During one of my trips heading south from Munich, I visited Kloster Andechs, a monastery located near Lake Ammersee. This Abbey has been a significant site for religious pilgrimages since the 10th century and is renowned for producing the well-loved Andechser Bier.
In the distance, I caught sight of the Zwiebelturm, or onion dome, of the Andechs pilgrimage church rising above Lake Ammersee. This rococo masterpiece is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Elisabeth of Thuringia, who belongs to the Counts of Andechs lineage. As early as 1130, pilgrims journeyed to a chapel on the mountain to pay homage to a relic of St. Nicholas.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, Andechs evolved into a significant pilgrimage site dedicated to Mary. Following the year 1945, the veneration of St. Hedwig—Duchess of Silesia and also known as “Andechserin”—was incorporated as well. Since 1455, Benedictine monks have been overseeing these pilgrimages, ensuring that this sacred tradition continues to thrive.
The Andechs Brewery
The brewing tradition at Andechs likely dates back many centuries. Today, the monastery’s brewery operates independently under the stewardship of the religious community. The monks craft their beers using the traditional multiple mashing technique, producing a variety that includes light, dark, wheat beer, and corresponding bock beer variants with higher alcohol content. Visitors can savor these popular brews, along with non-alcoholic wheat beer and shandy, in the well-known Bräustüberl where you are welcome to bring your own snacks, as well as in the beer garden and Restaurant-Brewery.
Seven Benedictine monks, dispatched from the eighth-century Tegernsee Abbey, established the brewery at the newly founded Andechs monastery in 1455. Today, this brewery plays a crucial role by generating all the necessary funds to support its pastoral, cultural, and social commitments within Munich as well as for maintaining the Abbey itself.
Receiving no contributions from church tax, the monastery employs its 13 monks and more than 200 dedicated staff members who work together tirelessly for the sustainable development of both the monastery and its various enterprises. Their collective efforts ensure that they can continue to thrive while upholding their commitments to the community.
As evidence that not all beer drinking occurs exclusively at Oktoberfest, the Andechs Abbey beer garden—boasting a breathtaking view of the Alps—is nearly always bustling and full to capacity, despite having seating available for 3,500 guests. The vibrant atmosphere draws both locals and visitors alike throughout the year.
And the monastery beers combine centuries-old Benedictine brewing tradition on the Holy Mountain, with the latest brewing technology, and more than 100,000 hl of beer, 21,133,765 pt (US), is brewed every year. Two of their most popular beers are Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel, a dark beer with an alcohol content of 7.1% and, for those preferring a light beer, Andechser Weißbier Hell that has an alcohol content of “only” 5.5%.
The Andechs Monastery
Here we have Andechs Monastery. The monastery building is to the right of its church, the monastery inn middle left, and some of the monastery’s farm buildings are below it.
And an interior view of Andechs Monastery, the chancel. The double-winged high altar was dedicated in 1755, and an expression of the increasingly pronounced devotion to Mary on the Heilige Berg following the Thirty Years’ War.
The double-winged high altar spans two levels. The lower section serves as the pilgrimage altar, while the upper section was utilized by the monks for their choir services. Both altars focus on honoring Mary. In a niche of the pilgrimage altar sits the Madonna with the Christ child, adorned with a crown, scepter, and breastplate that signify her status as queen of heaven.
Andechs, Bavaria’s oldest pilgrimage site, has attracted numerous pilgrims since the 12th century and was once the residence of the Counts from the House of Andechs. It is believed that Count Rasso, one of their ancestors, brought back Relics of Christ and sacred relics to Andechs Castle from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land during the 10th century.
Photo credits: View by Boschfoto, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons – Altar room by 2015 Michael 2015, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons – Andechs Beer Sortiment by Thomas Einberger andechs.de Pressebilder.
