July 25, 2024

Beer Travel Vignettes: The Augustiner Bräustübl in Salzburg

We climbed the hill in the direction of the monastery as dark clouds began amassing. The storm broke loose with a crash of thunder and a biblical fury just as we reached the heavy doors. Inside, the heat melted away as we descended the stairs into the cellar precincts, arriving at the beer counter as the barkeeper was tapping a fresh wooden cask of Märzen.

Frothy mugs in hand, we made for the beer garden and found a table under a massive horse chestnut tree. We could hear the rain sizzling in the canopy overhead, but it wasn’t until we were seeing the bottom of our glasses that the first drops began to trickle through.

That was more than thirty years ago.

Sites of Memory, Tastes of Place

Ever since that afternoon, the Augustiner has remained synonymous with beer in Salzburg, if not with Salzburg itself. I’ve spent many a winter’s evening ensconced in the Augustiner’s cozy beer halls, and many a summer afternoon in the leafy beer garden. I’ve celebrated birthdays there, and I’ve returned with old friends and family, most recently with my 21-year-old niece and her travel companion. When I worked as a Sound of Music tour guide in the mid-1990s (you read that right), I’d end the day with a mug of Augustiner’s refreshing Märzen. It was one of the best ways to wash away the sounds of music I had to play for tour guests twice a day.

Every time I go back to Salzburg, my pace quickens as I approach the Salzach River and the old Romanesque church comes into view. The anticipation builds as I cross the footbridge across the Salzach, climb the bank on the other side, and walk those last few steps up the hill to that unassuming door across from the church.

A Ritual Anchor in Time

It’s winter 2022. All is still outside. The last time I was here with one of my closest friends, an old veteran of many a common European travel campaign, was when I celebrated a milestone birthday a few weeks before something called Covid threw the world into disarray.

We open the heavy door like we’d done so many times before and hear the clang of cutlery, the clinking of glasses, and the buzz of conversation — dimly at first as we descend the arched stone stairway toward a statue of St. Augustine below, and then louder, the sounds interweaving with the aromas of Bratwurst, roasted pork, and sauerkraut.

We pass by the food kiosks, saving them for later. Right now our mind is on beer — or more precisely, the Augustiner beer ritual.

Rinsing your mug. Part of the Augustiner drinking ritual. — *Rinsing your mug, an important part of the Augustiner ritual.*

We round the corner, and there it is: a wall of pristine cream-coloured beer mugs. We choose our hefty drinking vessels, give them a good rinse, then tell the cashier which beer we want. Usually they just serve Märzen, but today we’re lucky. Their winter Bock beer on tap as well. We pass our glasses to the barkeep and wait for our mugs of frothy goodness before heading off to stake our claim to a table.

After a few long draughts of beer, we take turns exploring the food kiosks. Some kiosks sell bread and pretzels, others sell Fleischkäse and roasted pork, a few sell salads and various spreads like Liptauer (the Austrian answer to Obatzda), and one even specializes in “Radi,” those long twirls of shaved radish served with a sprinkle of salt.

Within minutes we’ve assembled a perfect feast. All we need now are a few more beers to round out yet another memorable evening.

Worth Noting as You’re Packing Your Bags

*Salzburg is less than two hours from Munich by train. You can get a Bayern Ticket and turn a visit to Salzburg into a long day trip from Munich. Better yet, spend a few days in Salzburg, using it as a base to visit Berchtesgaden, Bad Reichenhall, or Traunstein — all places I’ve written about in these blog pages.

*Once you’ve hoisted a few beers at the Augustiner, you can head back in the direction of town via the scenic route over the Mönchsberg. This has two advantages: You’ll catch stunning views of the fortress that dominates Salzburg’s skyline. You’ll also effectively work up a thirst for your next round of beer at the Stieglkeller. After a few kilometers, you’ll pass under the fortress, round the bend, and arrive at the Stieglkeller. When the weather’s nice, nothing beats a mug of beer on the terrace with Salzburg’s Altstadt (old town) spread out below.

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