Kuchlbauer Weisse ~ 50cl
Brauerei zum Kuchlbauer is a Bavarian weissbier (wheat beer) specialist. They brew in accordance with the Bavarian Beer Purity Law of 1516 to traditional recipes.
One of their main beers, this soft, round-bodied Hefeweissbier has delicate and mildly bitter hops and an extremely balanced finish that makes you want to drink more every time.
Kuchlbauer can be regarded as one of the oldest breweries in the world: it can trace its origins back to 1300 when a brewery in Abensberg obtained official brewing rights from the local court. It is now run by the 9th generation of the Horsch family, who acquired the brewery and the restaurant Zum Kuchlbauer in 1904.
Using the best local ingredients from the surrounding agricultural regions, they have long-term procurment partnerships – including organic producers – supplying hops from the Hallertau, Bavarian Jura and Gäuboden grown barley; plus their own pure water from a private well and self-bred strains of yeast.
The brewery emphasises sustainability and social responsibility. They generate their own solar energy system and excess capacity is fed back into the mains grid. The construction of their new logistic centre is ecological and sustainably “climate positive” – built in timber with a ‘garden’ roof.
IBU 12
Golden colour with a typical wheat beer haze; medium carbonation gives a frothy, lasting head. Aromas are of wheat and malt with nuances of apricot, banana and clove. The palate is soft with a good balance of a little sweetness and delicate bitterness.
About the Brand
Kuchlbauer
Kuchlbauer is one of the oldest Bavarian breweries, tracing its origins back to 1300 when a brewery in Abensberg obtained official brewing rights from the local court. The current name derives from at least 1751, when records show the owner of the property named “Kuchlpauer” supplied provisions to the bishop of Regensburg.
Abensberg is now a small town of 14,000 people located in the heart of Bavaria, north of Munich. It is no coincidence that a brewery was founded here as the town is considered the “northern-most gate to the Hallertau” – home of the world-renowned Hallertau hops – and centrally located in the agricultural regions of the Bavarian Jura and the Gäuboden that have the perfect soil for growing the highest quality barley and wheat.
The Horsch family acquired the brewery and the restaurant Zum Kuchlbauer in 1904.
Leonhard Salleck inherited the brewery “in a bad state” in 1969. He turned around its fortunes so that on his retirement it was ranked 37th among Bavarian breweries according to beer output. After 50 years in charge, at the age of 75, he handed it onto his son Jacob Horsch, then aged 25 – the 9th generation.
Annual production is now approx. 130.000 hectolitres.
The brewery emphasises sustainability and social responsibility. They generate their own ‘photovoltaic’ solar energy system and excess capacity is put back into the mains grid. The construction of their new logistic centre is ecological and sustainable “climate positive”: built in timber with a ‘garden’ roof.
Kuchlbauer are proud to provide more job security than industrial breweries oriented towards corporate profit. They support the local community by providing more that 70 full time jobs plus specifically investing in the training of young people just out of school and including opportunities for people with disabilities. All are offered above-average pay and a respectful environment to work in.
Kuchlbauer thrives because of the region and wants to give the region something back in return. Where possible, materials, goods and services purchased locally in Bavaria and the surrounding area, ensuring low ‘food miles’. They maintain long-term partnerships with craftsmen and service-providers in Abensberg.
In 2018 Kuchlbauer secured an agreement with five conventional, regional farmers for the future production of organically grown barley – produced exclusively for Kuchlbauer.
The brewery is self-sufficient for electricity; generating their own ‘photovoltaic’ solar energy – with enough excess capacity to be fed back into the mains grid.
The Kuchlbauer Tower
Leonhard Salleck, Kuchlbauer’s owner and general manager, was regarded as not just a brewer and business economist but also and artist and philosopher. It’s no surprise then that, his over- lifelong dream was to add an artistic observation tower to the grounds of his brewery.
Setting out to make this dream a reality, he approached renowned Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser – who famously disliked straight lines and was known for his bizarre, free-flowing organic structures. In the late 1990s they began plans for a tower the likes of which Lower Bavaria had never seen.
The proposed 70-meter high construction was refused by the local authorities in 1999 who forbid any tower to be taller than the town church.
However, following Hundertwasser’s death, the design served as inspiration for his life-long friend and colleague Peter Pelikan to independently adapt and revise the Tower (built 2007 – 2020) that now stands 34.19m high with an observation platform of 10m diameter at the top. It’s exhibition rooms pay homage to the culture of beer brewing in Bavaria.
The whimsical structure looks like a tall robot with a golden head and many colourful appendages sprouting from its body. The “onion dome,” a golden ball at the top of the tower, is one of Hundertwasser’s trademarks. The interior of this bright ball is blue and decorated with colourful mosaics, which can also be found in the tower’s cellar. Each of the oddly shaped rooms within the tower is dedicated to a key ingredient of beer and the brewing process. The different chambers are filled with stained glasswork and bright art displays that tie in with the ingredient being highlighted.
According to local myth Kuchlbauer wheat beer is brewed by Weissbier dwarves; the tower includes their home, a grotto with an installation of animated dwarf statues crafting away.
Kuchlbauer Tower, now an unofficial symbol of Abensberg is also home the largest collection of wheat beer glasses in the world, with around 4,200 on display.
