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  • The Oldest Brewmeisters

    • 06/21/2016
    • ADB
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    (Note: Brian and Toby, the founders of American Bars, this one’s for you!)

     

    Humans have been making various types of beer for over 7,000 years. Over that time, they have tinkered, toyed and perfected all kinds of recipes, eventually evolving and creating the modern beer culture we know today. And while there are now thousands of breweries to choose from, with new ones opening almost every single day, some breweries across the world have truly stood the test of time, managing through all odds to stay open, and continuing to produce the iconic beers they’ve become known for. Paying these breweries a visit or simply sampling their brews in the comfort of your own home is like taking a step back in time to drink the same beers ancestors consumed hundreds of years prior.

     

    At American Bars we tackle a lot of history. We write about historic bars that have died and chat about grand establishments that are still with us. Lately, there was a piece we posted about 5,000 year old beer that was produced in China. With that, the notion came recently to offer a list of the oldest breweries still in continuing operation. Have a look. You will be surprised. You may just be drinking a brand that has a long history. We will cover several of these ancient and continuing brewmeisters over next few days, but let’s begin with the two oldest, constant beer makers. Not surprisingly, they are both in Germany. Not surprisingly, they were both started and continue to operate in monastaries. Those German monks knew what was sacred.

    If you study Catholic church history the discovery is made that the monks may have devoted themselves to a life of solitude and prayer, but that does not actually pay the bills. As a result, the cloistered monasteries of yore had to develop industries to keep them viable. Several turned to producing beer, believe it or not.

    Established in 1040, (yes, almost a thousand years ago!) the Weihenstephan brewery, originally an abbey, is located in Weihenstephan, Germany — that is in Bavaria, for you connoisseurs. It   is considered to be the oldest brewery in the entire world. It received its license in 1040 (yes, even then the government was intruding) but its historical lineage can be traced back to 768 when there is documentation stating that a hop garden was located on the area.

    The Weihenstephan Brewery is widely regarded as the oldest brewery in the world – though the nearby Waltenburg, also an abbey, started brewing only ten years later and often disputes the claim. Just thinking about the fact that this brewery has been brewing beer for almost one thousand years is mind blowing. The beer they make is a Hefeweizen, or wheat beer, and it is mighty delicious.

    The world’s oldest continuously-operating brewery remained a church-borne entity for just shy of 800 years before being secularized in 1803 (today, it’s owned by the state of Bavaria). On a related note, you’re never too old to embrace social media: you will want to check out Weihenstephan’s official twitter page.

    The attached photo for this article displays the idyllic Weltenburg Abbey Brewery, founded In: 1050 in Kelheim, Germany. Of course, it took them a while before they got the notion to start a brewing business. Four hundred and thirty-three years separates the founding of this monastery (617) from the founding of the brewery (1050) Nearly another millennium later, Weltenburg Abbey’s beloved beers are still going strong. Oh, and just check the glorious photo of this particular abbey…no wonder they attracted devotees who wanted the monastic life of simplicity and poverty and prayer (and brewing fine beer!).

    As we stated above, this abbey brewery started brewing beer just ten years after their neighbors Weihenstephan. The brewery has won much praise for their Dunkel Lager, which they claim is the world’s oldest dark beer, and age hasn’t prevented this beer from still winning modern awards, including gold in the World Beer Cup, which they most recently won in 2012.


    Good times can last…almost a thousand years!

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The Oldest Brewmeisters

(Note: Brian and Toby, the founders of American Bars, this one’s for you!)

 

Humans have been making various types of beer for over 7,000 years. Over that time, they have tinkered, toyed and perfected all kinds of recipes, eventually evolving and creating the modern beer culture we know today. And while there are now thousands of breweries to choose from, with new ones opening almost every single day, some breweries across the world have truly stood the test of time, managing through all odds to stay open, and continuing to produce the iconic beers they’ve become known for. Paying these breweries a visit or simply sampling their brews in the comfort of your own home is like taking a step back in time to drink the same beers ancestors consumed hundreds of years prior.

 

At American Bars we tackle a lot of history. We write about historic bars that have died and chat about grand establishments that are still with us. Lately, there was a piece we posted about 5,000 year old beer that was produced in China. With that, the notion came recently to offer a list of the oldest breweries still in continuing operation. Have a look. You will be surprised. You may just be drinking a brand that has a long history. We will cover several of these ancient and continuing brewmeisters over next few days, but let’s begin with the two oldest, constant beer makers. Not surprisingly, they are both in Germany. Not surprisingly, they were both started and continue to operate in monastaries. Those German monks knew what was sacred.

If you study Catholic church history the discovery is made that the monks may have devoted themselves to a life of solitude and prayer, but that does not actually pay the bills. As a result, the cloistered monasteries of yore had to develop industries to keep them viable. Several turned to producing beer, believe it or not.

Established in 1040, (yes, almost a thousand years ago!) the Weihenstephan brewery, originally an abbey, is located in Weihenstephan, Germany — that is in Bavaria, for you connoisseurs. It   is considered to be the oldest brewery in the entire world. It received its license in 1040 (yes, even then the government was intruding) but its historical lineage can be traced back to 768 when there is documentation stating that a hop garden was located on the area.

The Weihenstephan Brewery is widely regarded as the oldest brewery in the world – though the nearby Waltenburg, also an abbey, started brewing only ten years later and often disputes the claim. Just thinking about the fact that this brewery has been brewing beer for almost one thousand years is mind blowing. The beer they make is a Hefeweizen, or wheat beer, and it is mighty delicious.

The world’s oldest continuously-operating brewery remained a church-borne entity for just shy of 800 years before being secularized in 1803 (today, it’s owned by the state of Bavaria). On a related note, you’re never too old to embrace social media: you will want to check out Weihenstephan’s official twitter page.

The attached photo for this article displays the idyllic Weltenburg Abbey Brewery, founded In: 1050 in Kelheim, Germany. Of course, it took them a while before they got the notion to start a brewing business. Four hundred and thirty-three years separates the founding of this monastery (617) from the founding of the brewery (1050) Nearly another millennium later, Weltenburg Abbey’s beloved beers are still going strong. Oh, and just check the glorious photo of this particular abbey…no wonder they attracted devotees who wanted the monastic life of simplicity and poverty and prayer (and brewing fine beer!).

As we stated above, this abbey brewery started brewing beer just ten years after their neighbors Weihenstephan. The brewery has won much praise for their Dunkel Lager, which they claim is the world’s oldest dark beer, and age hasn’t prevented this beer from still winning modern awards, including gold in the World Beer Cup, which they most recently won in 2012.


Good times can last…almost a thousand years!

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