Stiegl
Style: Märzen
ABV: 4.9%
Presentation: Single 500 ml can
Brewery: Stieglbrauerei zu Salzburg GmbH
Country: Salzburg, Austria
KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk
If you’re thirsty for a quenching beer and feel like rubbing elbows with famous historical composers, Stiegl Goldbräu may be the closest available option for you short of stumbling across your own “Wayback Machine”. Apparently Mozart himself was a big fan of Stiegl, which is not too shabby of bragging rights for any beer.
As for longevity, the first mention of the Stiegl Brewery in official recorded documentation dates back to 1492-yes, the same year that “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”. By 1650 it was the largest brewery in Salzburg, and after an expansion in 1863 it became and still remains the largest family run brewery in all of Austria, and one of the largest in all of Europe. In fact the brewery’s restaurant is located right next to the tall, lengthy steps leading up to the Fortress “Festung Hohensalzburg”, one of Europe’s largest and most well preserved castles. Very fitting then that Stiegl means “stairs” in English. This is reinforced by the motif of steps that make
up the logo and runs alongside the name on the can.
While not exactly true to what a traditional Märzen is (a stronger, maltier lager, and the direct progenitor of the famous Oktoberfest style), this Stiegl Goldbräu is pretty bang on for what the style has evolved into within modern Austria. These days it’s definitely the most common style of Austrian beer, quite similar to a German Helles or an English Lager.
The brewery itself recommends serving this Austrian lager between 7-9 degrees Celsius, so between the time you pull it from the fridge, grab a glass, and get it poured should be about adequate. Allowing it to warm a little more will reveal a bit more malt, but somewhat chilled is still the way to go. Anything from a tall, thin lager or pilsner glass, to a mug or pint glass will do the job just fine, vive la choice!!!
Stiegl Goldbräu presents itself dressed up with a bright clear golden hue, crowned by a tall fluffy white head. Look forward to a clean aroma of crisp grainy malt, followed by some subtle grassy hops. If you have the patience or self-discipline to allow it to warm a bit you’ll be rewarded with a comforting bready, biscuity malt. The aroma doesn’t lend itself to false promises either, expect a clean crisp grainy flavour up front, rounding out nicely with biscuity malt, then finishing with a slight amount of quenching grassy hops. A dry, crisp mouthfeel, with impressive carbonation delivers this whole package. How many times have I used the word “crisp” in this paragraph? Enough to get the point across I hope, this is one tasty lager that will slake your thirst!
If you feel like a bite to eat along with this Austrian brew nothing could be more authentic than some wiener schnitzel, or some other variation of veal cutlets. Real doughy, salty pretzels will also be balanced with this bready quenching beer. Salty or breaded appetizers and finger foods will be tamed and kept in their place. This will also cut through the slight acidity of tomato-based dishes, while the bready malt will balance them out. Purported food recommendations from the Stielg Brewery restaurant’s gourmet chef include roasted meat, goose, duck and chicken. Regardless of what you are preparing in the kitchen Stiegl Goldbräu is satisfying to sip on while you cook too.
The next steps in the cooler:
Other Austrian Beer:
Gösser
Lateral Steps:
Czechvar
Löwenbräu
Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Gold
Ayinger Jahrhundert Bier
For The Adventurous:
Black Cat Lager - Paddock Wood
Warsteiner Dunkel
Lobkowicz Baron
Rogue Dead Guy Ale