Last thoughts on Vienna and Austrian Beer

Austrians are a no nonsense people. When you sit down in a pub, the staff want to take your whole order right away - none of this getting your drinks first while you take your time to peruse the menu for food. Or at least this seemed to be the case in most places I visited. That said, their efficiency is second to none. In many places, especially smaller towns and traditional pubs, there is only one size of beer you can order, the 1/2 liter glass or stein. Fortunately for those of us who like to try a number of brews on offer, many of the places I visited in Vienna did have a range. There certainly was the 500 ml 'krugerl' or 'grosses', and even the occasional brew could be ordered in a 1 liter stein. But a more conventional 300 ml glass 'siedel' or 'kleinesbier' I found in a lot of places and even better for us beer geeks was the 200 ml 'pfiff', which leaves a lot more room for variety at any given seating.
Ottakringer is Vienna's largest brewer, and as such has deep penetration in the market place and a good loyal following. Many pubs are 'tied' houses serving only their products, and most of their beers are of high quality and eminently very palatable. We visited one such tied house Bieramt one evening, and while most folks seemed to be out in the biergarten smoking - yes, smoking is still very prevalent in Austria's (and Germany's) pubs and restaurants - we sat at the bar and chatted with the friendly and knowledgeable barkeep. They had 10 taps, all but one Ottakringer products (and that lone brew was the original Budvar). We tried two new ones that had just come on the market recently, an organic filtered beer called Ottakringer Pur, and a new wheat beer named Innstadt Weizen. The Pur had a surprising earthy nose, a fruity palate and was very well carbonated with great legs and good lacing. It was clear and clean, light body, pale gold in colour and was easy to drink with a nutty and fruity maltiness right through to the end. The Weizen was also rather easy to drink, but unfiltered, and fuller bodied, cloudy pale yellow, fruity and aromatic with citric notes permeating the palate. Now Vienna is an historical city, original divided up into districts, and addresses of any building still use the old system, adding the district after the street address. The old and famous Ottakringer brewery is located in the 16th district, and people in that area have their own slang and fun with the language. Our bartender explained to us how to order a beer, a sausage and a slice of bread in that part of Vienna - still a traditional lunch for many. "Ein sechozehner blech, a eitige und a bug latte". Literally translated this means 'a 16 can, one with puss and a humpback'. What you get is a can of Ottakringer beer, a sausage filled with cheese and a heel of bread. Kind of funny really, though the some of the play on words does get lost in the translation to English I think.
I was looking for a good meal when I visited the last brewpub on my list, as I had wandered the streets all day, went and saw the Danube River, hit some museums and never stopped for lunch. This was the Wieden Brau, a lovely, but not-so-little neighbourhood pub. Many of these kinds of pubs seem deceivingly small when you first arrive, but you soon realize they have many rooms running to the back of the building or into hidden alcoves. This was no exception, with the brewhouse sitting right in the middle. All 3 of their beers are unfiltered and bottom fermented. They also had a specialty on, which was a Pils, and it was excellent! This was the hoppiest beer I tried whilst in the city. Fresh hop nose, clean straw colour, thick white head, good carbonation, great initial hop bite, light body with hop bitterness dancing on your tongue and present right through the dry finish. I ordered the Dunkles next, to go with the platter of ribs that arrived with roasted potatoes and a lovely side of spicy salsa and pickled hot peppers. Yum! It was a dark, reddish brown with a big hit of malt on the first sip that settles into a smooth and roast malt dominated palate, but balanced with tones of chocolate and toasted grain, the somewhat hidden sweetness fading to bitterness in the long finish. The Maerzen too was surprisingly good. I must be developing a taste for this style - it is THE style of Austria, and though there are many mainstream and tasteless versions, this one was an exception. Flowery nose with spicy herbal notes, well balanced with nice dryness over the mellow malt character, some fruitiness and buried spice mid way through that falls away in the finish. Like all Weiden Brau's beers, this too was well carbonated. They also make a Helles, and blend it with the Dunkles to make what they call their Mixbier, a kind of black and tan. As well, they offer a Radler. This is a popular mix of beer and lemonade that you can get almost anywhere beer is found in Austria. All of the Wieden Brau beers are also available to take home in 500 ml bottles for 2 Euros a pop. What a deal!
One last thing, the Austrians, like the Germans, love their schnapps. Many little brewpubs do distill their own from the beer they make, but drinkers beware. These are not the candy sweet varieties we see in North America. They are strong and can sometimes be rather medicinal, an acquired taste for sure.

Hallo Wien! The beer capital of Austria

Vienna is the beer capital of Austria, and for a city of about 1.5 million people, they have their fare share of breweries, brewpubs, bars and beer restaurants. They have 2 major breweries and 11 smaller ones, not counting the many brewpubs strewn about the city, and this is a city whose surrounding countryside is solid with vineyards, going out for about 200 kilometers. There are many 'tied houses' serving the beers of one particular brewery or another, but also many 'beizls' or small hole-in-the-wall neighbourhood pubs that serve local favourites, as well as many pubs that brew their own. The first of the latter we visited was Siebenstern Brau (or 7 Stars). They always have 6 beers on tap, plus a rotating Bock specialty, depending on the time of year. They were serving their fall version or Herbstbock when we dropped in. It was a strong tasting 6.3% brew, gold in colour, malty, full bodied with an edgy alcoholic hit in the middle, that carried you right through to the sweetish long, lingering finish. Wouldn't want to have more than one of these at any given session. The Bamberger Rauchbier (5.1%) was right up my alley (since I'd just come from Bamberg). Obligatory smoky aroma, light reddish brown, with a whitish head. Smoke and dark malt dominate the palate, but smooths out in the middle and dries nicely in the finish. Went well with a rather spicy chili I ordered for lunch. The Prager Dunkles was my friend Marc's favourite brew (See Beer of the Day, Oct. 2). They also had an interesting Hanfbier (4.7%) or hemp beer. Herbal aromas led to some hop bitterness in this pale straw coloured medium bodied entry. It was actually nicely balanced with a round and creamy mouthfeel, some malt sweetness present in the aftertaste along with hints of the hemp leaves they use in the brew. Their Maerzen (5.1%) was surprisingly good. A red hued dark amber, moussy white head, fresh fruity nose, medium body, well balanced with good hop presence and a very dry mouthfeel with understated hints of nuts & spice. They also had the house favourite, a blond unfiltered Helles (4.7%) developed by Slovak head brewer Vlado Sedmak and made with Saaz hops. Slightly hazy, pale yellow, nice fresh aroma, good middle hop bitterness, well balanced, hints of malt, lovely lacing, light to medium body with an appropriate dry finish. They bottle fresh 1 liter swing-tops for take away as well, or they have another special feature. If the brewpub is closed, at the front door is their very own unique beer dispensing machine. For up to 3 Euros you can take home any of their products in 500 ml bottles.
Vienna is a very hip and happening place, and day or night, you can always find something interesting to do. We spent some time down at one end of the Nachtmarkt, trolling through the tables of the many vendors selling nik-naks, bric-a-brac, clothing, antiques and just about anything you can think of. The other end is full of colourful produce stalls where the world's fields are at your fingertips food-wise, plus many cheeses, breads and meats as well. It's early fall, so we were able to taste the fresh and wonderful Sturm wine, lovely fruit flavoured new wines that are as delicious as they are disarming. Right across the street from here is the ultra cool Cafe Drechsler, where the hip and the curious gather 23 hours a day (they are only closed from 2 am to 3 am) to enjoy excellent coffee, a bite to eat or to listen to the latest in jazz and world music, offered by ever present DJs. They also have the beers of Vienna's largest brewery, Ottakringer on tap.
Next up for us, after an afternoon siesta, was The Kloster Brauerei Gastsatte Salm Brau. Built in 1994 on the grounds of the former servants quarters of a convent founded by the Empress Wilhelmina in the heady days of empire, this is a wonderful spot. Inside is an always busy traditional room, featuring long tables and benches meant to get you to know your dinner companions. There is also a cozy little bar situated around the brewhouse in the back and a large patio out in what was once the courtyard. They serve 5 of their own brews. Using a 3 step mash, they make an excellent Pils, fresh nose, nice hop bite, easy to drink, with a slight haze, pale straw hues, white fluffy head, good lacing, strong legs, good balance and a dry finish. The Helles was plesant, but light was the descriptor all the way around in terms of colour, flavour, nose, body and palate.
The Weizen had a big, fruity aroma with evidence of citrus, banana and cloves in small amounts, it was cloudy pale yellow with a frothy head that fell to excellent lacing and continuous legs in the tall wheat beer glass. The palate comes on strong at first but not heavy and smooths out to a pleasant fruity character, then ends light and peachy. The one we like best though was the 'double mashed' Bohemian Mix, an old Austrian specialty. Dark amber, almost brown, it starts with a sweetish malty palate but balanced with a good amount of hops, is medium bodied and easy to drink with hints of carmel and a long, lingering finish. They serve great food here, traditional huge platters of spare ribs and large legs of roasted pork to share.
We ended each night at the local Stehbeisl, a tiny place near our hotel, playing cool music and serving a few Austrian and Czech brews on tap and in the bottle. The favourite for both of us was the excellent Velkopopovicky Kozel Dark (see Beer of the Day, Oct. 1).