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Since 1475
Beer has been brewed at this location since 1475. The “Kaltes Bräuhaus” was built by Hans Elsenheimer, mayor and merchant of Salzburg.
The Kaltes Bräuhaus
Kaltenhausen is the oldest brewery in the state of Salzburg and the oldest wheat beer brewery in Austria — beer has been brewed at this location since 1475. The “Kaltes Bräuhaus” was built at the foot of the Barmstein rocks by Hans Elsenheimer, mayor and merchant of Salzburg, thanks to the crystal-clear rock spring water and the cool winds flowing from the natural wind pipes of the Barmsteine.
In 1498 the property passed to the archbishops of Salzburg. In 1815, Electress Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este acquired the brewery, which remained in comital possession until 1898. In 1921 Kaltenhausen became a founding company of Braubank AG, from which Brau AG and later today’s Brau Union Österreich emerged. The brewery inn with the Bräustübl opened in 1902 and has been a meeting place for beer lovers ever since.
Chronicle
1475
Hans Elsenheimer, mayor and merchant of Salzburg, builds the “Kaltes Bräuhaus” at the foot of the Barmstein rocks.
1498
The property passes to the archbishops of Salzburg.
1815
Maria Leopoldine of Austria-Este acquires the brewery — it remains in comital possession until 1898.
1902
The brewery inn with the Bräustübl opens its doors — a meeting place for beer lovers to this day.
1921
Braubank AG later becomes Brau AG and today’s Brau Union Österreich.
1994
The Gothic vault of 1475 is carefully renovated and reopened as a unique event venue.
2020
Tradition meets modernity: the newly built Sudhaus bar and the redesigned courtyard beer garden.
Natural phenomenon
The cellars of Kaltenhausen have always been famous for their cold. A 17th-century chronicle says of one of these cellars that “the cellar is so cold that a fresh drink immediately goes to the teeth”.
The reason is natural air cooling: cold katabatic winds enter the Barmstein rocks through crevices and cracks at the top and exit the mountain again at cellar level. Thanks to this constant flow, the temperature in the cellars stays below 10 °C all year round. To this day, all beers tapped in the Bräustübl are stored in one of the last natural rock cellars and reach your glass naturally chilled.
Visit us in Kaltenhausen and experience more than 550 years of brewing culture.