Austria brews some of the oldest beer in Europe, with Stiegl tracing its license back to 1492 and monks brewing at Goss Abbey in Styria as early as the 1400s, yet outside Austria most drinkers can only name one or two brands at most. Here are the ones that actually matter, with real production history rather than tourist-brochure trivia.
Stiegl: Austria’s Oldest Private Brewery
Stiegl has been brewing in Salzburg since 1492, making it one of the oldest continuously operating breweries in Europe, and it remains fully independent, owned by the Kiener family for more than 120 years running through Dr. Heinrich Dieter Kiener today. That independence matters in a country where most major brands eventually sold to international groups. Stiegl also runs Stiegl-Gut Wildshut, Austria’s first dedicated beer farm, where it grows and malts its own heirloom grain varieties for specialty releases rather than sourcing everything commercially.
Gosser: The Heineken-Owned Giant
Gosser is Austria’s biggest beer brand by volume, brewed at the Goss Brewery in Leoben, Styria. Beer brewing on that site dates back to a documented brewmaster at Goss Abbey in 1459, though the modern commercial brewery was founded in 1860 by 28 year old Max Kober, a master brewer who had previously worked at the Zywiec brewery in what is now Poland. Gosser is now part of Brau Union, Austria’s largest brewing group, whose majority owner is the Dutch company Heineken, which means the country’s most recognizable domestic beer brand is technically part of the same portfolio as Heineken itself.
Ottakringer: Vienna’s Own Brewery
Ottakringer takes its name from the Ottakring district of Vienna, where the brewery was founded in 1837 by master miller Heinrich Plank on an 8,000 square meter site that originally included a dance hall and beer garden alongside the brewhouse. Plank sold the struggling operation in 1850 to cousins Ignaz and Jacob Kuffner, who reorganized it into a major industrial brewery and became known locally as philanthropists; Ignaz was granted a hereditary peerage by Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1878 for his contributions to the district. Ottakringer remains Vienna’s only major brewery still operating within city limits, and its Vienna Lager style is the direct descendant of the amber lager style Vienna itself gave its name to in brewing history.
If you want the deeper history of the Vienna Lager style itself, our Best Amber Lager guide covers how the style spread internationally, including to Mexico, where it heavily influenced brands like Dos Equis Amber.
Other Austrian Breweries Worth Knowing
Beyond the big three, Puntigamer (based in Graz, part of the same Brau Union group as Gosser) is one of the most consumed beers within Austria itself, especially in Styria, though it has limited export presence and no reliable US import channel yet. Zipfer, from Upper Austria and also under Brau Union, is another widely drunk domestic brand with a similar story: strong at home, rare abroad. If you come across either while traveling in Austria, both are worth trying, but neither currently has a dependable way to buy them in the US.
Curious how Austrian lager traditions compare to their German neighbors? Our German Beer Names guide covers the naming and heritage side of that tradition, and our International Beers guide places Austrian brands like Stiegl and Gosser alongside other national flagship beers worth trying. If you want to brew your own take on an Austrian-style lager at home, our American Lager Recipe is a solid, similar starting point (swap in Vienna malt for a closer match to Ottakringer’s amber character), and our Czech Lager guide covers the neighboring tradition that most directly shaped how Central European lagers are brewed today.
FAQs
What is the most popular beer in Austria?
Gosser is generally considered Austria’s best-selling beer brand by volume nationally, though regional brands like Puntigamer dominate in specific states such as Styria.
Is Stiegl the oldest brewery in Austria?
Stiegl is Austria’s oldest private brewery still independently owned, with brewing rights dating to 1492, though monastic brewing at sites like Goss Abbey (now home to the Gosser brewery) predates that by decades.
Is Ottakringer still brewed in Vienna?
Yes. Ottakringer is brewed at its original site in the Ottakring district of Vienna, founded in 1837, and remains the last major brewery still operating within the city.
