The art of brewing – since 1040
Brewing Process
Brewing is our craft, and has been for nearly 1,000 years. Of course, high-tech has also come into brewing, but the basic brewing process remains unchanged. It isn't enough to brew a good beer. It has to be an outstanding beer of a consistently high quality. Therefore we have set for ourselves the highest standard of quality: Premium Bavaricum.
That not only requires constant concentration by the brewmasters, it also means that all the components for beer production are subject to constant quality control.
Each day we have 300 hands working on just that. From brewmaster to storage facility worker to secretary, they all ensure that only the quality that fulfills our standard leaves our house. And you can taste it!
The basics
Best ingredients for great beer
Aside from the brewers, high-quality ingredients are the basis we brew our beers upon. And we do so following the purity law of 1516, of course. Water, hops, malt and yeast – that is all there is.
Hops - the heart of beer
Naturally only the best hops are good enough for us, and we find them north of Weihenstephan in Hallertau. Here in the largest hop-growing area in the world, hundreds of years of experience have taught the growers the complicated art of cultivating hops. Our brewmasters check on the harvest every year and decide whether the hops meet the standards of Weihenstephan.
Malt - a question of grain
“Malt is the soul of beer” is a saying among brewers. Its quality and type determine almost all characteristics of our liquid gold: colour, aroma and taste. Our first-class grain comes from Bavarian cultivation and it is processed into first-class brewer’s malt in Bavarian factories according to our specifications. However before the brewer’s malt reaches the brewery, it is of course checked again - by experts of the Bavarian Control and Testing Centre at Weihenstephan.
Water - the purest pleasure
Our water comes from the city of Freising – more regional is not possible! High-quality water that we make even better here on the brewery premises. Finest brewing water is essential for a premium beer.
Yeast – the height of Bavarian culture
Our very own Stephanus yeast is the reason for our unique taste. We store our yeast strains at the brewery as well as at the Technical University Munich, our neighbour. This way we ensure that only real Weihenstephaner yeast is used for our beers.
Brewhouse
The creation of the wort
First we make the beer mash from barley/wheat malt and brewing water. This is clarified - freed from its solid components. This results in the wort, the basic component of beer. In the mash house we bring the wort to a boil and add hops. This requires great artistry on the part of the brewer, because this process determines how the beer will taste.
Fermenting Cellar
Welcome, young beer!
After brewing, the solid hops and protein components are removed from the wort, which is then cooled to 10 degrees Celsius, before the cultured yeast is added. The wort then ferments for one week, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. When it is finished we have so-called new or green beer.
Storage Cellar
The maturation process
In our storage cellars, 15 metres beneath the monastery garden, we give the beer an opportunity to recover from the rigors of being brewed - complete serenity for the maturing process. After about thirty days the immature green beer has developed into - no, not an old beer - but a mature, gloriously fresh Weihenstephaner beer.
Filter System
Clearing the beers
Now it is freed of impurities, such as protein and yeast, in our state-of-the-art filter system (of course, this step is skipped for our naturally cloudy wheaten beer specialities) until it is ready for bottling.
Barrelling and Botteling Cellar
Filling and packaging
After the beer has passed through the bottling cellar, where the bottles are labelled and packaged - and where the pallets of barrels and bottles are stacked up fully automatically. It is finally ready for you, the beer connoisseur.
And in the end...
Constant quality checks
Highest quality is our promise. We work closely with quality control at the Technical University Munich to ensure that our beers meet our standards. Only when every expert in the process gives their thumbs up, we know that this beer has reached „Premium Bavaricum“.
Step by step checks
The beer is being tasted during every step of the process. Because even if the data checks out – in the end it’s all about the taste.
Special checks
In addition to the step by step checks the chair of brewing and beverage technology at the TU Munich does its fair amount of quality control, too. Every batch gets tasted by an expert panel.
The brewmaster’s GO
The very last step: Not a single beer leaves our premises before our brewmasters had a chance to do a final tasting. It is only after their „Go“ that the beers are shipped out into every corner of this world.
"Brewing beer is craft and art coming together."
Tobias Zollo, Head Brewmaster and Technical Director
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Our dealcoholization process
Alcohol-free beers are more than just a trend – and a Weihenstephaner is always a good choice. Back in the 90s we co-developed a special method to dealcoholize beers. You guessed it: together with the TU Munich!
From how the beer is made to how it is enjoyed!
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