Bavaria, Germany
Weihenstephan
Bavarian state brewery at Freising that claims the longest continuous brewing history in the world, and the reference producer for Hefeweizen.
Also known as Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan.
The 1040 founding date rests on a record of brewing rights granted to the abbey, and the claim to be the world’s oldest continuously operating brewery is contested by at least one other institution. What is not contested is the site’s importance: it sits alongside the Technical University of Munich’s brewing faculty, which has trained a substantial share of the world’s brewing scientists.
Why it matters
The reference Hefeweizen producer, and — through its association with the TUM brewing faculty — a central institution in brewing education and research.
Details
| Founded | 1040 |
|---|---|
| Where | Bavaria, Germany |
| Status | Operating |
Reference beers
- Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
The reference Bavarian Hefeweizen, with the banana and clove balance the style is defined by.
- Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel
The dark counterpart to the same brewery’s pale Hefeweissbier, and the clearest available demonstration of what Munich malt does underneath weissbier yeast.
- Weihenstephaner Original Helles
A Helles from the brewery attached to the university faculty that trains much of the world’s brewing industry.
- Weihenstephaner Vitus
A pale weizenbock from the world’s oldest continuously operating brewery, and the clearest example of how strength amplifies wheat beer yeast.
BeerHQ carries only the products that anchor something. This is not the brewery’s full range.
Styles it is associated with
- Weissbier — Bavarian wheat beer defined by its yeast: pronounced banana and clove over a soft, cloudy, highly carbonated body.
- Dunkelweizen — A dark Bavarian wheat beer where banana and clove meet bread crust and light caramel from Munich malt.
- Munich Helles — Bavaria’s everyday pale lager: soft, bready and malt-forward, with just enough hop to balance and nothing to distract.
Traditions
- Bavarian lager brewing — Cold fermentation and extended cold storage, developed in Bavarian cellars long before refrigeration and later exported worldwide.
Other breweries in Germany
Aecht Schlenkerla · Augustiner · Ayinger · Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus · Berliner Kindl · Bitburger Brauerei · Cölner Hofbräu Früh · Dortmunder Actien-Brauerei
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.