The Weltenburg Abbey, located at the geographical heart of Bavaria between Ingolstadt and Regensburg, directly along the Danube River, is Bavaria’s most ancient monastery. It was founded around 600 AD by Irish or Scottish monks, though the place was already inhabited: it had been a border post by the time of the Roman Empire when it extended North of the Alps.
The abbey’s monks started brewing beer in 1050 and stored their production in the rock cellars they built to preserve it in a cool place. To this day, the abbey brews a wide variety of beers which are distributed in many countries over the world – even in Quebec. The Asam-Bock is named after the architect and decorator brothers Asam, who built the St-George church in the mid-18th century, a prime example of the European baroque style.
The canyon-like landscape is one of the most spectacular sites around Weltenburg. The Danube River there weaves its flows between 70m high limestone cliffs crowned by forest. These gorges have been attracting visitors for centuries for their breathtaking, wild beauty: as early as in 1840, King Ludwig I of Bavaria declared the place a “natural monument”. It is still a beloved hiking target that can also be reached by ferry.
Quebers can taste the Asam Bock at their local liquor store SAQ.