photo : Rosemary Voegtli
High in the Upper Austrian district of Schärding, is a tiny new brewery with an ancient history. And the boys who make the Bishop’s brew are contributing to the culture of their country with the help of one of Austria’s specialist Independent Brewers.
Engelhartszell an der Donau
At Engelhartszell an der Donau (or Danube river to the English speaking world!) is home to Austria’s newest brewery. But you won’t find any boozy brewers, because the boys making this tasty tipple are none other than the Trappist Monks at Engelszell Abbey.
Way back in 1293 Bishop Wernhard von Prabach from Passau (who was famous for something, but I’ll be blowed if I know what!) founded Engelszell Abbey – also known as Angel Abbey. Perhaps that’s what he was famous for….
Beleaguered by bills and needing to find a way to supplement their income, the entrepreneurial priests contacted their local Independent Brewery – Brauerie Hofstetten – from where the kind and caring Peter Krammer came to their assistance. And since February 2012, Stift Engelszell (the German name for the Abbey) has been brewing beers with distinctive characters. They’re called after former Bishops!
Gregorius and Benno
The dark ale brewed by the monks, is Gregorius. It’s 9.7% alcohol and sweetened with local honey. For connoisseurs of fine ales, this Bishop’s brew has cocoa notes from the use of roasted malt. That means absolutely nothing to me, but must do to somebody!
Benno is a blond – a bit like me really – mine comes out of a bottle too!
But I digress. This beer is light in body (oh dear – so very unlike me!) and has 7% alcohol. And like it’s boozier brother is sold to tourists who visit the Abbey shop. That’s where they can also pick up some super cheese and liqueur, likewise made by these followers of Benedictine philosophy – pray, work and only speak when it’s necessary. I really wouldn’t fit in very well, would I?
The Beer Hunters
Whatever the wonderful ways of these mysterious men, the monks at Engelszell are contributing to the culture of their country. According to Michael Jackson (deceased), in his book ‘The World Guide to Beer’ (1977) beer is an essential component of all cultures. This was reflected in his 1990s television series ‘The Beer Hunters’, which turned out to be a screening success.
In case you’re sat doing the maths and thinking ‘the guy could only have been 18 years old or so’. Or, how the heck did he manage to do that whilst beetling about with his brothers and becoming a rock super star? Let me just say that it wasn’t Michael Jackson the musician, but this one - a UK journalist!
The Danube Valley
If you’re a Beer Hunter and fancy dropping in on these brewing brethren, it might be worth knowing that you can’t actually just arrive at the Abbey and grab a glass or two of these tasty tipples. They’re only available through the monastery shop.
But there’s plenty of other things to do and see in the Danube Valley. From hiking and biking to big boat sailing, there’s something for everyone to see and do. Not least of which is the Haus an Strom, with its futuristic wave shaped building and in summer time, the Jagabildkapelle – Way of the Cross Procession – is not to be missed.
Oh, nearly forgot to say – this high altitude Abbey with an alcoholic attitude is the only Trappist beer brewing building in Austria…. and it’s near Bavaria!
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