WEIHENSTEPHAN: World’s Oldest Brewery – A Millennia In Brewing Excellence!

Beer to Germany is what wine is to France! It is treated with much passion and respect like wine in France. As a national drink, beer consumption in Germany is ranked amongst the highest in the world. It is here in Munich, the beer capital of the world which plays host to the most important annual beer festival – Oktoberfest! With a diverse and rich beer culture that spans over 3 millennia in the continent it is little wonder that beer is so deeply ingrained in German culture. Not surprisingly then Germany houses the oldest brewery in the world!

Sitting atop the hill of Weihenstephan in Freising lies the Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan, recognised as the world’s oldest brewery close to a millennia dating back 1040 in the Middle Ages. However, brewing in the Benedictine monastery could be as early as 768 as historical records had shown that the nearby hop garden was obliged to pay a 10% tithe of its crops to the monastery. Very likely these hops could have ended in the brew kettle.

Since the founding of the Weihenstephan monastery in 725 by Saint Corbinian, the monastery was destroyed countless times first by the barbaric Huns then the Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria. This is followed by the Thirty Years War between the Swedes and French as well as the war of the Spanish Succession by the Austrians. Earthquakes, famines and plagues did its fair share of damage to the monastery as well. Despite these setbacks the monks rebuilt the monastery and brewery and continued their journey in perfecting their art in beer crafting.

1040 marked the birth of the Weihenstephan Monastery Brewery when Abbot Arnold succeeded in obtaining license to brew and sell beer from the city of Freising. The brewery remained under the supervision of the monks until 1803 when the monastery was abolished and the brewery were transferred to the state and came to known as Royal Bavarian State Brewery and subsequently Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan in 1921. Unlike other monastic breweries throughout Europe during this period of secularisation, brewing activities in the former Weihenstephan Monastery Brewery remained uninterrupted and continued till this day.

Whilst being the world’s oldest, the Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan is also amongst the most advance in the world; equipped with state-of-the-art facilities capable of cultivating its own yeast strains. The brewery prides itself for its quality and instated upon itself the Premium Bavaricum – an internal self-regulated quality control measure where each process is strictly monitored from procurement of raw materials to the finished beer. Each batch of beer is tested for consistency on foam, colour, aroma and taste by a panel of beer expert before being released to the market for sale ensuring beer enthusiasts of its quality and tastes exactly as the brew master intended.

Not surprising then Weihenstephan consistent track records in winning beer awards the likes of AIBA (Australian International Beer Awards), WBA (World Beer Awards), WBC (World Beer Cup), IBC (International Beer Challenge), LA ICBC (Los Angeles International Commercial Beer Competition) and SBWF (Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival) and above all winning the prestigious trophy for Champion Large Brewery at the 2010 AIBA.

Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier

Awards:
2009 AIBA Silver Medal
2009 IBC UK Bronze Medal
2008 WBC US Bronze Medal
2007 IBC UK Silver Medal
2007 SBWF Gold Medal

A filtered non-cloudy weissebier! Pours a little too cold with a tight nose but still sweet malt showing through. As the beer warms to its ideal temperature there’s a burst of ripe apple in the aroma. The attack is spritzy, dry and lemony. The mid-palate is sweet and fruity (apple) with a hint of spice and a dash of creaminess that finishes dry with a slight herbaceous and mineral quality.

Serving Temperature: 9-12°C
ABV: 5.4%
Volume: 500ml
Effective Price: RM 19.99 (as at May 28, 2011)
Location: Bottles & Bottles, The Gardens, Mid Valley City

Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissebier

Awards:
2009 AIBA Gold Medal
2009 IBC UK Gold Medal
2009 SBWF Gold Medal
2008 SBWF Silver Medal
2007 SBWF Silver Medal
2007 IBC UK Silver Medal
2005 AIBA Gold Medal
2005 LA ICBC Gold Medal

The nose is round, complex with sweet banana character and somewhat vanillin in nature having hint of citrus, burn caramel and spicy notes. Very lively carbonation on the attack which leads to a frothy mid-palate. It’s crisp, malty and fruity with slight spiciness. A very clean finish and definitely a thirst quencher! Very drinkable too!

Serving Temperature: 9-12°C
ABV: 5.4%
Volume: 500ml
Effective Price: RM 19.99 (as at May 28, 2011)
Location: Bottles & Bottles, The Gardens, Mid Valley City

Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissebier Dunkel

Awards:
2009 WBA World’s Best Dark Wheat Beer
2009 IBC UK Silver Medal
2009 AIBA Gold Medal
2008 LA ICBC Gold Medal

Nice foamy head and good lacing. However the nose is rather simple and uninteresting to begin with – dominantly sweet malt having toasty character. Unfortunately the palate seems to be ringing the same tone with the flavour rather thin. It is dry, toasty with slight bitter hop. The finish is dry and leaves a sticky after feel on the lips. Somewhat disappointing considering all the awards this beer has won in the past!

Serving Temperature: 9-12°C
ABV: 8.2%
Volume: 500ml
Effective Price: RM 19.99 (as at May 28, 2011)
Location: Bottles & Bottles, The Gardens, Mid Valley City

LEFFE: A Brewing Tradition Dating Back 800 Years!

It is very rare indeed that we’re able to pick up a produce, product or brand and in our case here a bottle of beer in modern day supermarket that has a long and rich tradition dating back 800 years. Rarer still is that the brewing method used is identical to the Middle Ages. This brewing tradition survived through knowledge passed down from one generation to the next since its beginning and combined with the advancement of modern technology the beer gets better and more consistent. To disappoint you however this is not the oldest surviving brewery in the world. I’ll leave that for another day as it warrens a completely new article altogether to pay proper homage.

After a long hiatus, close to 150 years since the brewery was abandoned in 1809 following the abolishment of the abbey by the law of the Republic in 1796, Leffe was revived by an Overijse brewer named Albert Lootvoet who formed a partnership with Abbaye Notre-Dame de Leffe (or Leffe Abbey in short) in 1952. Marketed as an Abbey beer and based on the traditional recipe and processes dating back 1240, Leffe was an instant hit when it was launched and has grown in popularity over the years. Today Leffe is being enjoyed by beer enthusiasts in more than 60 countries worldwide including Malaysia. It is probably worth mentioning that Leffe was also featured in the blockbuster movie – In Bruges with Hollywood hunk Colin Farrell downing a bottle of Leffe Blond in one of the scenes.

Interestingly the popularity of Leffe Abbey’s beer can also be seen during the post-medieval period where despite the lack of modern communication mediums and long before the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell, the reputation of the magic brew from Leffe Abbey reached the ears of Benedictine Dom Guyton from the Order of Saint Benedict in Austrian Netherlands who subsequently visited the abbey in 1749 to taste and savour its beer.

Like in any successful stories there are always moments of trials and tribulations that accompanied them. The brewery at Leffe Abbey is no exception. There are several occasions where the brewery was affected either in a small or larger scale first being in 1460 when the abbey was hit hard by a severe flood which destroyed the abbey. Amusingly it is said that only the abbey’s four walls remained standing after the disaster. Six years later when the city of Dinant fell to the Duke of Burgundy the abbey was almost completely destroyed where it was ransacked and set on fire. It took the abbey a long time to recover to its former state. Subsequently in 1735 the abbey was forced to show hospitality to a barbaric regiment – the Hussars who showed no respect to the abbey where barrels of beer that were not consumed were smashed broken causing a mess in the brewery. Then in 1796 following the invasion of the French Republican troops the abbey was abolished where the brewery operated at a smaller scale until 1809 where it was finally abandoned altogether.

Thanks to Albert Lootvoet we can now savour Leffe which was first brewed by the monks at the abbey some 800 years back and whenever you pour yourself a glass of Leffe be it a Blond, Brune or Radieuse think about the rich history and traditions that surrounds the beer. I bet you will agree with me that it makes savouring Leffe all the more rewarding.

Understanding Abbey Beers

In my previous entry – Brewed by Monks, Blessed by God!, I’ve talked about beers being brewed behind the monasteries’ walls under direct supervision of the monks known as Trappist and how Trappist beers are regarded as some of the finest beers in the world. So it is really no surprise that marketers in secular breweries took advantage of the positive association that monasteries had on beer labels fooling most consumers into believing that the beers (marketed as Abbey beers) were brewed by monks in the monasteries. However that is far from the truth. To begin with the brewery is nowhere near a monastery let alone within the walls of it and it is certainly not brewed by monks but ordinary factory workers.

It is also worth mentioning there are Abbey beers that have legitimate association to various Monastic Orders and those that have none but simply labelled under defunct monasteries. Leffe is one such example that is associated with the Premonstratensian Order and the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Leffe.

Leffe Blond

Delicate malty aroma best describes this golden ale! Rather straight forward and somehow uninspiring. However the palate is a different thing altogether. Juicy and sweet with the sweetness carrying through to the finish on a creamy texture making this a treat to your palate! Despite the simple aroma and short finish, Leffe Blond is a very good beer to quaff particularly on a hot afternoon any day of the week!

Serving Temperature: 5-7°C
ABV: 6.6%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 12.99 (as at May 28, 2011)
Location: Jusco, Mid Valley Shopping Centre

Leffe Brune

This Brune pours like a tawny port! The nose is toasty and smells of black coffee with faint sweet raisin! The sweetish palate reveals a rather spicy mid-palate with both toasty and black coffee characters showing up once again. The bittersweet (almost dark chocolate in character) finish is persistent. Somewhat similar to a stout!

Serving Temperature: 4-7°C
ABV: 6.5%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 12.99 (as at May 28, 2011)
Location: Jusco, Mid Valley Shopping Centre

Leffe Radieuse

Malty and yeasty aroma with candy notes and perhaps overripe banana. Lively carbonation with syrupy sarsaparilla-like palate. It is spicy and bitter from start to finish. The finish is long, dry and have a medicine-like bitterness followed by a mild heat sensation. An acquired taste for sure!

Serving Temperature: 4-7°C
ABV: 8.2%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 12.99 (as at May 28, 2011)
Location: Jusco, Mid Valley Shopping Centre

LA TRAPPE: Brewed by Monks, Blessed by God!

Unlike any other beer in the world, Trappist beers are much sought-after by beer connoisseurs and are often regarded as some of the finest beers in the world. Considering most of the monasteries only sell their craft through the monasteries store with just enough quantities intended only for the upkeep of the monasteries, it didn’t help either that there are only seven Trappist breweries in the world. This scarcity has led the beers being exalted to where it is today. Just stop for a while and imagine if there’s ever such a thing as beer investment like in wine, I believe Trappist beers especially with the rarer ones, price would have skyrocketed many fold.

One of the things that intrigues me the most is the similarity Trappist beer shared with Champagne in that it must satisfy certain criteria to be named a “Trappist.” Just like Champagne has to come from the region of Champagne in Northern France and made by the Méthode Champenoise, Trappist beers has to be brewed within the walls of the Trappist monasteries supervised by the monks with the breweries being of secondary importance. Furthermore the breweries existence is only intended for the upkeep of the monasteries and not for profit making. Proceeds from the sales of beers are put to good use in charitable work that would benefit the community as a whole.

These criteria were laid down by the International Trappist Association which was formed as a means to protect the economic interest of the Trappist monasteries as there have been numerous dishonest business practices that misused the Trappist’s name in the past. The International Trappist Association grants the monasteries the right to use the “Authentic Trappist Product” logo guaranteeing the authenticity and origin of the beer to the consumers. There is much similarity here with the French’s appellation contrôlée legislation as well which functions as a governing law that prevents fraudulent labelling of wine hence guaranteeing the wine’s origin.

As mentioned earlier there are only seven Trappist breweries in the world, six (Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren and Westmalle) are located in Belgium and one (La Trappe/Koningshoeven) in The Netherlands. Since most of them only sell their beers through the monasteries stores, you’d be lucky to lay your hand on a bottle or two. And what a luck it was that La Trappe managed to find its way to our shore and is readily available in Cold Storage and established eateries such as Deutsches Gasthaus, etc.

A Short History of La Trappe

The origin of La Trappe can be traced back to the 1880s during the anti-church movement in France where the Trappist monastery Sainte-Marie-du-Mont along with other monasteries were threatened in their existence and monk Sebastianus Wyart were sent by the abbot to find refuge abroad. He succeeded and the monastery was relocated to The Netherlands in a farm called Koningshoeven, meaning the Royal Farms.

Moreover the monastery didn’t begin brewing beer until the mid-1880s when cultivating the land to upkeep the monastery proved difficult and it was at this critical moment that the abbot decided to start a small brewery as a means to support the ever growing members of the monastery. As a result monk Isidorus Laaber was sent to Munich to learn the art of beer brewing and became the monastery’s first master brewer. Since then, the Koningshoeven Brewery has been the monastery’s main source of income for over 125 years.

Indeed the brewery was so successful that the monks had a hard time coping with the demands for their beers and collaboration with other breweries were necessary to ensure continuous supply, first with Artois Brewery from the late 1960s to early 1980s then Bavaria Brewery from 1999 onwards. Koningshoeven Brewery has become the most successful Trappist brewery to date and its brand – La Trappe is being enjoyed worldwide by beer enthusiasts alike.

Malaysians now has a chance to savour these scrumptious beers that were once considered inaccessible. And it is good to know that by purchasing and consuming La Trappe you are indirectly contributing to the Koningshoeven monasteries in Indonesia and Uganda as part of the proceeds from the sales of La Trappe goes to them. There has never been such satisfaction in consuming a bottle of beer knowing full well that you’re contributing to a greater cause and when someone tries to tell you how beer consumption ONLY leads to social illness, instead of arguing share a bottle of La Trappe with him/her.

"La Trappe is proof that God loves and wants Malaysians to be happy!"

La Trappe Blond

A re-taste confirms my suspicion that the earlier bottle was not at its best! Golden in appearance reminds me of the highly prized botrytised wine. Unfortunately this is not. However the good news is this is one mouth-watering ale not to be missed by any beer enthusiasts alike! The delicate aroma is sweet and somehow creamy with subtle toasty character. The nose becomes more interesting as time goes by with sweet bean paste and citrus spring to mind! Off-dry with a cream-like texture and subtle fruits that finishes off very refreshing. Very good indeed!

Serving Temperature: 8-12°C
ABV: 6.5%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 9.59 (as at May 17, 2011)
Location: Cold Storage, One Utama Shopping Centre

La Trappe Dubbel

This is one tasty beer with a sweetish, caramel-like aroma. Simple yet inviting! The palate is simply delicious with good follow through from the nose and finishes off dry and refreshing with slight spiciness and warm.

Serving Temperature: 10-14°C
ABV: 7%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 9.59 (as at May 17, 2011)
Location: Cold Storage, One Utama Shopping Centre

La Trappe Tripel

Another delicious offering from La Trappe! This Tripel has a beige, cream-like head with a yeasty and smoky/toasty aroma with some degree of sweetness. There’s something intriguing about the aroma in which I can’t seems to pinpoint what it is! Slight sweetness on the palate with apparent smoky/toasty character and a bitter but refreshing finish. Reminds me of a vintage Champagne I once had 10 years ago – 1990 Philippe Gonet Blanc de Blancs!

Serving Temperature: 10-14°C
ABV: 8%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 9.59 (as at May 17, 2011)
Location: Cold Storage, One Utama Shopping Centre

La Trappe Quadrupel

Apparently there are two variants to La Trappe Quadrupel. One undergoes maturation in oak barrels for 12 months for that added complexity then bottled with a Champagne cork in 375ml bottle that is available exclusively at the monastery store only. This variant is known to improve with age. The other variant receives no such treatment and is bottled with the standard 330ml bottle with a crown cap. This is what you get in Malaysia and it is by no means an inferior product to the oak aged version.

Sweet aroma of dried raisins and burn caramel. The palate is generous and rich with cream-like texture. The attack is sweet with hint of spice and the bitter finish persistent with a cough syrup-like quality that leaves a sugary coat mouth feels.

Serving Temperature: 10-14°C
ABV: 10%
Volume: 330ml
Effective Price: RM 10.59 (as at May 17, 2011)
Location: Cold Storage, One Utama Shopping Centre