It would be hard to overstate the importance of the Weihenstephaner brewery and its contribution to the world of brewing. Not only is Weihenstephaner the producer of an outstanding range of wheat beers and hailed as the world’s oldest continuously operating brewery but it is also home to one of, if not the leading international brewing school.
Nowadays we take for granted the fact that hops are an essential ingredient but brewing had been around for thousands of years before someone had the bright idea to introduce hops. Historians believe that the origins of beer date back as far as 3000BC (predating wine) and up to this point brewers used “gruits” herbs like juniper or marrow to give their beer flavor. A document written 768 which was discovered at the monastery at Weihenstephan is the first to reference that hops grown on site were being used in the brewing process.
Brewing beer was an essential part of daily life and a job that was most commonly carried out at home by women as men labored in the fields. Monasteries were set up to act as hubs for the monks who were the first to introduce a scalable approach to brewing and in this regard were the progenitor of the brewing industry.
The brewery continued to be run by monks until 1803 when Emperor Bonaparte Napoleon on a mission to secularize the French occupied territories of Europe (including Bavaria), placed the brewery under the control of the State of Bavaria. The state established a small agricultural college with a dedicated brewing faculty which was later elevated to university status by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in 1868 (his family also created the Reinheitsgebot purity law and Oktoberfest!). Today Weihenstephaner is a part of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and offers a Masters degree so demanding that only 20% of those who enroll manage to successfully make the final grade. Those that do are considered amongst the elite of the brewing world. In 1940 the college set up a yeast bank which now boasts the largest collection of top and bottom fermenting yeasts in the world and are sought after by breweries across the globe. So with such a peerless contribution to beer what about their flagship beer?
Weihenstephaner weissbier is a classic example of Bavarian wheat beer with a hazy luminescent glow and a wonderfully soft, billowy white head. Delightful on the nose you might pick up on sweet aromas that initially smell like bubblegum but have a stronger more intense ripe fruit notes. There is plenty of fruit to entertain the palate beginning with banana and clove (synonymous with Bavarian wheat beer) giving way to a gentle burst of citrus. With a slight carbonation, Weihenstephaner has an almost creamy mouthfeel that is refreshing but not heavy and although there’s a slightly dry finish it is the flavours of the malts rather than the hops that dominate this beer making it perfect for bright sunny days.
– GMcE
