prices were reasonable, to say the least; a half-liter was about $2.50 U.S.
Over a glass of Dunkel Export, a style rarely found in America, I acquainted myself with Weihenstephan's rich history. It began as a chapel, established in the eighth century by a monk named Corbinian. It wasn't long before hops were grown on the premises; in fact, Weihenstephan claims to be the birthplace of hopped beer. In 1040, town authorities gave the monks permission to brew and sell their beer.
The monks continued brewing until 1803, when Napoleon seized Church property and handed it to the King of Bavaria. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Bavarian government began offering classes in brewing at the monks' former abbey. By 1930, Weihenstephan had become a college within the Technical University of Munich. The brewery is still owned by the state and affiliated with the university.
I ordered a stein of Edel-Pils, brought it
back to my table, and did some people watching. Across
from me, a scholarly-looking gent was reading a book
while working on both a beer and a cigar. Nearby, a
husband and wife were sipping Weizenbier from tall
glasses and taking turns entertaining their baby. Two
tables away, a dozen or so women, all with full-liter
steins in front of them, were putting the office routine
behind them. And in the far corner, a retired couple
were silently munching on bread and Obatzer, a
Bavarian specialty made from cheese, onions, and
paprika.
As the afternoon progressed, the beer garden eased into a festive mood; it was, after all, the eve of May Day, a holiday across Europe. From time to time, a burst of laughter, or the clinking of steins, could be heard over the soft buzz of conversation. By the time I started back toward the station, the party was well underway. A steady stream of people on foot, on bicycles, and in cars were making their way up the hill.
To get to Weihenstephan from Munich, take the S-1 to the Freising station, then walk about two miles from the train station to the restaurant and beer garden complex. Guided tours of the brewery, which last about 45 minutes, are offered Monday through Thursday before 2 pm; call 08161 5360 to make a reservation. You can visit also Weihenstephan on the Web at http://www.brauerei_weihenstephan.de/english.htm.