HOPIQ SCORE
The Best Austrian Lagers
52 beers from 20 breweries · Ranked by style authenticity — not marketing
These rankings are dynamic. As more people rate, match and like beers on hopIQ, community signals will increasingly shape the results alongside style authenticity and award recognition.
Austria brewed the world's first amber lager. In 1841 Anton Dreher, working in Schwechat outside Vienna, took the newly-available English malting technique and applied it to a bottom-fermented beer — the result was Vienna Lager, a style with a slight toast and a copper glow that pre-dates almost every other beer most drinkers today would recognise. That single act reshaped brewing across Central Europe and, indirectly, the entire industrial lager tradition that followed.
Modern Austrian lager is quieter than its 19th-century invention story suggests. Stiegl, Ottakringer, Zipfer, and Gösser anchor the market with Märzen and Helles that emphasise soft malt and a clean finish. The hopIQ ranking surfaces both the mainstream and a smaller craft scene rebuilding Vienna Lager as a category — a style now more actively produced in Mexico and the US than in the country that invented it.
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score weights style authenticity (80%), user engagement (10%), notability (10%), and award history. Active, in-production beers only — non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 52 beers from 20 breweries.
Top 5 of 50
Stiegl-Paracelsus Bio-ZwicklBest Overall#30 worldwide
ABV
5%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
amber 11
Austria's most celebrated organic beer — named after Paracelsus, the alchemist-physician who lived in Salzburg. Brewed exclusively with Austrian organic ingredients from controlled biological cultivation, including Laufener Landweizen…Austria's most celebrated organic beer — named after Paracelsus, the alchemist-physician who lived in Salzburg. Brewed exclusively with Austrian organic ingredients from controlled biological cultivation, including Laufener Landweizen ancient grain grown and malted at the Stiegl-Farm Wildshut. Amber-coloured, naturally unfiltered, velvety mild, and smooth. 24,445 Untappd ratings.
Hirter 1270#36 worldwide
ABV
5%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
amber 14
Named after the brewery's founding year — an amber Vienna Lager honouring 750+ years of Carinthian brewing heritage. Copper-amber with toasted malt and gentle hop bitterness. The premium expression of Hirter's historic identity. Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
Hofstettner KübelbierMost Distinctive#39 worldwide
ABV
5.2%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
golden 7
Austria's most unique beer — fermented in open granite troughs (Kübeln) quarried from the local Mühlviertel granite. Fresh, unfiltered lager filled directly from the lager tanks, keeping all flavourful protein and yeast intact. 2,790…Austria's most unique beer — fermented in open granite troughs (Kübeln) quarried from the local Mühlviertel granite. Fresh, unfiltered lager filled directly from the lager tanks, keeping all flavourful protein and yeast intact. 2,790 Untappd ratings at 3.6. A beer genuinely unlike anything else in Austria.
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Puntigamer Zwickl#42 worldwide
ABV
5.2%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
amber 10
Puntigamer's unfiltered Zwickl — naturally cloudy and fuller-bodied than the Märzen with more malt complexity. Popular among Graz's craft beer-curious population who want more character without leaving their trusted local brand. Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
5
Stiegl-Goldbräu#43 worldwide
ABV
4.9%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Colour
pale gold 4
Stiegl's flagship — a golden, clean and refreshing Helles-style lager with a gentle malt sweetness and soft Hallertau hop character. The definitive beer of Salzburg. Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
Ranks 6–10
6
Zwettler Zwickl#52 worldwide
Zwettler's naturally unfiltered Zwickl — the Waldviertel craft expression with gentle haze, fuller malt body, and soft yeast character. Popular at outdoor festivals and Heurigen throughout the Waldviertel and Vienna regions. Ranked here for style-fit against the Lager reference and award history in Lager-specific categories.
7
Obertrumer Märzen Bio-Zwickl#65 worldwide
A full-bodied organic Märzen-Zwickl 'wie damals' — naturally unfiltered with a slight haze, brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot of 1516 with organic ingredients. Mild, full-mouthed, and multifaceted with layered taste nuances. A…A full-bodied organic Märzen-Zwickl 'wie damals' — naturally unfiltered with a slight haze, brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot of 1516 with organic ingredients. Mild, full-mouthed, and multifaceted with layered taste nuances. A charming homage to the original brewing style.
8
Freistädter Bio-Zwickl#68 worldwide
An organic, naturally cloudy Zwickl with classic haze, sweet aromas, and delicate yeast character. Brewed with organic Mühlviertel ingredients in controlled biological cultivation. One of Austria's most beloved organic beers from the…An organic, naturally cloudy Zwickl with classic haze, sweet aromas, and delicate yeast character. Brewed with organic Mühlviertel ingredients in controlled biological cultivation. One of Austria's most beloved organic beers from the Mühlviertel region.
9
Schremser Bio Zwickl#74 worldwide
Schremser's organic Zwickl — naturally cloudy, unfiltered, and brewed with certified organic Waldviertel hops and malt. The flagship of Austria's most celebrated organic brewery. Mild, fresh, and full-bodied with genuine Waldviertel…Schremser's organic Zwickl — naturally cloudy, unfiltered, and brewed with certified organic Waldviertel hops and malt. The flagship of Austria's most celebrated organic brewery. Mild, fresh, and full-bodied with genuine Waldviertel terroir.
10
Ottakringer Helles#96 worldwide
Vienna's defining everyday beer — the '16er Hüs'n' in local slang, referring to the 16th district. Clean, golden, and refreshing with subtle malt sweetness and gentle hop bitterness. The beer of Vienna's Heurigen, Würstelstände, and…Vienna's defining everyday beer — the '16er Hüs'n' in local slang, referring to the 16th district. Clean, golden, and refreshing with subtle malt sweetness and gentle hop bitterness. The beer of Vienna's Heurigen, Würstelstände, and football stadiums — official beer of SK Rapid Wien. Austria's most iconic canned beer.
The taste landscape
Of the 50 top beers, 38 lean malt-forward and 9 lean hop-forward.