Klosterbrauerei Andechs

Graebner

Germany

4.7/5  rDev +8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

One of my all-time, if not the all-time favorite place to get a beer.

Atmosphere is good, a surprisingly large proportion of locals...almost everyone in the place is from Munich. Compare this to the Hofbraeuhaus where a very large percentage of people are tourists, and the place is geared towards that crowd. Andechs is still pretty local. People are friendly (probly all that 7% beer), the monks are polite and business-like, the rooms are incredible with exposed timbers in low ceilings and the names of each former abbot carved into a beam, back to 1455. The biergarten has a fantastic view of the Ammersee and the hills of Bavaria, even the Alps on clear days.

Still not sure what quality means.

Service is good. One of the three times I've been the food line was longish (10 min), but thats it. Beer line is 3 min tops every time. Monks are pretty friendly and very helpful, and they always get it right.

Selection is great, considering everything is brewed on premises. 10+ different brews to choose from. I get the doppelbock, but their weissbier is also outstanding...probably the best weissbier I've ever had. Food selection is good, cold and hot deli-style area and a small buffet line type thing.

The food is phenomenal. Best sauerkraut in Munich as far as I know, the roast pork shoulder is incredibly delicious, tender and juicy, the pretzels are great. Their potato salad isnt the best Ive ever had, but it's certainly delicious. They have specials, which on Friday is smoked mackeral with peppercorn, paprika, herbs, or plain, served with horseradish and black rye, and it is divine.

A thick slice of pork shoulder, a pretzel and some kraut will run you 6 euro, the mackeral will run you a paltry 2.5 euro, and a litre of the doppelbock will set you back 6 euro even, with the other beers ranging from 4.80 to 5.70 euro per litre. Half-litres are available as well.

From any S-Bahn station downtown, take the S5 to Herrsching and either a bus or taxi to Andechs. There is also a really nice trail through the woods, but if you havent been before the short way is very hard to find, and the long way takes almost two hours. Walking back is easy though, you can't lose the trail, it takes about 30 minutes of walking through the woods to get to Herrsching, and you come out within a few blocks of the S-Bahn station.

If you can only visit a single establishment in Munich, this is the one (Augustinerbrau am Marienplatz is a close second).

03-29-2008 07:13:29 | More by Graebner

Goldorak

Quebec (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -9.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

After a very somber visit in Dachau, I needed enlightenment. What better place than on top of the hill at Andechs?

Too bad we got there a bit late, our hotel was back in the village and we had to walk all the way up, so we missed the brewery and distillery tours. The huge mountain of plastic cases near the brewery was quite a sight, and on the way up we spotted a few hop vines that seemed almost ripe for picking. The church is pretty impressive, with a cool sundial...right underneath a clock. Maybe they needed a second opinion! The view for up top is very nice, it was clear out so we could see the mountains, the whole area is very quaint, kind of Vermont-ish.

It was getting a bit chilly out, so we sat inside in the main section where the cafeteria style food and Beer counters were. I went straight for a mass of dopplebock from the cask, and my girlfriend got a glass of wine. What I don't get is that they charged a 3 euro deposit for her wine glass, the kind with a green stem that you find absolutely everywhere in the country, and charged me nothing for the kick-ass Andescher mug my Beer was served in. It was absolutely fabulous, rich yet quaffable, well worthy of the hype. They had 2 more casks and Andechs bottles as well.

As with a vast majority of the places we've been to, clientele was in their late 50s or older, including the charming German couple who shared our picnic table and some of the food we got. We went for some cheese and bread, all made on-premises, and they were quite good.

Great place to spend an afternoon if you're in the area.

09-29-2007 14:34:44 | More by Goldorak

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev -1.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

What a place to visit, I recommend any lover of high quality malt beverages makes a pilgrimage to this site. From Munich hauptbahnhof it's very easy to get here (S5 train to final stop, then look for the Andechs bus for a 10 minute ride to the Kloster).

It's set on a hill with a beautiful view of Bavaria, you can actually see the alps in the distance when it's clear (like today). I had a total of 4 beers while here, sampled in several locations within the klosterbrauerei: first the bier garten, then the beer hall, then the restauarant. Each location was perfect, I probably preferred the beer hall overall due to the medievel feel to the place, with exposed timbers and stucco and whatnot.

Everything was reasonably priced, the doppelbock dunkel was 3.30 euros for a 0.5L glass, the wiess bier was maybe 2.70 euros. Every beer was delicious, and the monastary buildings give a very inviting ambience.

I just realized the review is too positive, heading for hero worship. So I'll list a negative: the line to get a beer in the beer hall is too long, it takes 10-15 minutes each time you get a beer. With 3500+ seats, I'd like to think they could set this up differently, allowing for quicker ordering.

If you find yourself in Munich, this place is a no-brainer.

06-29-2007 22:46:01 | More by TurdFurgison

JohnW

United Kingdom (England)

4.35/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

The Andechs Monastery is a MUST visit when in Munich area, and I can only endorse others reviews.
To get there from Munich, catch the S5 suburban train from the Hauptbahnhof to Herrshing - about 45 minutes, and then the 951 bus from outside the terminus station at Herrshing to Kloster Andechs. I would recommend you get a train just before 9am, then get the bus from Herrshing at 10.10, but beware, there could be hundreds of people with the same idea, and the bus so full you cannot get on! You can walk from Herrshing, but its about an hours steep uphill walk of 3 miles.

The bus drops you at the car park at the foot of the Andechs Monastary, so just a short uphill walk.

The Monastery church interior is amazing and must be seen. The Beer Gardens, Terrace and Restaurant areas are all close together, and normally three Andechs beer available from wooden casks - the Hell, Weiss and Dobblebock Dunkel, and all are fantastic. There are various food options, from hot pork slices, the knuckle joint, cold meats and cheeses, breads and salads at a counter, then take them out to the Beer Garden, or Terrace, or into the two restaurant halls.

Great atmosphere in the Beer Garden and Terrace and VERY popular in fine weather, so best to arrive early to be sure of getting a seat!

The full range of beers are available in bottles and presentation packs, as well as other souvenirs of the place.

Highly recommended, and I can hardly wait to go again!!

JohnW
B'ham UK April 2007

04-17-2007 21:56:59 | More by JohnW

andythejerk

Utah

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $

Go to the Holy Mountain! It has been made holy by the deliciousness of the monk-brewed beers! Set in a beautiful countryside next to a gorgeous Bavarian lake, you'll have to take a train and then a bus to get there from Munich, but it's more than worth the trip. The closter church was beautiful, and we also splurged and climbed to the top of the bell-tower for the cost of 1 euro. Amazing 360 degree view!
The view of the patchwork farmscape from the Biergarten is almost as spectacular (just not 360 degrees) since you're at a monastery (monks always build on hilltops), and sitting there with the good Bavarian food and even better beer, it's an experience not to be missed. I especially liked their Hefeweissbier Naturtrub, but the famous Doppelbock is also worth mentioning. The Rollbraten was one of the best things I have ever eaten!

09-28-2006 19:54:34 | More by andythejerk

greebsnarf

New York

4.05/5  rDev -6.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 2 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $$

I visited Andechs during a month-long tour of western Europe this summer with a friend. We spent only three days in Munich but I insisted on making the roughly-hour-long trek out to the monastery on our last day there. It was a drizzly day, a little on the cold side, but we ate in the biergarten rather than the overcrowded hall. It was quiet and relaxing--the handful of equally stubborn patrons of the garden were all about forty years our elders and kept to themselves--with a lovely view of the monastery just up the hill on one side, a patch of woods on another, and below us a herd of cattle grazing in a small pasture. All in all, the perfect setting for a light lunch and a few liters of strong beer.

Perhaps because the garden was so empty, service was spotty, with the waitress only bothering to come outside infrequently, and rushing us a little with our orders when she did. Our food was nice but unmemorable, but we hardly sampled the bulk of the menu: we only ordered desserts, chocolate-drenched berries and cream for my companion, a filling but unspectacular kaiserschmarnn for me. I wish I had tried the main courses, but maybe next time.

But the beer was the reason we came and it certainly didn't disappoint. We sampled the helles, doppelbock, weissbier hefetrueb, and dunkles weissbier. All of them were both stunning and delicious and I certainly had more than was wise considering their well-disguised strength--all of the beers served on the premises are at least twice as alcoholic as the bottled varieties, with the doppelbock reaching 18%.

To cap off the visit, there's a separate gift shop where, among other things, you can buy four-packs of bottles for the road. I should mention that the monastery grounds themselves are also beautiful and well worth the visit in their own right. I saw some posters advertising a Carl Orff recital that would be performed on the premises about a month after my visit. If I lived in the area I'd love to go out there for something like that.

09-07-2006 00:51:03 | More by greebsnarf

DaveFL1976

Florida

4.4/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Oh how I wish I had more time to spend here.

Spent the night in Fussen, and visited King Ludwig's castle. Pretty cool. Then drove the two-hour drive (with poor directions, you can make it there quicker with better directions, I'm sure). Finally we arrive in Andechs. There are plenty of signs to direct you to the brewery. We pull into what looks like a Wal Mart parking lot. I wasn't impressed.

But then you begin to walk up the hill and it becomes more serene. You see the tower of the monestary. Old German guys having fun. Laughing, and happy people.

Finally you get to the Brewhouse. It's a bit confusing at first. Not really any table service. There are seperate lines for beer and food. Plus at least 2 lines for food. One for small stuff like pretzels (brezes) -- you've got to have a pretzel. And another area where you can buy the brauts and schweinhaxe. The food is all tasty, and while a bit pricey, it's worth the money for the experience.

Go to the beer line. Start with the Weissbier Hell.
Then move to the Doppelbock. Oh man, that's good.
Before you get too drunk on the Doppelbock, have an Applebeer, or a Hell Lager. The beer is all top notch. The scenery is great. Everybody's having a nice time. The food is good. I want to go back!

07-13-2006 19:36:55 | More by DaveFL1976

dedrinker

Kansas

3.51/5  rDev -19.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | $$

A beautiful summer well spent. We sat outside overlooking golden fields of wheat. We made sure to visit on a weekday as they claim to hold back the doppelbock on weekends (tourists+serious beer=silly drunk spectacle). It was such a beautiful day, and we made sure to try all the beers available. My chief love of German beer is that while the overall selection is relatively low (stylistically speaking) you really have to make a concerted effort to seek out a bad example of any given beer style they make. Helles, Dunkel, Doppelbock, Hefe-Weizen - we did it - people I had literally just met the day before and invited to come with me. The beer was great, the surroundings were great, and the overall day was sublime. Go there!

06-01-2006 03:42:58 | More by dedrinker

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.18/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

This place is still a monestary, with a fairly good sized brewery adjacent to it.

The brewery is expanding, and there were 4 new conical stainless steel fermentation tanks ready to be installed. Sitting next to them was a wooden cart full of spent grains... presumably to feed their livestock. They still produce organic dairy products and their milk, yogurt and cheese were all really good.

They have a stuberl, which is more of a self-serve cafeteria/beer-hall, and excellent value. We opted to relax & get served at the Gasthof restaurant. The food was REALLY good and reasonable priced. My wife had a nice plate of their cheeses, I had a generous portion of meat. Their fresh beer (vom fass) was really good, though I thought their dopple was a bit of a let-down (I enjoyed their other stuff more).

I picked up a stein from their gift shop for around $5 (similar to what the hofbrau house in munich sells for $18.50).

We visited in the last week of march, so there was still a fair bit of snow around... we took the bus from/to the trainstation.

The lake down by the train station was still frozen, but there were plenty of people out walking, and even a few people drinking beer in the sun!

04-09-2006 21:55:04 | More by Derek

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

I took a day trip out to Andechs while I was in Munich for Oktoberfest, and I am very happy I did so. The monastery is situated in the countryside a short bus ride from Herrsching, which is itself a 30-40 minute ride on the S-bahn from Munich. After you exit the bus, you must walk up a steep hill to the monastery, church, and restaurants, but it is worth the walk. The church itself is quite beautiful, and you can try to climb all the way up the steeple tower, if you dare.

As for the beer, there is a main indoor seating beer hall where you can purchase your mugs of the wonderful Andechser bier (there were 4 or 5 styles on-tap during my visit, including the world famous Doppelbock, the Jubiläumsbier, an Apfelweisse, and the Helles). You go up to a window and pay for your beer and get a token, and then walk a short way to another window where you get your mug of beer for your token. You can then drink you beer inside in the beer hall, or outside on a nice patio with a view of the countryside. There is also a smaller cafe restaurant on the other side of the patio where you can get coffee and snacks. Finally, there is a restaurant/cafeteria where you can order meals to eat with your liters of beer. The schweinhaxe was crisp and tasty.

The beers were, of course, wonderful. The Doppelbock was so delicious and easy to drink. 1.5 L went down smoothly. It is a good thing you can get here on public transportation (just don't miss the last bus back to the S-bahn).

Service was pretty minimal, as everything is ordered from a window or a counter, but that did not detract from the experience. The prices were reasonable. One comment, however, is that if you want to buy bottled beer to take with you, you can purchase it at a kiosk or in the gift shop, but four bottles cost a little over 7 Euros, and these same four bottles can be had in Munich for 5-6 Euros. But not a big deal, and perhaps worth the convenience.

I recommend all beer lovers visit this wonderful place as it is definitely worthy of the pilgirmage.

2005-9-26

03-20-2006 04:15:38 | More by UncleJimbo