Zillertal Bier has been brewed by the same family and in the same Tyrolean village for more than 500 years. Beer lovers and culture vultures can now tour the brewery and experience the art and history of Zillertal beer-making in a state-of-the-art BrauKunstHaus. Get all the details below.
Visitors to the Braukunsthaus in Zell am Ziller witness first-hand how Zillertal Bier is brewed and bottled. But don’t expect an ordinary brewery tour. Modern multi-media technology is used in innovative ways to engage young and old. It even takes you inside the fermentation vessels.
BrauKunstHaus Basics
| Entrance Fee | €12,90 to €19.90 per adult (see all ticket options) |
| What’s Included | Brewery tour with interactive multi-media exhibitions and tasting |
| Opening Times | Mid-May to early Nov – Mon to Sat, 10:00-18:00 Mid-Dec to Mid-May – Mon to Fri, 10:00-18:00 Early Nov to Mid-Dec – Closed |
| Tour Duration | 1,5 to 2 hours |
| Adress | Bräuweg 1, Zell am Ziller |
Why Visit the Zillertal Bier Braukunsthaus?
A Beer Like no Other
Zillertal Bier is unlike other beers for various reasons:
- The Hotel Gasthof Bräu, which is still in existence today, started brewing beer in the 1500s. They opened their doors to the public for the parish festival in May every year when the mountain inhabitants visited the town for the first time after winter. This festival, known as the Gauderfest, is now Austria’s biggest folk festival and listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- Zillertal Bier is brewed from spring-fresh mountain water from the surrounding Zillertal Alps.
- For an authentic Tyrolean taste, Austrian farmers cultivate grains especially for Zillertal Bier. This includes an almost forgotten variety, Fisser imperial barley, for which the growers receive four times the world market price.
- With an alcohol content of 7.8 %, the Gauder Bock beer, which is brewed for the Gauder Festival, is Austria’s strongest festival beer.
- Freshly tapped Zillertal beer is only available in the Ziller Valley and selected locations in Tyrol. (Note: The bottled beer is widely available in supermarkets in the province.)
Interactive Multi-Media Tour
The creators of the BraukKunstHaus managed to effectively incorporate a tour of the brewery with interesting multi-media presentations to keep visitors engaged.
I wasn’t surprised to hear that a tourism expert who was involved in the creation of Swarovski Crystal Worlds near Innsbruck, also gave their creative input for the BrauKunstHaus.
You’ll not only see how the beer is bottled, labeled and packed, but also what’s going on inside the fermenting vessels. On the way, you’ll hear departed members of the beer brewing family talking to you “from the grave”.
In one of two bigger exhibition rooms, you’ll learn everything about beer and alcohol through touch, smell, and sound. In the other, tribute is paid to the Ziller Valley and its people.
Nowhere else do they love socializing and casual conversation, joking and singing; nowhere is the lust for dancing so lively and nowhere are the folk festivals, weddings and church days celebrated as loud and lively as in the Zillertal.
Johann Jakob Staffler, lawyer and photographer (1846)
Zillertal Beer Tasting Fresh From the Taps
After seeing how the beer is brewed, your tour ends with the highlight of tasting the end product. This happens in the BrauKunstHaus’ lovely beer tasting room with big windows overlooking the Ziller Valley.
The following tasting options are available, depending on the entrance fee you paid. All the beer tasting serving sizes are 0,2 l. More, all tastings come with a traditional beer pretzel.
| Entrance Fee | Tasting Included |
|---|---|
| €12,90 | 1 x beer speciality |
| €15,90 | 3 x beer specialities |
| €19.90 | 3 x craft beer specialities |
| €12,90 (non-alcoholic) | 1 x 0,33l sparkling apple juice |
| €23,90 (1 adult, 1-2 children) | 3 x beer specialities + 1 x apple juice per child |
| €38,90 (2 adults, 1-2 children) | 3 x beer specialities per adult + 1 x apple juice per child |
Zillertal Beer Selection
The Zillertal Bier selection includes 13 everyday beers and five special or vintage beers. They also sell two kinds of beer brandies which are distilled by a local distiller. Their signature non-alcoholic drink is a sparkling apple juice made with apples from South Tyrol and Ziller Valley water.
List of everyday beers from Zillertal Bier:
| Tyroler Imperial Pale Ale | Tyroler Imperial Zwickl |
| Pils | Märzen |
| Weißbier Bright | Weißbier Dark |
| Radler Natural Cloudy | Radler Fresh & Fruity |
| Dark | Black |
| Gauder Bock | Gauder Steinbock |
| Weißbier Bock |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I buy Zillertal Bier?
Beer from the Zillertal Bier brewery is only sold in Tyrol where it’s freely available in supermarkets. Restaurants, pubs, and mountain huts in the Ziller Valley have it on tap, while you’ll also find it on the menu of an increasing selection of restaurants in other parts of Tyrol.
The new BrauKunstHaus at the brewery in Zell am Ziller has a shop stocking the entire Zillertal Bier selection.
Can I take a tour of the Zillertal beer brewery?
Yes, Zillertal Bier’s new BrauKunstHaus includes a tour of the brewery which explains the beer making and bottling process. Afterwards, you also get to taste some of the beers of your choice.
How do I get to the Zillertal beer brewery?
Getting to Zillertal Bier’s brewery in Zell am Ziller is easiest by car. There is ample parking in front of the BrauKunstHaus. Arriving by bus or train is also possible, although you’ll have to take a short walk from the village centre to the brewery.
*Disclosure*
Dear Reader,
I attended the press launch of the KunstBrauHaus, which included 2 complimentary tickets. However, having fun in Austria, and then writing about it, is hard work 😆. That’s why some links in this article are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you use any of them to make a purchase. It’s totally cool if you don’t. I love to help anyway. But if you do, we’ll probably blow it on another family excursion. Which really isn’t such a bad thing, because it will result in another blog post for you to read.
