Beer from Austria
A country with a rich brewing tradition and innovative breweries

Crystal-clear spring water, thriving grains and hops, and imaginative master brewers who blend traditional craftsmanship with fresh ideas.

Austria offers ideal conditions for brewing beer. Most breweries invite visitors to take a look behind the scenes during guided tours, tastings or brewing days. A sociable experience: Enjoying a visit to a beer garden in one of the provincial capitals.

Masterfully crafted beer

The brewers from the Mühlviertel region

It’s no coincidence that the Mühlviertel region has become so strongly associated with beer. The granite soil filters the water, making it especially pure and soft – ideal for brewing. Add to that the region’s premium-quality hops: Nowhere else in Austria is it cultivated in such abundance.

One of the Hofstetten Brewery’s specialities is its “Granitbock” – a strong beer fermented in 120-year-old granite troughs. Beforehand, granite stones are heated until red-hot over an open fire and then plunged into the beer to caramelise the sugars – a true spectacle. And since brewing beer remains very much a hands-on craft, the sugar content is continuously checked by hand. The result: Roasted caramel notes with aromas of dark chocolate and wild berries – a true delight.

Landbrauhaus HofstettenAustria's private breweries

Austria’s true art of brewing

Welcome to the world of Austria’s private breweries! Here, brewing traditions have been passed down through generations. Discover the diversity, character and unmistakable flavour of our beers!

Stiegl Brewery

Stiegl-Brauwelt offers exciting guided tours and lets guests in on the secrets of beer brewing.

Stiegl Beer

Brewery Ottakring

"Ottakringer" is probably the best-known beer in Vienna. However, seasonal delicacies are also created in the in-house creative brewery "Brauwerk".

Ottakringer Beer

Brewery Gols

The specialities of this brewery are refined with the finest ingredients such as chestnuts, spelt, herbs, fruit and spices.

Golser Beer

Brewery Murau

Clean air, the purest water, hops and malt - these have been the ingredients for excellent beer for over 500 years.

Murauer Beer

Brewery Eggenberg Castle

This family business in Schloss Eggenberg has been producing delicious beer from local ingredients with great care and craftsmanship for 200 years.

Eggenberg Castle Beer

Brewery Hirt

Organic barley is grown on the company's own agricultural land and in co-operation with regional farmers - the basis for its two organic beers.

Hirter Beer

Zillertal Brewery

Tirol's oldest private brewery has been brewing beers with mountain water and regional ingredients since 1500 - modern, sustainable and tradition-minded.

Zillertal Beer

Brewery Schrems

The soft, lime-rich water of the Waldviertel primary rock landscape contributes to the high quality of the beer.

Schremser Beer

Discover unique beer culture experiences

Whether brewing, tasting or simply enjoying – beer experiences offer fascinating insights into the world of breweries. Let master brewers introduce you to the art of brewing or sample special craft beers at tasting sessions.

Beer experience Freistadt

Attention beer lovers! At Braucommune Freistadt, you can deepen your beer knowledge and brew your own beer - under the guidance of professionals. Cheers!

Brewing community experience

Weitra Brewery Beer Workshop

At the brewery museum in Weitra Castle, you'll immerse yourself in the world of beer - from raw materials to glass culture. Find out what beer type you are!

Weitra Brewery Beer Workshop

Puntigam experience

Whether it's an adventure tour, tasting or city tour - everything revolves around beer here. Check the dates now and join in!

Puntigam brewery tours

Stiegl beer museum

In the Stiegl Museum, you can experience the history of the brewery with historical exhibits and modern technology on 5,000 square metres.

Stiegl beer museum

Murau beer pharmacy

The Murauer Bier Apotheke is a shop and meeting place offering beer specialities, cosmetics, Swiss stone pine products, beer cheese, mustard, jellies and more.

Beer pharmacy

Zillertal Beer BrauKunstHaus

Experience the world of Zillertal beer in the BrauKunstHaus! Discover nature, the brewing process and culture on 5,000 m² - with a multimedia tour and beer tasting.

Attractions in the BrauKunstHaus

Zwettl Beer brewing experience

The experience ranges from a tour of the brewery - from the brewing kettle to bottling - to a Friday evening twilight pint with beer tasting.

Zwettl brewing experience

Innviertel beer picnic

Pack your things for a picnic! In the basket: Pfesch beer and organic snacks. First, explore the hop garden, then relax and enjoy at the Pfendhuber pond.

Innviertel beer picnic

Beer gardens in Austria's capital cities

Enjoy a cold beer in the open air – whether in a shady beer garden in Vienna, with mountain views in Innsbruck, or right by the Danube in Linz. Regional specialities and a sociable atmosphere included. Cheers!

Stöckl im Park in Vienna

In the spacious guest garden at Belvedere Palace, once a princely summer residence, you can enjoy beer specialities from our own brewery at Gasthaus Stöckl.

Stöckl im Park

Grünspan in Vienna

In Vienna's 16th beer district Ottakring, where the Ottakringer brewery is located, the cosy beer garden delights with first-class pub cuisine.

Grünspan

Beer gardens in Salzburg

Salzburg's beer gardens are varied - large or small, hidden or central. But they all share one trait: the atmosphere in the enchanting historic city centre.

Beer gardens in Salzburg

Beer gardens in Linz

With Danube view, in the historic city centre or under old trees. Traditional or modern - you can drink freshly tapped beer and enjoy regional delicacies everywhere.

Beer gardens in Linz (in German)

Beer gardens in Graz

Enjoy a cool beer with Styrian specialities on the Schlossberg above the rooftops of Graz or in the cosy guest garden in the historic old town.

Beer gardens in Graz (in German)

Beer garden at the Stiftskeller in Innsbruck

The large guest garden on Franziskanerplatz and the small one in Stiftgasse are popular meeting places for guests and locals alike.

Beer garden at the Stiftskeller

Beer hotels

Sleep where hops and malt are at home. Brewing workshops, beer-themed wellness and regional cuisine all centred around beer await you.

Bier Boutique Hotel Loncium

The beer hotel with its own craft beer brewery is firmly anchored in the brewing scene, has received numerous awards and is certified organic!

Bier Boutique Hotel Loncium

Bergergut

Beer has a long tradition at the Bergergut. In the brewery boutique near the hotel you can taste, buy or experience beer brewing with the master brewer.

Bergergut

Hotel Klosterbräu

Home-brewed beer, 5 varieties and the unique champagne beer. The highlight is the free beer fountain in the spa.

Klosterbräu Brewery

The brewing year ends with “Brewer’s New Year” – always celebrated on 30 September, Austria’s Beer Day.

Beer country Austria

Hops - A true all-rounder

Hops play a variety of roles in the brewing process: they shape a beer’s distinctive aroma profile, add firmness to the head, and act as a natural preservative – which was especially important in the past. Beers such as the famous India Pale Ale were typically brewed with a higher hop content to keep them fresher on long journeys.

There are hundreds of hop varieties around the world. While traditional types (bittering hops) give beer its characteristic, slightly bitter taste, interest in more diverse aromas has grown significantly among brewers in recent years.

So if a beer tastes of passion fruit, it’s usually not because any fruit was added – but thanks to the skilful selection and combination of the right hop varieties.

Austria's beer regionsBeer map

FAQs

Austria boasts a rich and diverse beer culture with a wide range of specialities.

Classic favourites include:

  • Märzen, the most widely consumed beer in Austria,

  • and Wiener Lager, known for its amber hue and smooth character.

Speciality beers include:

  • Zwickl, a naturally cloudy, unfiltered beer,

  • and Stout, with its intense roasted malt aroma.

  • Wheat beer delights with fruity freshness,

  • while Bock beers stand out with their higher alcohol content and malty sweetness.

Innovative craft beers enrich the offering with creative hop and spice notes.

Austria has a lively brewing scene with many renowned breweries:

  • Stiegl in Salzburg is the market leader, famous for its Stiegl-Goldbräu.

  • Ottakringer, based in Vienna, is one of the most traditional breweries.

  • Gösser, part of the Brau Union, is beloved for its Märzen.

  • Egger in Lower Austria and Zipfer in Upper Austria are also among the major producers.

  • Murauer and Schloss Eggenberg play key roles on a regional level.

  • Innovative breweries like Trumer, Brauhaus Gusswerk and Schremser are gaining recognition for their creative beers.

Several Austrian regions have strong brewing traditions:

  • Upper Austria is a beer stronghold, home to breweries such as Zipfer, Eggenberg and many smaller producers.

  • In Salzburg, breweries like Stiegl and Trumer are renowned for their craft.

  • Styria, especially around Leoben, is home to Gösser.

  • Lower Austria offers variety with Egger, Zwettler and Schremser.

  • Vienna blends urban flair with tradition through Ottakringer and a vibrant craft beer scene.

  • Tirol is known for creative brews made with local ingredients, from breweries like Zillertal Bier, Starkenberger and Bierol.

  • In Carinthia, classic brews such as Hirter Privat Pils are crafted by Hirter, while microbreweries like Shilling Bier and Loncium offer beers with unique hop and malt notes.

  • Vorarlberg features large producers like Mohrenbrauerei and Fohrenburger, alongside smaller craft-focused breweries like Brauhaus Rössle and Biermanufaktur Frastanz.

Austria offers countless welcoming beer gardens perfect for relaxing with a cold beer. Here are some highlights:

  • Salzburg Old Town: Augustiner Bräu, Pauli Stubn, Stadtalm, Stieglkeller

  • Vienna: Grünspan, Brandauer’s, Stöckl im Belvedere

  • Vorarlberg: Rankweiler Hof, Gasthaus zur Eibe, Alpengasthof Bad Rothenbrunnen

  • Tirol: Stiftskeller, Bierstindl, Fischerhäusl

  • Graz: S’Biergartl, Gösserbräu, Brauhaus Puntigam

  • Carinthia: Hirter Braukeller, Villacher Brauhof, Lindenhof, Hofbräu zum Lindwurm

  • Linz: Stieglbräu zum Klosterhof, Biergartl an der Donau, Zum Schiefen Apfelbaum

You might also like

In wine and sparkling wine you'll taste the region

In Austria, at a Heuriger, an extra serving of passion is offered alongside the view of the vineyard landscape.

Wine and Sparkling Wine in Austria

Culinary Delights and Experiences in Austria

In the Alps, on mountain pastures, by lakes, along the Danube, in forests and in vineyards, people are on a mission: To refine valuable products.

Delights and Culinary Experiences

Culinary Delights in Unique Locations

High up in a gondola, with panoramic mountain views, in the city, at the lake or amidst vineyards - here, we combine culinary delights with extraordinary backdrops.

Our indulgence tips

100% Clean Drinking Water from Austria’s Nature

With its lakes, rivers and pure drinking water, Austria stands out as the “land of water” in the Alps – and protects this valuable resource with great care.

Drinking water in Austria
Discover the Best of Austria