"We ate a soup and drank a pretty decent St. Johanner Bier with it," wrote a certain Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Huber Bräu has been around for almost 300 years and is still one of the most popular breweries in the east of Tirol, known as the Unterland. A highlight (quite literally) is the Beer Tower, where visitors are invited to try many of the beers while enjoying wonderful views of the Wilder Kaiser Mountains.
Beer style: Somewhere between a fresh Pils and a full-bodied Spezial.
Aimed at: Beer fans who like both hops and malt.
Taste: Very drinkable, slightly bitter.
Alcohol: 5% vol.
Original wort: 11.6°
Available: Huber Bräu Beer Tower, from the brewery itself, local bars and restaurants, supermarkets in and around Kitzbühel.
Other beers: Vollbier (full-bodied), Hefeweizen (wheat beer), Zwickl (a cloudy, full-bodied beer), Meisterpils, Bock (strong), Dunkel (dark, malty beer), alcohol-free beer plus many more.
Robert Holzleitner made a name for himself in Tirol’s culinary scene with his fantastic sausage in curry sauce served at Hurry Curry, but since 2014 the Bavarian native has also run his own small brewery in the village of Vomp. All beers are brewed according to the German beer purity law, which dictates that the only ingredients permitted are water, barley and hops. Austria’s “Beer Pope” Conrad Seidl is a regular visitor to Hurry Curry and is also a fan of Holzleitner’s Freundsberg 66 beer. Dark like the night and with a smoky-malty taste, this top-fermented black beauty is definitely something different. Drinkers will either love it or hate it!
Beer style: Dark beer/ale.
Aimed at: Fans of dark, malt-rich beer willing to trying something different.
Taste: Coffee aroma, malty, slightly hoppy and smoky.
Alcohol: 4.7% vol.
Original wort: 12°
Available: Hurry Curry, Vomp'
Other beers: Fiechter Spitz (bottom-fermented special beer) and Kellerjoch (fruity, top-fermented beer)
"Imperium Gold" by the brewing collective Aurum Imperium Tirol is made using hops, malt and gold water – luxury in a glass! Andreas Kapfinger came up with the idea while riding a single-seater bobsleigh in -28°C conditions in Lillehammer. He brews up a storm together with Philipp Bortolon and Martin Egger in their shared beer laboratory.
Beer style: Pale ale
Aimed at: Fans of fruity, top-fermented, seriously good beer
Taste: Full-bodied and fruity taste with a slight mango and elderflower touch
Alcohol: 4.8% vol.
Original wort: 13°
Available: Online at www.aurum-imperium.tirol and bier@aurum-imperium.tirol
The Zillertal Beer brewery from the village of Zell am Ziller has been making beer for more than 500 years. “Old barley, new beer” is the idea behind its Tyrolean Imperial Zwickl, which bears the Tyrolean quality seal of approval. This naturally cloudy beer is made from 100% Fisser Imperial Barley. This ancient type of barley was forgotten for many years before being rediscovered by the brewing experts at Zillertal Bier. Our experts loved the Imperial Zwickl's full-bodied taste.
Beer style: Naturally cloudy ale-like beer
Aimed at: All those keen to try a taste of Tirol
Taste: Full-bodied, fruity and easy to drink
Alcohol: 5.7 % vol.
Original wort: 13.2°
Available: In many supermarkets and selected restaurants throughout Tirol
Other beers: Zillertal Pils (pils), Zillertal Märzen (lager), Zillertal Weißbier (wheat beer) and 13 other specialities
Harald Baumgartner is an institution in Innsbruck. He began making beer on a small scale 20 years ago, long before the hype around micro-breweries began. Today he and his sons produce 1,500 hectolitres of beer each year. His unfiltered, unpasteurised Märzen beer is a “thirst quencher”, he says. The term Märzen is specific to Austria and refers to a light or pale beer with a lower-than-normal alcohol concentration. The beer is available not only in standard bottles and one-litre bottles but also in two-litre XXL bottles – perfect for parties.
Beer style: Unfiltered pale beer
Aimed at: Fans of classic unpasteurised beer
Taste: Slips down a treat
Alcohol: 4.5% vol.
Original wort: 12.3°
Available: From the brewery, at the Fruchthof Innsbruck, from Interspar Innsbruck and in selected locations
Other beers: Light wheat beer and dark Christmas wheat beer
What do you get if you combine the words “Bier” and “Tirol”? Bierol! It was during stay in the US that Christoph Bichler fell in love with craft beer. Back home in his home village of Schwoich he joined forces with his friends Max and Marko to launch a brewery in an old farmhouse. Since then the trio have received numerous awards, including from the renowned restaurant guide Gault & Millau. The Mountain Pale Ale is one of their flagship beers and is a classic “Tirolean IPA” – strong, hoppy and malty.
Beer style: Indian Pale Ale
Aimed at: Individualists, IPA fans and those who like to experiment'
Taste: Hoppy, caramelised malt – a beer to enjoy and appreciate
Alcohol: 7.3% vol.
Original wort: 16°
Available: From the brewery, in the online shop and in selected locations in Innsbruck.
Other beers: The Padawan (Pale Ale), Bomboclaat (Imperial Stout), El Patrón (Double IPA) and a dozen further varieties
This beer takes its name from the expression "schneidiger Loder", which is used in local dialect to refer to a courageous man. Men (and women) who want to take on this beer will need a fair bit of courage themselves – it is almost 8% vol. Behind the beer is a family called, you guessed it, Loder. The have been brewing award-winning strong beers in the village of Walchsee since 2009. Petra Loder also makes beer-flavoured vinegar, while Sabrina Loder is responsible for the brewery's graphic design.
Beer style: Double bock
Aimed at: Drinkers who like strong flavours and strong beers
Taste: Fruity, malty, delicious
Alcohol: 7.7 % vol.
Original wort: 18.8°
Available: StarkbierLadl, Gästehaus Seerose in Walchsee, Käse Tollinger at the DEZ shopping centre in Innsbruck
Other beers: Dunkler Bock (strong, dark beer), port beer, seasonal ales
Dark bottle, light beer. Cousins Simon Gstrein and Florian Schmisl opened the Bäckelar Brewery in Sölden in 2020. One calls himself the Master of Good Times, the other is the Master of Good Taste. Sölsch comes in a stylish aluminium bottle and is made using ingredients sourced from sustainable producers. It can be purchased in a wide range of locations, including via a nicely designed webshop. In case you were wondering, the name comes from the local dialect spoken in the Ötztal Valley.
Beer style: Top-fermented light beer
Aimed at: Open-minded beer lovers
Taste: Hoppy, bitter, slightly fruity
Alcohol: 4.7 % vol.
Original wort: 11.8°
Available: Bars and restaurants in the Ötztal Valley, online shop, many branches of the supermarkets Spar, Billa and MPREIS in Tirol
The Starkenberger brewery in Tarrenz has a long and proud tradition of brewing dating back 200 years. During that time it has been awarded numerous gold medals by the “Monde Selection”. Since 2017 this brewery has produced Tirol’s first organic beer in cooperation with the organisation BIO from the BERG. All of the barley used comes from organic farms in Tirol. “Tiroler Kraft“ is a classic unfiltered and unpasteurised light beer made according to the German beer purity law. Delicious!
Beer style: Light beer (unfiltered)
Aimed at: Fans of regional produce and lovers of traditional light beer
Taste: Fresh, bitter, easy to drink
Alcohol: 4.8% vol.
Available: MPREIS supermarkets
Other beers: Gold Lager, Gold Spezial Hell/Dunkel, Schloss Pils, Bioperle, Festbock, Zwickl and many more.
Alois Rupprechter’s brewery in Pertisau is just a few kilometres from the German border, so maybe that is why he makes such excellent wheat beer. Using hops and barley from Bamberg and fresh spring water from the Karwendel Mountains, he creates a naturally cloudy wheat beer brewed in line with the German beer purity law. This top-fermented specialty is available both as a light wheat beer and as a dark wheat beer.
Beer style: Wheat beer
Aimed at: Wheat beer fans, sports enthusiasts and traditionalists
Taste: Bitter, yeasty, fruity with a touch of banana
Alcohol: 4.8% vol.
Original wort: 11.8°
Available: Karlwirt and Langlaufstüberl in Pertisau
Other beers: Achensee Hell and strong beers in autumn and winter
The Gauder Fest in Zell am Ziller is held each May and is the biggest traditional celebration anywhere in Austria. Indeed, in 2014 it was made part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. The beer traditionally drunk at the Gauder Fest is the Gauderbock brewed by Zillertal Bier. At 7.8%, it is stronger than normal beers and brewed in September ready for the celebrations the following year. It is then left to rest for eight months and is only available to buy during the period around the Gauder Fest. If you see it, grab it – you never know if you will find it again!
Beer style: Pale, strong beer
Aimed at: Visitors to the Gauder Fest, fans of strong beer
Taste: Full-bodied, well-balanced, surprisingly easy to drink
Alcohol: 7.8% vol.
Original wort: 16.8°
Available: At the Gauder Fest and in selected shops (while stocks last)
Other beers: Zillertal Pils, Zillertal Märzen, Zillertal Weißbier and 13 further specialties
In 2006 Josef "Jos" Moser set us his own brewery and named it after the crystal-clear water found in the Alpbachtal Valley. The beers he makes are produced according to the German Purity Law using ingredients sourced from the region. Easy-to-drink and the perfect thirst-quencher, you will find them in local bars and restaurants. There is even a beer vending machine in front of the brewery in Inneralpbach – perfect for those keen to pick up a pint outside opening hours.
Beer style: Dark beer
Aimed at: Fans of good beer made using local ingredients
Taste: Bitter, tangy
Alcohol: 4.9 % vol.
Available: From the brewery and in many bars and restaurants in and around the Alpbachtal Valley
Other beers: Zwickl (cloudy beer), Weizen (wheat beer), Kellerbier, Bockbier (strong), seasonal ales
Another beer from those guys and girls over at Starkenberger! Producing a mind-boggling 11 different beers, this brewery in the west of Tirol is the big player among Tirol's beer producers. Its Gold Lager is another cracker – light and easy to drink, but with plenty of flavour too. If you happen to be near Tarrenz, we recommend stopping off a the BierMythos adventure world featuring (no, really) a beer swimming pool.
Beer style: Lager
Aimed at: Everyone
Taste: Mild, malty/hoppy, not too fizzy
Alcohol: 5.0 % vol.
Original wort: 11.8°
Available: MPREIS, Spar, Rewe, Brauereiladen, Starkenberger Schloss-Stube, bars and restaurants in Tirol
Other beers: Heimatbier, Dunkel, Pils, BioPerle, Festbock, Zwickl, Alkoholfrei
Roman Hänseler originally comes from Switzerland and is a trained beer sommelier. This partner's family run the Hotel Berghof in Pfunds, where in 2020 he turned the gym into a brewery. Since then he has been making small batches of his Zwickl beer each week. Guided tours of the brewery with tasting session and food can also be booked.
Beer style: Naturally cloudy Zwickl beer
Aimed at: Those who appreciate genuine hand-made beer
Taste: Bitter, fruity, wheaty, delicious
Alcohol: 5.2 % vol.
Original wort: 12.3°
Available: Berghof Pfunds, Grissemann Zams, many farm shops and fine food shops in the region
Other beers: Bio-Weizen (organic wheat beer)
The most international of the beers in our list, the Tiroler Helles from Bürgerbräu Innsbruck has Innsbruck in its name, is made in Lienz and will remind many of Munich. It is bottled by the large Brau Union corporation in Upper Austria, which itself is part of the Heineken Group based in the Netherlands. Sounds complicated? It is. But the most important thing is, of course, the taste. Our panel of experts reckoned the Tiroler Helles is just as good as the many Bavarian beers it wishes to imitate. All of the ingredients come from Austria.
Beer style: Lager
Aimed at: Fans of typical Bavarian lager beers
Taste: Mild, easy-to-drink, refreshing
Alcohol: 4.8 % vol.
Original wort: 11.2°
Available: Branches of the supermarkets MPREIS, Spar and Billa as well as selected bars and restaurants in Tirol
A real insider tip! This wonderfully easy-to-drink wheat beer is made in Austria's highest brewery, which produces no more than a few hundred hectolitres a year. Since 1995 head brewer Christoph has been making this beer for guests staying at his Hotel Thaneller in Berwang. There are also guided tours of the brewery. Beer can be purchased from the brewery in small and large quantities, including special party barrels
Beer style: Wheat beer
Aimed at: Fans of wheat beer with a strong, intense taste
Taste: Easy-to-drink, hoppy, sweet with a touch of banana
Alcohol: 5.0 % vol.
Original wort: 12.9°
Available: Hotel Thaneller Stadl Bräu in Berwang
Other beers: Helles (lager), Dunkles (dark beer)
Founded in 2020, his brewery uses fresh mountain water from the Defreggental Valley in East Tirol and offers three different beers: Edelsud Helles, Ursprung Zwickl and Wintersud Bock. The brewery has been voted most popular small-scale brewery in Tirol and has also been mentioned in the Austria Beer Challenge as well as the renowned and respected Falstaff beer guide.
Beer style: Lager
Aimed at: Fans of regional produce and quality
Taste: Mild, slightly fruity, with a full-bodied taste
Alcohol: 4.9 % vol.
Original wort: 11.6°
Available: Online shop (www.geigenseer.com), in hotels and restaurants in East Tirol and Carinthia as well as selected locations further afield (such as Hotel Weisses Rössl in Innsbruck) and selected retailers (such as BierWelt Tirol in Innsbruck) plus Scartezzini delicatessen in Hall, Lagerhaus Kufstein, etc). Also available at Stadtdepot in Lienz and directly from the brewery.
Other beers: Zwickl (cloudy beer) and Bockbier (strong seasonal beer)
