Irseer Klosterbräu
Irseer
An old monastery revived for brewery
Irseer Klosterbräu is a brewery and hotel located on the grounds of the Irse monastery in the Ostallgau region. Füssen, famous for Neuschwanstein Castle, is about an hour from Munich by train and 40 minutes from here. This makes it a good place to stay halfway between Munich and Füssen.
Built in the 12th century, it has been converted into modern accommodation with simple wooden furniture and a spacious bathroom, while retaining the thick walls and wooden beams of the former Irsee Monastery. It is 'an idyllic village that combines architecture, culture and comfort' according to those who have stayed here. There is a sauna in the basement and those who have used it are very satisfied.
There is accommodation, a museum, a brewery and a restaurant serving traditional German cuisine. The restaurant also has a good reputation. It is said that you can taste traditional southern German dishes such as 'Flädlesuppe', which is made with savoury pancakes.
Wish List
Here is a wish list of places I would like to stay on my next trip, including a monastic brewery and brewery accommodation in Bavaria that I missed on my last few trips to Germany.
Irseer Brewery and Kloster Beer
Irsee Kloster is a 12th century Benedictine monastery with a long history of brewing. However, during the peasant revolts, wars and secularisation of the 19th century, it became a private brewery. The other buildings of the monastery were also converted. In the 1970s there was a movement to restore the old monastery and revive the brewing tradition. This led to the creation of today's Irsee Brewery.
The beer brewed according to the old monastery brewing method is Irsee Kloster Urtrunk, which is unfiltered and cloudy, giving it the original taste of old beer.
