Seeking solace in Salzburg

Following the rather lengthy, but quite necessary scene-setting of my last post, it’s straight off to the charming Austrian city of Salzburg for a quick round-up of what Mozart’s birthplace has to offer the beer-loving tourist.

My flight to Salzburg departed on Boxing Day afternoon, and with no trains running I had to  drive myself to the airport. This meant my Christmas Day alcohol intake was rather modest; certainly when compared against a normal Christmas, but I made up for it once I touched down in Austria.

I was disappointed not to see any snow on the ground when we landed; although I had noticed a covering on the tops of the mountains as the plane made its final approach. However, despite the lack of the white-stuff, the temperature was considerably colder than the damp and cloudy England I had left behind.

Salzburg airport is small, pleasant and compact, and it is also close to the city, so I jumped on a bus for the short ride to central Salzburg, alighting at the main railway station. From there it was a 15 minute walk to my hotel, although it did take me slightly longer to find my accommodation, after mis-reading my map.

I decided to stay close to the hotel for my first night, and the PitterKeller, just a block away from where I was staying, suited my purposes perfectly. As the name suggests, the Keller was sited slightly below street level, its beamed ceiling and part wood-panelled walls serving to reinforce the claim of Salzburg's oldest beer cellar.

Being Boxing Day evening, the Keller was fairly quiet, so I had no difficulty in finding a table. I ordered myself a mug of Helles, brewed by Privatbrauerei Wieninger, who are based just over the border with Bavaria, in Teisendorf. The beer was cool, refreshing and tasty, and I ordered a Schnitzel with parsley potatoes to go accompany it.

There was something about just being there, in the peaceful and relaxing surroundings of the Keller, miles away, both physically and mentally from the stresses which had built up over the course of the previous six months. As I finished my meal and ordered another beer, I felt felt a deep wave of contentment wash over me as the stresses, cares and concerns associated with the craziness of holding down two very different and demanding jobs, literally just melted away.

I slept really well that night, far better than I'd done for a long time. After waking refreshed and relaxed the following morning, I set out, on foot, to explore the city, but not before I had devoured a hearty breakfast. I made my way across the Salzach river,  to the impressive Festung Hohensalzburg; a massive and well-preserved former fortress perched on top of a large rocky outcrop that dominates the city and overlooks it from a height of 540 feet.

I could have taken the funicular railway which runs up to the fortress, but instead chose to walk up the steep slopes and climb the hundreds of steps which to the top. It seemed a good way to work off some of the excesses of Christmas over-indulgence. The climb was certainly well worth the effort, as the fortress at close quarters was even more more impressive than it had looked from city below.

The Festung Hohensalzburg is claimed to be the largest fully preserved castle in Central Europe, and doesn't disappoint in this respect. originally constructed by the Prince Bishops who once ruled over Salzburg, the fortress has been added to over several centuries. Inside there are state apartments and a banqueting hall, plus rooms given over to various exhibits. The display I saw related to the Alpine Front from the First World War, when troops from Austria were engaged in a series of campaigns against the Italians - their southern neighbours.

I walked back down into the Altstadt, looking for a place to eat, and also somewhere to warm up in. The Stiegl Keller I'd earmarked earlier was closed, so I crossed the bridge into the Neustadt and found a welcome refuge from the cold at Gablerbräu. The notes I made at the time record that I had sausages (Wurst) and chips, plus a couple of beers. Gablerbräu underwent a major revamp, in 2013 and now brews its own range of beers, but I'm not sure what I drank on that initial visit.

That evening I set off in the rapidly fading daylight and the increasingly cold air to find the what was the undoubted highlight of the trip. Augustinerbräu Kloster Mülln is a brewery and beer hall attached to a monastery, not far from the centre of Salzburg, and is legendary amongst lovers of good beer. It was a short walk from my hotel down to the river Salzach, which I crossed by means of a footbridge. It was then a case of following the road along the riverbank until the floodlit exterior of the monastery church, perched on the edge of the Monchsberg hill, came into view.

The entrance to the Bräustübl is through a large, anonymous-looking wooden door, where a flight of steep stone steps leads down into the heart of the building. This then opens into a long tiled passage where there are a number of kiosks selling a variety of hot or cold food to accompany the beer. Alternatively you can bring in your own picnic, as many of the locals do.

There are three large, cavernous beer halls, plus a number of smaller, more intimate rooms that are available for private hire. For the summer months there is a large, shaded beer garden to the rear. The main attraction is of course the beer which is served direct from large wooden casks. A full-bodied lager, known as Märzen  with an ABV of 4.6%  is brewed all year round, whilst from November through to Christmas a stronger Weinachtsbock (Christmas Bock) at 6.5% ABV is produced.

The entire stock of the festive beer had unfortunately sold out, so I had to make do with the Märzen. This was a well hopped, malty and satisfying beer, but unfortunately, as it is served in stoneware mugs, it is impossible to see what colour it is. On the plus side, being served straight from a wooden cask, there is no excess gas to bloat one’s stomach, and the beer slips down a treat. It was so good that I sank four half litre mugs over the course of the evening!

There is a bit of a ritual involved  in order to obtain a beer, and it means a visit to the serving area just round the corner from where the food kiosks are situated. You then help yourself to one of the stoneware mugs (litre or half litre) laid out on a series of wooden shelves. You then need to rinse the mug at a rather ornate marble fountain before queuing up and paying the person sitting behind a glass screen.

In exchange for your money you are given a ticket, which you  hand to the person dispensing the beer who will  fill your mug with beer before sliding it back to you across a perforated metal counter. You then have a choice of beer hall in which to sit and enjoy your beer. When you want a refill you simply take your mug back to the central kiosk, pausing perhaps to rinse it clean at the fountain, before repeating the process.

I tried all three different beer halls during the two visits I made to the Augustinerbräu Bräustübl on that trip, but preferred the non-smoking one to the left of the serving area. As it was still relatively early in the evening there were plenty of wooden tables to sit at. What I especially liked was that Augustinerbräu appeared popular with people from all walks of life and also from all age groups. Groups of young people were just as eagerly getting stuck into their mugs of beer as their older counterparts.

There was a  thick frost covering the ground, as I made my way back to the hotel, my way lit by the moon and the many stars shining through the crispness of the sub-zero night. The temperature was cold enough to make my eyes water and take my breath away, but with all that beer inside me, the rest of me felt quite warm!

After breakfast the following morning I walked back into town via the gardens of Schloss Mirabelle. These featured in the film version of the Sound of Music, forming the backdrop for Maria and the Von Trapp children to dance around whilst singing. The gardens though, are much smaller than they appear on the big screen.I then caught a bus to Bräuwelt - a brewery museum and beer "experience" housed in the former maltings attached to the Stiegl Brewery, on the edge of the city.

Stiegl are the largest and best known brewery in Salzburg, and whilst Bräuwelt is billed as Europe's largest "Beer Exhibition",  I have visited much better laid out, and more informative brewery museums elsewhere. It was pleasant enough though, and my admission ticket included a couple of glasses of beer, plus a hot pretzel. I enjoyed the brewery's Paracelus Naturtrüb - unfiltered beer, plus their Christmas Weinachtsbier, before catching the bus back into central Salzburg. 

After a spot of shopping for a present or two for the family, I crossed the river back into the old town and found a very nice place to eat, just off the Getreidegasse. I have been trying to find this restaurant on a map of Salzburg, so far without success but suffice to say I enjoyed a really good meal of roast potatoes with diced chicken, bacon and onions served up in a cast-iron pan. I ordered a mug of Kaiser Pils (brewery unknown), to go with my meal.

It goes without saying that I made my way back up to Augustinerbräu afterwards; my experience being much the same as the previous evening. According to the notes I made at the time, I only had three mugs that evening, but the beer was still as tasty as the night before.

This was my last evening in Salzburg as I had to fly back to England the following day to try and kick-start the stalled sale of our business.  I was glad to have chosen Salzburg as my bolt-hole as it is person-sized with a touch of class about it. The trip was everything I wanted it to be,  providing a place to escape to, where I could relax, unwind and re-emerge energised and ready to face the music.

I have made two subsequent visits to Salzburg, which I have written about previously, but if you are thinking of going, either for business or pleasure,  a visit to Augustinerbräu Kloster Mülln is a must. Not only is the Bräustübl tavern the largest in Austria, it is also one of the finest and most traditional of beer halls anywhere in the world!