[captain_sousie]

I will try to give reviews of everything I had both food and beer related.  For a guideline I used the review at http://www.scoopergen.co.uk/scoopingabroadaustriaviennabeer.htm  The coolest thing was going during Christmas bock season.  Keep in mind though, that Austria is not for the picky eater. 

The first brewpub I went to was 1516 brewing.  The Weiss was a very good example of the style with a subtle fruity/phenolic/ester-y flavor.  The Oatmeal stout was thin with no stout flavor (I would think too little/no roasted barley) and lots of hop bitterness.  Too much for that beer I thought. The food was pretty bland and lacking for the most part with the exception of a nockerl dish my wife ordered.

Next was Salm Bräu.  The food was genuinely good with hearty, even by American standards, portions.  We both had the Kloster-Pfandel and it was impressive.  The deserts were good as well.  The Pils was great.  It was grainy, hoppy and clean even though it tasted a little too young and the märzen was fantastic.  They also make a single malt whiskey which was very good.  Sort of like a good Irish whiskey.

7*Stern/Siebenstern was one of my personal favorites, and not just because they serve wild boar.  I started with a rauchbier that was very tasty. Then I tried samples of the chili beer (way too hot) and the hemp beer which was not bad but really strange.  Next day I went back and had the Helles (good if a little too many esters), the Dunkel (solid example of a dunkel), and the Märzen (another good example) and my wife had the WeinachtsBock (Christmas Bock) which was probably the best beer they brew.  They also had a house beer-schnaps that tasted like a subtly flavored corn whiskey to me.

Next was Stadtbrauerei Schwarzenberg.  Yes, it was touristy but the lunch menu was good and inexpensive.  The beer was pretty meh.  Not bad but a little too sweet.

Wieden Bräu Was one of my favorites for beer.  Everything was perfect from the Helles to the Märzen to the nice and hoppy WeinachtsBock.  The food was good and well priced.

Schwarz Raben was an out-of-the-way place with a nasty house beer but a lot of good stuff in the fermenters.  The real highlight of this place was the selection of scotch and American whiskeys.  All of them went for around €4-5 even though I have seen some of them in the states for $12+.  There was also a very friendly dog that made sure you felt welcome.

The last 2 breweries were the Stiegel Alt Ambulanz, which I missed but is still going, and the University Bräuhaus, which I read later is not a real brewery but more of a Stiegel tap house. It was crowded and expensive but had good food and a great alt.

I tried for Eipeltauer Privatbrauerei but they were gone.

My wife I also tried several meads which were more in the Polish sweet mead vein.  They were all from private apiaries and were sold at the Christmas markets.  Most were pretty tasty but all were very sweet.  The Rose Liqueur from one of the stands was interesting.  Homemade schnaps and brandies were everywhere and cheap.  Also, if you've never tried Glühwein or a good rum punch while walking around on a cold day, you're missing out.

I'll look at my notes and try to post more information about other commercial Austrian beers I tried.

Sou

[theoman]

Great write-up! Thanks! I'll make it to Vienna someday.

[homoeccentricus]

Anyone else been to Vienna recently? Going there next week. Would be mostly interested in trying some of the lesser-known (at least in Belgium) German-style beers.