Austria doesn’t receive a lot of attention in the beer scene, often being overshadowed by the renowned brews of neighboring Germany and Czechia. But Austria does have its own robust collection of both historic breweries and newer, smaller craft breweries, and is just behind Czechia at the top of the list for per capita beer consumption. The most popular style in Austria is the Austrian Märzen, more golden in color and less malt-forward than its neighbor Germany’s Märzen.
Since Vienna was at the tail end of my trip, I didn’t do a ton of beer drinking there, since I did my fair share in Prague (read: Around the World in Beers: Czechia) and needed to dry out a bit. But here are a few that I did try.
Ottakringer Brauerei
Ottakringer is Vienna’s last remaining large scale brewery. It is located in Vienna’s 16th district that it is named for, Ottakring, to the west of the Innere Stadt. It was established in 1837 by Heinrich Plank and taken over in 1850 by the Kuffner family. The Kuffners, being Jewish, were forced to sell the brewery as World War II started to take shape, and sold to Gustav Harmer. Following the World War, the brewery was occupied by Soviets until Harmer could prove his ownership and take the brewery back into his control. A restitution case resulted in the heirs of the Kuffner family receiving compensation for their loss of the brewery.
The brewery today produces 420,000 hectolitres of beer annually, and offers tours of its facilities as well as venue space for events. It’s been voted one of the best breweries in Europe.
If I had spent one more day in Vienna, I would have included a visit to the brewery in my itinerary, but didn’t make it there on this trip. I did drink their Rotes Zwickl at a few different restaurants while I was in Vienna. Their beers can be found at most establishments throughout the city. The Rotes Zwickl is 5.2% and very malty with a beautiful cloudy red color and notes of caramel.
Beer Paradise
In search of a good beer bar not far from my hotel one night, I had to look no further than Bieradies, or Beer Paradise, located on a small square called Judenplatz. I had a great time sitting at the bar there for a bit. My first order was a Weihenstephaner hefeweizen. This 5.4% wheat beer is not an Austrian beer as it originates in the Bavaria region of Germany. But it has since become one of my favorite German beers and we have to admire the pour that I got at Beer Paradise, because it had hands down the most beautiful foam head I have ever seen on a beer. Props to that bartender!
Villacher Brauerei
My second choice at Beer Paradise was the Villacher dunkel. Villacher Brauerei is located in Villach in the Carinthia region of southern Austria. The brewery was established in 1858 by innkeeper and butcher Johann Fischer. In 1919, the brewery along with a few others in Carinthia founded the United Carinthian Breweries Aktiengesellschaft (VKB) which by 1926 was the largest brewing company in Carinthia producing a third of Austria’s beer. The Villacher dunkel is a 4.9% Munich dunkel that is very sweet and roasty.
Almdudler and Almradler
Not a beer, but an interesting beverage that I tried in Vienna was Almdudler, known as the national drink of Austria. It’s an herbal soda that’s been produced since 1957 and consists of natural alpine herbs, beet sugar and soda water. Next time I’m in Austria, my goal will be to try an almradler, a version of the soda sold mixed with beer!
I feel like I have much more beer exploration to do in Austria still, but enjoyed what I’ve tried there so far!
Read more about my time in Vienna:
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