Andechs

Andechs is one of the last genuinely monastic breweries left in Germany, and the whole place feels deeply connected to that history. Based on the “Holy Mountain” south-west of Munich, the brewery is run by Benedictine monks and has roots stretching back to the 15th century, although brewing and pilgrimage on the site go back even further. The brewery still operates as part of the monastery itself, with profits helping support the abbey and its charitable work, which gives the whole project a very different feeling from most modern breweries.

What makes Andechs so respected is the balance they’ve managed to keep between tradition and consistency. The brewery still leans heavily into classic Bavarian brewing methods, including multi-step mashing and long maturation times, while also maintaining an impressively high level of quality across the range. Nothing feels rushed or trend-driven. The focus is very much on preserving the depth, richness, and drinkability that traditional German beer styles are supposed to have in the first place.

There’s also something quite special about the atmosphere surrounding the brewery itself. Andechs has been a pilgrimage site for centuries, and that sense of hospitality still runs through the place today. Beer halls, monastery taverns, hikers walking up the hill for a Maß of Doppelbock, locals mixing with tourists and beer obsessives, it all feels very rooted in Bavarian beer culture in the best possible way. Even with the global reputation the brewery now has, there’s still a warmth and groundedness to the whole operation that makes it feel remarkably human and approachable.

Over time Andechs has become one of those benchmark breweries people eventually circle back to, especially once they realise how much modern beer owes to places like this. Rich lagers, wheat beers, Doppelbocks, all brewed with centuries of accumulated knowledge behind them, but still designed first and foremost to be enjoyed rather than analysed to death.