Vienna is not only home to classical music, majestic historical structures, coffee and coffeehouses. Unknown to many, the capital of Austria also takes pride in its world class beer which you will get to know more here.
Ottakringer beer derived its names from Vienna’s 16th district called Ottakring. The brewery which makes this beer is the last of the major ones that used to exist in the Austrian capital. Established in 1837 by so called master miller Heinrich Plank, the brewery originally carried the name Planksche Brauerei. It was, however, bought by two Jewish brothers in 1850 and was expanded to become a major brewery in the city.
Ottakringer set its record production of 350,000 hl in 1913, just a year before the First World War began. Among the popular brands it continues to produce are the Ottakringer Helles, Goldfassl Pils, Ottakringer Radler, Null Komma Josef, Ottrakringer Bock (strongest beer), Dunkles (dark beer), Schnitt (mix of dark and light beer), Zwickl (unfiltered light beer) and Zwickl Rot (dark unfiltered beer).
Schwechater beer dates back to 1632 during the Thirty Years War. It was founded by Matthias in Schwechat. However, much of the success of this beer started in 1760. At that time, a former waiter by the name of Franz Anton Dreher moved to Vienna and leased the brewery Ober-Lanzendork. After 36 years in 1796, he finally bought the brewery and named it after the place the reason why it is known as Schwechater. Dreher is credited for developing the pale lager in 1840. Known as Schwechater Lagerbier, the beer combines lager with English ale.
Vienna has long been involved in beer brewing. The city follows strict laws on producing beer to ensure that breweries come up with only quality products using the most natural and freshest ingredients. What’s great in Vienna is that some of the breweries not only allow visitors to have a tour of the place but even to have a drink right in the complex notably in the adjacent pubs.
