Vienna Lager

What is Vienna Lager?

Vienna lager is a lager beer with a bready aroma and flavour, originating in Vienna, Austria. It is stylistically similar to German märzen beer but with a slightly drier aftertaste.

Origin Story

Vienna lager was developed by Anton Dreher, owner of Schwechat Brewery, in the 1830s near Vienna, Austria. To create Vienna lager, Dreher combined the British technique of brewing light malt with bottom fermentation. 

Vienna lager was brought to the market in 1841, exactly the same year as märzen beer in Germany. The simultaneous emergence of similar-tasting beers in neighbouring countries was no coincidence; creators Anton Dreher and Gabriel Sedlmayr were close friends who collaborated closely in beer development. Dreher obtained the bottom-fermenting yeast he used for brewing Vienna lager from Sedlmayr.

Vienna lager gained fame in 1867 when Dreher opened a restaurant and beer hall in Paris during the Second World Exhibition. This inspired some German-American immigrants, who began replicating Dreher’s beer in the United States.

While märzen remains quite popular worldwide, relatively little Vienna lager is brewed today. It has survived primarily thanks to craft beer producers and homebrewers in the USA. Interestingly, Vienna lager is currently most popular in Mexico, where a slightly altered version is produced on an industrial scale.