FOOD NEWS
Germany’s Weihenstephan Brewery Has Made Beer Since The 11th Century
BY WENDY LEIGH
Germany's Weihenstephan Brewery officially began selling beer as the Weihenstephan Monastery Brewery in 1040. The Bavarian Purity Law of 1516 cemented its purity.
The law limited their brews to three ingredients: barley, hops, and water. Centuries later, the brewery still adheres to those purity laws, plus proprietary yeast strains.
By most accounts, Weihenstephan Brewery is the oldest existing brewery in the world. It also operates from the same Benedictine monastery where the original hops were grown.
The building itself has been through several incarnations and renovations due to occurrences both natural and unnatural. The monastery perches on the Weihenstephan hill.