Beer

Upper Austria and beer - that is a long love story. There are two regions in Upper Austria that are internationally renowned for the excellent reputation of their beer connoisseurs: the Mühlviertel and the Innviertel. The land and traditions of the art of brewing finds its expression in the characteristic taste of the beer.

In the Mühlviertel, the water comes from the granite bedrock, which gives the beer a special note. In addition, high-quality hops are also grown north of the Danube. Hence, a decisive raw material for beer production grows right outside the door. In the brewing tradition of the Mühlviertel, the Bohemian beer culture has also left its mark with its note of hops. 

The Innviertel beers, on the other hand, have been influenced by the brewing traditions of Bavaria. It’s no surprise, since Upper Austria’s youngest quarter was part of Bavaria until the eighteenth century. In light of that, it is no surprise, either, that the Innviertel is the region in Austria with the highest density of breweries. The “Beer Region Innviertel“, a joint project of breweries and restaurants, includes seven different breweries, which produce a total of 60 different beers.

HOP

The “Mühlviertel” (mill quarter), an arboreous region of soft hills in the Northeast of Upper Austria, is especially famous for its cultivation of hop. The female hop plant grows up to 12 inches per day and reaches an eventual height of up to 23 feet. It needs a sunny climate with rather cool nights and ample precipitation, which is why it only grows between the 35th and 55th parallel of the northern and southern hemisphere. Hop is, of course, mostly used for the production of beer.

VEGETABLES

Especially south of the Danube, where the “Eferdinger Gemüselandl” spreads in a climatically benefited region, the cultivation of vegetables is a cherished tradition. Farmers especially hold pride in the fact that their products are organic and cultivated under strict guidelines. More than 70 different vegetables are grown on approximately 3.9 square miles: lettuce, radish, turnip cabbage, and asparagus in spring, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, peppers, sun-ripened tomatoes, and many others in the summer. The potatoes from this region also enjoy a very good reputation.

CHEESE

Cheese from Upper Austria has been recognized in the past for its outstanding quality and popularity. The “Salzkammergut”, for example, a beautiful region full of mountains and lakes, has a longstanding tradition of cheese production that goes back to the 14th century. Especially the dairy factory of the picturesque village of Gmunden on the shores of lake Traun is well-known for producing some of the best cheeses of Austria. Raw milk of the highest quality from one of the many dairy farms in the region are at the heart of the deliciousness of the creamery’s creations, such as the “Gmundner Berg” (mountain of Gmund), the “Traunstein König” (King of Traunstein), “Gosauer Jausenkäse” (Gosauer snack cheese) and many others. The popularity of these cheeses has long crossed the borders of Austria. In 2006, for example, the „Traunstein König“ was voted World Champion in the Wisconsin Championship Cheese Contest and in 2010 the “Gmundner Berg Premium” too was honored in this contest

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