The story
In 1841 Anton Dreher, a brewer at Schwechat near Vienna, began producing a reddish-amber lager using a lightly kilned malt that came to be known as “Vienna malt.” Dreher had studied brewing techniques in Britain alongside his friend Gabriel Sedlmayr of Munich’s Spaten brewery, and the two helped push European lager into the modern age. His beer was a hit and made Dreher one of the most successful brewers of his time.
Then the style almost disappeared from its homeland, overtaken by paler lagers. It survived partly in Mexico, where European immigrant brewers in the nineteenth century brought amber lager traditions with them. A popular story links the style to the short reign of the Austrian-born Emperor Maximilian in Mexico in the 1860s, but that connection is more romantic legend than documented history. Either way, Mexican ambers kept the idea alive until American craft brewers revived it.
What it tastes like
Vienna lager is all about balance. It pours a clear reddish-copper with an off-white head. The aroma offers lightly toasted bread and a touch of nuttiness. On the palate it is smooth and moderately malty, with gentle caramel but none of the heaviness of a Märzen. The hop bitterness is moderate and the finish crisp and fairly dry, which makes it excellent with food.
How it’s made
Vienna malt is the heart of the recipe, often supported by pilsner malt and a little Munich or light caramel malt for colour. Noble-type European hops provide balanced bitterness. Brewers ferment cool with lager yeast and lager the beer cold for several weeks, producing a clean, rounded result.
Fun fact
Brewing lore holds that Dreher and Sedlmayr, while touring British breweries, used hollow walking sticks fitted with valves to sneak samples of wort for later analysis. Whether every detail is true or not, it has become one of brewing history’s favourite spy stories.