Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg

The monastery at Weltenburg, set within the Danube Gorge in Kelheim, Lower Bavaria, was itself founded around the year 600 by Eustasius and Agilus of Luxeuil and is the oldest monastic settlement in Bavaria. In 1846 the brewery returned to monastic ownership under the Benedictine Abbey of Weltenburg. Since 1973 it has been part of Brauerei Bischofshof in Regensburg.

All beer is brewed in accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516, the German standard that limits ingredients to water, malt, hops and yeast. Fermentation tanks were stored in a historic rock cellar within the monastery grounds, and an underground pipeline runs directly from the storage cellar to the tavern.

The core range spans nine varieties. Among them is an alcohol-free lager, suited to sober-curious drinkers and designated drivers alike. One drink in the range has picked up awards. The brewery employs 85 people and reached a yearly production of 28,000 hectolitres in 2008. Its beers are sold in 29 countries.