The Tyrol has a diversified brewing landscape with small and large breweries and distillers that dot the region. Below we are sharing a selection of the best of locally produced beers and Schnapps.
Beers:
Visitors who like craft beers, dark- malt rich beers, classic bottom-fermented beers, traditional unpasteurized beers, full-bodied fruity beers, traditional light beers, bitter, yeasty beers and strong beers will find a very diverse variety of locally produced beers to suit all tastes and satiate all thirsts.
The beers in Tyrol are brewed strictly in line with the German beer purity law dating back to the 16th century.
Some well known local brands available in Innsbruck are ‘Freundsberg 66, Gauderbock, Mountain Pale Ale, Starkenberger, Hefeweizen, Tux 1280, Thereisen Pils, Tyroler Imperial Zwinkl, Marzen Zwickl, and Tiroler Kraft.
Schnapps:
Schnapps is the name of different liquors and spirits in Austria and then there is another kind of Schnapps made of fruits often referred to as ‘Obstler’.
Tyrol region has thousands of local distilleries. Over the years the distillers have developed and refined their range of smooth spirits, adapting many from centuries-old recipes. Tyrol has been on the bucket list of Schnapps lovers from near and far, as each year about five million kilos of fruit are used to produce handcrafted schnapps and liqueurs that boast farm-fresh ingredients and crisp snow meltwater.
Schnapps distilling is a deeply rooted tradition in Tyrol and fruits generally used are pears, apples, plums, cherries and apricots.
Popular Obstlers are ‘Birnenschnaps – pear spirit, Marillenschnaps – apricot spirit, Zwetschkenschnaps - plum spirit’.