Vienna Beer Gen  

An updated Google map of all venues listed is here...

his page lists all the city's brewpubs and any decent bars serving interesting beers which I know about.  All the brewpubs have been visited unless stated and are in alphabetical order.  Many thanks to Paul "Euroscooper" Harrop and his website plus Phil Hodgson, Dave Hughes and PJ for the beer (and train!) gen, without them we would have been totally lost!

1516 Brewing Company, Krugerstraße 18, Wien.  Open 11:00-02:00 daily.

The pub is in the centre and easy to reach from the Schwarzenburgplatz tram stop - head down Schwarzenbergstraße and the pub is on the corner of Krugerstraße to your left.

The name says it all; not particularly Austrian, but very good all the same.  Brews 2 regular plus up to 6 seasonal beers a month, all tasty, different to the norm in Vienna and very "new world" in style; good food, too.   The best beers in Vienna if you like hops!

Brigittabräu,  Dresdnerstraße 38-44, Wien.  Open all day from 10:00. 

Reachable by trams N, 31 or 33 to Hochstadtplatz from where you'll see the brewpub at street-level in the hideous grey concrete building next to the stop.

This brewpub, opened in 2003, isn't the most interesting building but the inside is OK with the toilets being rather unusual!  Beers are adequate without being thrilling and are Helles, Dunkle and a special as well as 2 mixes although not all beers are available all the time - it's a bit of pot-luck which beers are on at any given moment in time; one for the completists!

Eipeltauer Privatbrauerei, off Heiligenstädterlände 11.  Mon-Fri 10.00-22.00, Sat 14.00-20.00. 

Take tram D to Radelmayergaße stop by Spittelau S-Bahn station (the stop with the road overpass above the road).  Take the steps on the left-hand side of the road (heading out of the city) up to the overpass and then turn left; walk over the overpass, crossing a railway then railway yards, before you have to take more steps back to street level and into a slightly dodgy-looking industrial area.  The first estate on your left holds the brewery which is situated half-way along on the left - one for the adventurous amongst us!

Not really a brewpub, more of a micro with it's own taproom, but I don't have a category for those so this will have to do... A new (mid 2007) brewery on an industrial estate near to Spittelau station which has a bar at the front; very surreal!  The owner, Christian Eipeltauer, is very keen and welcomes locals plus adventurous beer lovers from around the world who make it to his out-of-the-way brewery where they can enjoy around three draught beers.

Fischer Bräu, Billrothstraße 17, Wien.  Open 16:00-01:00. 

Tram 38 goes right past the door of this nice old brewpub (stop Hardtgaße).

This brewpub gets very busy, partly as it was voted "best Austrian brewpub" a couple of years back.  It brews one standard beer and monthly seasonals plus a few other beers are on draught such as Grieskirchner Export Dunkel; expect solid, well-brewed beers in here, generally two from the in-house brewery and maybe other "guest" beers.  The food is excellent and the beer is also very good if a little lacking in innovation. 

Highlander, Sobieskiplatz 9, Wien.  Open 16:00 onwards.

Take tram 37 or 38 to Canisiugaße, walk up Canisiugaße and Sobieskigaße is the next left, the pub is on the corner of Sobieskiplatz.

Large brewpub looking vaguely like an old Firkin (well, I think it does!) with a very visible small brewery in the corner.  Brews 5 beers including stout, ale, Weiß and pils plus the occasional special.  The stout is expensive but the best beer they do by a long way - even if it's not really a stout, more a porter, and sometimes even tastes like a bizarre Vimto-like concoction!

Kadlez Gasthausbrauerei, Florisdorfer Hauptstraße 9, Wien. Mon-Fri & Sun 11:00 onwards (Dave Hughes reports from 16:00 onwards, maybe winter times?), Sat 16:00 onwards. 

Take tram 31 to Mattaus-Jiszdastrasse and the brewpub is bahind you across the mega-busy road.

Opened in 2004 and already this brewpub has a good name for it's beers within the Austrian beer scene having won awards recently.  Three beers and a special are generally available in this large pub on the corner of a major road junction just over the Danube in Florisdorf.  The beers were indeed pretty good on our visit and the food seemed to be well received by the customers too; it's much more "restauranty" than most of the other brewpubs although the bar area is fine for a drink. 

They also run the Bierkutschn beer bar at Landstrasse Hauptstrasse 1D, open Mon-Fri 06:00-24:00 (?), Sat 08:00-15:00, situated almost next to Landstrasse Wien Mitte U-Bahn station.  We didn't have time to check this one out but it's not a million miles from the centre so if you can't be arsed to haul yourself out to Florisdorf you could scoop the beers here!

Medl-Bräu, Linzerstraße 275, Wien.  Open 16:00-24:00, closed Sunday.

This bar is best reached by tram 49 from Westbahnhof all the way to Waldhausenstraße or tram 52 to Grusohaplatz, the 52 being closer but slower.

Literally miles out in the west,  this remote brewpub is on the left just up from the 52 stop.  They do 3 beers plus a seasonal, all pretty forgettable, but a nice old place all the same and worth the trip out for those wanting a "full set" of brewpubs!

Salm Bräu, Rennweg 8, Wien.  Open 11:00-24:00. 

Take tram 71 to Unteres Belvedere and the entrance is actually on the outbound platform!

This sprawling place is famous for it’s food, with good reason, and beer plays second fiddle; it's competent if not thrilling.   The building was originally the brewery of the next door monastery, now it's the showpiece for Salm's brewplant manufacturing business and similar plants can be found in Wiedenbräu, 7Sternbräu and elsewhere in the world including Cuba, Poland and Tunisia!

Schwarzer Rabe (Black Raven), Ottakringerstraße 180, Wien.  Open 16:00-23:00. 

Take tram J to Redtenbachergaße and the bar is just on the right a few metres over the road from the tram stop.

A small, smoky locals bar with the tiny brewplant in the side room which (apparently 4 times a year, Christmas Easter Whit and start of university year) produces the very scoopable beers; probably the hardest scoop in Vienna!  The house brewed beers are rarely available and the Rabenbrau is apparently rebadged Villacher pils.  It's a bit of a trek out in the west for a small chance of a scoop but it's massive so it's got to be done!

Siebensternbräu, Siebensterngaße 19, Wien. Open 10:00-00:00 every day.

Tram 49 passes outside (stop Stiftgaße).

This brewpub is a large, modern outfit with a good name locally for it's food and drink.  The "Seven stars" brewpub serves excellent beers, the second best in Wien in my view, with regular specials - including a Chilli beer (too hot!) and Hemp brew (surprisingly tasty, like dandelion and burdock!) - plus the food is excellent and served until 22:00.  Handy for the Hotel Kugel just down the road and actually very close to the ring and Westbahnhof. 

Stadtbrauerei Schwarzenberg, Schellinggaße 14. Mon- Fri 10:00-24:00, Sat 17:00-24:00, Sun closed (It was supposed to be open but firmly shut on our visit).  

The easiest way to reach it is a tram (1,2,D,J) to Schwarzenbergerplatz then walk up Schwarzenbergstraße and it's the second on your right with the pub a short distance along on your left.

Very new (mid-2007) brewpub just around the corner from 1516 which brews fairly mediocre Helles, Dunkel, Weiss and a seasonal.  Not the most interesting place, mainly geared up for tourists, but it's so close to 1516 you may as well have a look!

Wieden Bräu, Waaggaße 5, Wien.  Open Mon-Fri 1130-01:00 and Sat 16:00-01:00.

Take tram 62 or 65 from Oper to Paulanergaße, the second stop.  Walk on down the road, past the excellent cake shops and Spanish tapas bar, and Waaggaße is on the right with the pub a short way down on the left.

Very good beers at this large pub to the south of the city which brews on Salm kit.  They brew 3 regular beers plus a seasonal or two; in my opinion some of the best beer in the city and highly recommended and the food is great too with typically Germanic portions.  A relaxed and very good brewpub which feels more out of the city than it actually is.

Bierhaus Cult, Deublergaße 9, Wien.  Open from 16:00 every day until late.

Take U6 to Florisdorf, then take tram 26 from under the railway bridge to the stop after the big flyover (Hopfengaße).  Head down any road on the left, and Deublergaße is the first road, pub on the right. 

A strange location, but a good pub that is nothing like the rest with beers that are quite tasty and a very visible brewery in a small room to the left of the bar.

I'm not sure if this brewpub is still in operation; several reports have indicated that it isn't but, as I've not visited, I am unsure of the current situation - reports please!!!

Stiegl’s Alte Ambulanz, Alserstraße 4, Wien.  Open 11:00-02:00.

Take tram 43 or 44 from the top level of Schottentor  (on the ring) to Langegaße, enter the University grounds and follow the signs; it's the large white building in the middle! 

This brewpub is actually inside the University grounds, being a large place with the brewery in the middle of the room which used to produce a house beer plus a seasonal from the Back und Bräu Swiss chain’s recipes.   Beware, the University Bräuhaus just round the corner doesn’t Bräu!  It's always had some tie-up with Stiegl of Salzburg and, apparently, most (all?) of the beer now comes from there.

With the recent problems of the parent chain I'm not convinced they still brew here; indeed, all fermenters were empty and the kit looked a little too clean to be used regularly, but this is just my guesswork!

Nüßdorfer Bräuhaus, Heilingenstädterstraße 205, Nußdorf, Wien.

Large long old building a long way north.  Best got to by tram D which can be met at Spittelau U-Bahn or for a great scenic ride all the way from Sudbahnhof to the stop outside Nüßdorfer Bahnhof station (the last but 1 stop called simply Nüßdorf), or for speed take the S-Bahn to Nüßdorfer Bahnhof.  From Nüßdorf station, walk on down the road ahead about 200 yards and it’s on the left in the low beige building.  It was Austria’s first micro when it opened in 1994 produced 6 beers, all top fermented and tasty, some a bit too much so.  Open 15:00-23:00

There are a few decent bars in Vienna which stock brews outside the norm, although not that many which offer either guest beers or out-of-the-ordinary brews...

• Bauernbrau on Gumpendorferstraße 134, near the Westbahnhof, (tram 6 or 18 to Gumpendorferstraße) is the brewery tap for the Gratzerbräu micro in southern Austria.

• Drieklang at Wasagaße 28 is an organic bar which stocks the Emmenberg micro beers. 

• Hopfhaus at Donaufelderstrasse 241 has guest beers.

• Känguruh at Bürgerspitalgasse 20, near the Westbahnhof. This has a good range of unusual Austrian micro (1516 Brewing Co, Storchenbräu etc) and regional (Hofstetter, Schnaitl, Uttendorfer) beers.  It is open from 1800 until 0200 every day.

• Merry Monk at Dominikanerbastei 17 (open 1800 to 0400).  Despite being an Irish pub it has a good range of unusual Austrian and German beer as well as having a couple of genuine house beers brewed for them by 1516 Brewing Co, plus they also sell the outstanding Die Weisse wheat beer from Salzburg.  (Dave Hughes reports nothing interesting on sale October 08).

• Bierkutschn at Landstrasse Hauptstrasse 1D, open Mon-Fri 06:00-24:00 (?), Sat 08:00-15:00, situated almost next to Landstrasse Wien Mitte U-Bahn station and owned by Kadlez, presumably serving their beers.

• The Ottakringer brewery tap (10:00-19:00) has it's full range plus beers from other breweries it either owns or has shares in!

Most other bars in Vienna that claim to have a house beer simply have a rebadge of a horrible national brand - please note that Rabenbrau at the Schwarz Rabe is just Villacher Pils!

Vienna is finally on the low-cost flight map – just – being an easyJet destination from London Gatwick (formerly Luton).  As this is primarily a business flight you have to be pretty canny to get decent fares but it can be done.  If flights are expensive and you have time, however, it’s well worth flying to or from Salzburg, Linz, Klagenfurt or Graz with Ryanair and then training it to/from Vienna; Graz is particularly recommended as you get two brewpubs, a great little tram system plus a superb train ride over the mountains.  You can also take the new trains from Bratislava (every hour, takes an hour) if you’re travelling that way.

Public transport in Vienna is superb with the largest tram system in the world in addition to a private tram line (valid with the period tickets), an underground system, buses and plenty of S-trains to get you to within a whisker of anywhere in the city.  The city's transport company is called Wiener Linien and offers some amazing value tickets, particularly the 72-hour 72-Stundenticket, which is only €13.60 (24-hours is €5.70).  Buy it – and any other ticket you could want – at the excellent self-service machines found at train stations which speak perfect English, are easy to use and even take cards.

Hotel Drei Kronen, Schleifmühlgasse 25 (5 minutes walk south of Oper or west of Paulanergaße tram stop).  Fairly posh hotel with nice rooms and a good location just south of Oper and the ring, only a short walk from Weidenbräu.

Hotel Kugel, Siebensterngaße 43 (tram 49 to Neubaugaße).  The ensuite rooms come with breakfast are a total bargain for the location (and it’s very close to Siebensternbräu too!).  Cash only (or at least it used to be) and very quirky, but in a great location close to the Westbahnhof and Siebensternbräu.

Brewpubs elsewhere in Austria.

Owned by a larger brewery, this bar is a 2 minute walk from the station.  Brews 2 beers, with the rest from the parent company.  Food is quite good, and Klagenfurt itself is a nice little town with a convenient airport.  Not sure on opening hours, but probably all day.

Dombräu, Burggaße 4, Graz.  ** REPORTED TO HAVE CLOSED EARLY 2009 **

A very good place this if a little hard to find, being between 2 roads near the Dom, hence the name.  A pseudo-monastic theme inside but the beers are the main draw and pretty tasty they are; Hell, Dunkles, Weiss and maybe a special.  Take tram 3 or 6 from the station to Hauptplatz then follow a map!  Not to be missed is the life-size painting of Arnie by the bar!  (as seen below)

Stadtbräu Josef, Landstraße, Linz.

The outside of this building is very impressive - which is more than can be said for the inside, the service or the beers; it's a large place with just a helles and dunkle available, both rather mundane and forgettable.  Take tram 3 from the station to Burgerstraße and the bar is hard to spot on the right hand side of the road.  For a more interesting afternoon, take tram 3 to it's terminus then do the Postlingbergbahn up the mountain for the excellent views although note that this line is currently (2008) closed for refurbishment and plastification.

© Gazza, 16/10/2008 (updated v2.5)