Culinary Craft Tours Innsbruck – for a beer in Innsbruck
We went on a tour of the Innsbruck beer scene and took part in a guided tour of the city. The focus was on drinking good beer in Innsbruck – and what can I say – it tasted good!
The Culinary Craft Tours Innsbruck offer beer lovers and culture enthusiasts a tour of the city with a focus on Tyrol’s beer history and the region’s up-and-coming craft beer scene.
There are various tours, each with a different focus. We were out and about in the city and visited a brewery, a beer store with a tasting offer and a beer bar. There was not only plenty of beer from Innsbruck, but also lots of information about beer, breweries and, of course, the city’s beer history.
Bierfabrik Innsbruck is a young but already renowned craft beer brewery in the Tyrolean capital. It was founded a few years ago by a group of passionate beer lovers who wanted to enrich the local craft beer scene. In my opinion, they have succeeded!
The location in the viaduct arches is not unique and attracts locals and, of course, visitors to Innsbruck. The brewhouse and tap room are located in Viaduktbogen 25, where the beer is piped from the brewing kettles via a road to another room underneath the viaduct. Here it is then further processed (fermentation and maturation) and bottled. It’s actually quite practical to separate the rooms. The boiling brew heats up the tap room comfortably and the room for fermentation, which always has to be cooler, is kept cool.
If you feel like it, you can take part in a brewery tour and a beer tasting. You will learn a lot more about the small brewery and the beer in Innsbruck.
Each beer is brewed in small batches at the Bierfabrik, which allows the brewery to concentrate fully on quality. Bierfabrik brews traditional beer styles such as Helles, Märzen or wheat beer, but often gives them a modern twist. IPAs and pale ales are part of the regular range and offer intense fruit and citrus flavors created by creative hop combinations. Seasonal beers are also on offer. In winter, for example, there are strong bock beers or stouts, in summer refreshing session IPAs or light sours.
Innsbrucker Lager
The Innsbrucker Lager is a classic pale lager that impresses with its balance and freshness. It is a beer in Innsbruck that is suitable for both traditional beer drinkers and craft beer fans. It is tart, drinkable and refreshing and has a malty body complemented by a hop bitterness.
With an alcohol content of around 7%, it is somewhat stronger and reminds me a lot of Czech beers.
Innsbrucker Stadtbier
Innsbrucker Stadtbier is a tribute to the city of Innsbruck. It is a beer that is characterized by its versatility and full-bodied taste. The city beer is malty, with notes of caramel. It has a pleasant sweetness that is balanced by a subtle hop bitterness.
The beer shimmers amber in the glass and is a light summer beer with an alcohol content of around 4%.
Orange Pale Ale
The Orange Pale Ale is a fruity and hoppy beer that perfectly reflects the creativity of Bierfabrik Innsbruck. It impresses with fruity notes of orange and mandarin, which are created through the use of aromatic hops.
The pale ale shimmers slightly orange in the glass and I really enjoyed it.
Address
Viaduktbogen 25, 6020 Innsbruck
BierWelt Tirol – buy beer in Innsbruck
BierWelt Tirol is a meeting place for anyone who wants to discover and enjoy Tyrolean beer culture. With an impressive selection of beers, BierWelt Tirol is definitely a must for every beer fan in Innsbruck.
BierWelt Tirol offers a comprehensive beer experience:
Tastings and beer seminars: Visitors can take part in tastings where they learn about different beer styles, from classic lagers to creative craft beers. Beer experts on site explain the brewing methods and provide insights into the art of brewing beer.
Beer sales: There is a large selection of regional and international beers on site – perfect for trying out new flavors. If you don’t find a beer in Innsbruck that you like here, you should look for another favorite drink.
BierWelt Tirol attaches great importance to a wide range of beers, both from the region and internationally. Around 200 different beers can be discovered in the small store. In addition to the classic German pale, pilsner, lager and wheat beer, you will also find a variety of pale ale, IPA, stout, black beers, Belgian beers and, of course, exotic beers from the craft beer scene. Here are a few highlights:
Tyrolean art of brewing: classic beers from local breweries such as Zillertal Bier, Starkenberger or Bierol.
Craft beers: Creative and experimental varieties brewed with special ingredients and innovative methods.
International beers: Beers from Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic and other countries that are famous for their brewing skills.
Specialty beers: Seasonal offerings such as bock beers, smoked beers and non-alcoholic varieties.
We have tried some very exciting beers here.
Innsbrucker Bräu – Hell
The Innsbrucker Bräu brewery was founded in 2021 and is a small brewery in the heart of Tyrol. It specializes in brewing beers based on Bavarian beer styles, including light, dark, wheat beer and seasonal specialties. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of Austrian barley malt, hops and the purest Tyrolean rock spring water.
The Innsbrucker Bräu – Hell is a classic Helles. The beer in Innsbruck is characterized by its Bavarian-inspired brewing style. The mild and malty beer has a subtle hint of hops, which provides a pleasant freshness. Typical for a Helles, the alcohol content is in the moderate range (approx. 4.8-5.2% vol.).
A quaffable beer that is ideal for the summer temperatures and simply “drinks itself away”.
Beers from the Geigensee private brewery
The Geigensee private brewery is a small, family-run brewery. It is located in the picturesque surroundings of Geigensee and stands for craft-brewed, natural beers. The brewery attaches great importance to using regional raw materials. The water comes from the surrounding mountains, the malt is sourced from local suppliers and the brewery relies on high-quality aromatic hops.
We tested two of the brewery’s beers during our beer tasting, the Glaurit Weizen and the Ursprung Zwickl.
Geigenseer Glaurit Weizen is a classic, top-fermented wheat beer that is characterized by its fruity aromas and typical creaminess. It smells very much of banana, and fine noses will also detect a hint of clove. The naturally cloudy Hefeweizen with a firm and stable head has an alcohol content of around 5%. A great beer that really impressed us in terms of taste.
The Geigenseer Ursprung Zwickl is a traditional, unfiltered cellar beer that impresses with its naturalness and full-bodied taste. I found it to be very malty. A subtle hop bitterness provides balance.
Zillertal Bier – Granat Premium Barley Wine
Zillertal Bier – Granat Premium Barley Wine is a beer for connoisseurs and gourmets. With its intense malt aroma, fruity notes and soft, warming body, it offers an incomparable taste experience.
Intense malt aromas dominate the taste, accompanied by fruity notes created by the use of top-fermenting yeast. With an alcohol content of 8.6% by volume, this reddish-dark beer is one of the stronger beers.
The Zillertal Bier brewery is one of the oldest and most traditional breweries in Tyrol. It was founded in 1500 and has been family-owned ever since.
The Tribaun in Innsbruck is the top address for craft beer lovers in the Tyrolean capital. With an impressive selection of beers to enjoy in a relaxed atmosphere, it’s a great place to end a day in Innsbruck.
The Tribaun is more than just a bar – it is a place where beer culture is celebrated. It offers a huge selection of beers, including regional specialties, international craft beers and exclusive rarities. Particularly noteworthy is the large number of beers on tap, which change regularly to always offer the freshest and most exciting varieties.
It is impressive to stand in front of the long row of 20 taps and watch the beer being tapped. As the selection changes, it can happen on any given evening that the keg is empty and a new beer is flowing. But one thing is certain: Austrian and southern German microbreweries are always represented.
We sampled various beers from the Bierol brewery here during our beer tour of Innsbruck.
Beers from Bierol
The Bierol brewery comes from Schwoich, a small town near Kufstein in Tyrol. Originally an inn with its own brewery, Bierol has developed into one of Austria’s best-known craft beer producers since it was founded in 2014.
Bierol stands for experimental and modern beers that deliberately stand out from the crowd. The master brewers are not afraid to try out new ingredients, techniques and styles.
Old Father Ale
Old Father Ale is a top-fermented beer characterized by its malty aroma and strong character. It is a beer reminiscent of traditional British ales, but with a Tyrolean twist.
The dark amber to copper-coloured beer, with its stable head, tastes slightly of caramel/toffee and there are light fruity elements in the background. A very interesting beer that was a little too sweet for me.
Padawan
Padawan is an American Pale Ale (APA) and one of Bierol’s best-known beers. The name stands for “Pale Ale Doing Alright Without A Name”. A creative title that was chosen by an online vote of the Bierol community in 2014. It is a fruity, hoppy beer. The unfiltered beer has a pleasant taste of mango and citrus fruits, and I find it exciting that oat flakes have been brewed into it. These are said to give the beer a soft, distinctive texture.
El Patrón from Bierol – the hop king from Tyrol
El Patrón from Bierol is one of the best-known craft beers from Tyrol and an absolute highlight for fans of hoppy beers.
El Patrón is a Double Indian Pale Ale with an alcohol content of around 8.2%. Even before the first sip, all you can smell are tropical fruits such as grapefruit, pineapple and mango. When you take your first sip, you are surprised by the bitterness, but this is well balanced by the sweeter malt. For me, this is the perfect IPA and almost a favorite beer in Innsbruck!
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