Although we get a lot of beers imported from Germany here in the USA, we don’t really see a large number from Austria. Most of the Austrian beers I’ve enjoyed are lagers just like their German cousins (I think of the very good if pricey Schloss Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel).

One relatively new entrant into the Georgia market is Salzburger Stiegl Goldbrau Beer. This is a golden pilsner in style, and a tasty one at that. One wonders why it took them so long to get here, since this is no new bandwagon brew. Stiegl claims to have been brewing in Austria since 1492, and they claim Stiegl Goldbrau is Austria’s best-selling beer. They take pride in being a privately-owned concern.

Here is what Stiegl says about the beer:

Stiegl Goldbräu boasts an unrivalled, well rounded, balanced and wonderfully thirst-quenching flavour. Mildly hopped with a typical refreshing beer bouquet, golden colour, a magnificent fine head and pleasant aftertaste, Stiegl Goldbräu is the enjoyment of beer at the highest level.

I first tried Salzburger Stiegl Goldbrau at Taco Mac on a warm spring day, out on the patio. The beer was very refreshing indeed, and reasonably priced at $6.00 a pint. I later bought a single at Total Wine for a few bucks; curiously, it was only available as 11.2 ounce singles at first. These days, though, it is now sold in six-packs for $8.99. That’s about the going price these days.

Salzburger Stiegl Goldbrau Beer pours to a pale golden color with a moderate spritzy head formation that fades soon after the pour. Taking a sip my nose is greeted by wonderful fresh biscuit malt notes with a hint of herbal hop aroma. Taking a sip, the palate is all about those wonderful fresh malt flavors the nose promised. The beer is very crisp and lightly toasty, like chewing a handful of fresh pilsner malt. In the finish, a minty grassy hop aroma presents itself, and a long dry bitter buzz lingers on the tongue quite some time after sipping.

This is an amazing German-style pilsner, balancing delicate malt and aggressive hop flavors perfectly. I much preferred the draft version, though a beer like this is really made for draft enjoyment. The bottles samples I bought showed no defects, though the green glass does not help prevent that.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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