Insider tips for Salzburg: beer sommelier Axel Kiesbye

"My school leaving exam wasn't enough for a career in advertising. That was lucky! And so I became a brewer." Instead of thinking up advertising slogans, Kiesbye, a native of Dortmund, prefers to look for the decisive nuance that makes beer-brewing something special. This took him first to Weihenstephan and then to Obertrum, near Salzburg. At the age of 26, he was the youngest master brewer in the private Trumer brewery. Then he set up his own business and invented a completely new technology for open fermentation, which he patented. "I like how the natural brewing process can never be totally fathomed or mastered."

His Pils has several times been distinguished as the best in Europe. He is happy to share his knowledge in brewing and beer sommelier courses. He likes to take his truffle dog Frodo into the forest in search of wild berries, resins and herbs, which he brings into his "wilderness beers" series. Axel loves not only the wilderness around Salzburg, but also the town itself. What in particular? Find out here.

Salzburg tour with Axel Kiesbye
 

You brew top-class beers, and you're always in search of new ideas for them. Which places in Salzburg do you find particularly inspiring?

If you want to create top-class beers, it's always a matter of urbanity, new impressions, flavour affinity and internationality – all to be found in our Alchimiste Belge beer bar, where there's a wide range of international top-class beers on offer – especially Belgian – and things not otherwise available in this form anywhere in Austria. This gives me new ideas for possible combinations of raw materials.
Alchimiste Belge, Bergstrasse 10, 5020 Salzburg

A glass of cool beer, the evening sun in your face, and conversation in good company... where in Salzburg was the last time you experienced such a moment when everything was just right?

Far-sightedness is a good thing. If I can just let my gaze wander, I get a feeling of freedom and expanse. There's not much that distracts me. The Gersberg Alm offers just that, and as well as the panorama over the town of Salzburg, there's excellent food and a wide range of beer specialities. For me, that's a wonderful combination.
Gersberg Alm, Gersberg 37, 5020 Salzburg

You've also written numerous specialist books, including on the new 4.0 beer culture: where does this exist in Salzburg , and what does it look like?

In the Stieglgut Wildshut, a 25-minute drive from Salzburg. Beer nerds find all the things they love there. There's exclusive cuisine and home-brewed beer, and the malt is home-produced. What I like about it is that everything that grows on the estate is used in the kitchen and in brewing. A special feature is the maturation cellar, where the beer ripens in wooden barrels and amphoras – this is unique in Europe. It also offers a wonderful overnight stay, as well as tastings and seminars sharing interesting details about beer. This is my hotspot for beer culture 4.0.
Stiegl-Gut Wildshut, Wildshut 8, 5120 Salzburg

You have a quite different idea of beer. What visionaries do you still find to admire in Salzburg?

My main concern is that I do so many things by hand. I'm close to the product, using special raw materials from the wilderness. In Salzburg this manual approach is also taken in the Joseph Brot bakery. They have a new bakery concept with bread of exceptional quality. The production process of bread and beer is similar – both need grain, yeasts and water. In this respect, beer is liquid bread. Pay a visit to Joseph Brot and watch the bakers at work. Since freshly-baked bread is their strong point, there are not so many loaves in stock, so most of them have to be ordered beforehand, and only then are they baked. I also admire Josef Sigl, of the private Trumer brewery – simply because he sets great store by organically and sustainably produced beer.
Trumer Privatbrauerei, Brauhausgasse 2, 5162 Obertrum

When you eat out, what's your favourite dish? Where can we get it in Salzburg?

Maybe this sounds a bit corny, but actually, it's Salzburger Nockerl [sweet egg-white soufflé] – a dish that makes you happy, but it's not so readily available in the town. They still serve it at Zwettler‘s, near the Mozartplatz.
Zwettler’s Wirtshaus, Kaigasse 3, 5020 Salzburg

A Sunday in the countryside. Where would we meet you around Salzburg?

I like to drive to the Mattsee, because this lake isn't yet so overcrowded with tourists. The Mattsee is set in idyllic surroundings, with a promenade where I like to sit. There are great bars and restaurants with views over the lake – like the Schlosscafé with an almost 360° view around the lake. Or the Seewirt, where you can sit directly by the water and watch the boats. Both places have excellent beers.
Schloss Mattsee, Schlossberg 1, 5163 Mattsee

You invite friends to Salzburg; which hotel in the town would they enjoy?

If money were no object, then I'd recommend the Gmachl Wellness Hotel in Bergheim, where everything is geared to the guests' enjoyment [Genuss]. There's an in-house butcher's and a brewery. This is real top-level wellness – there's nothing comparable in Austria. Also top-level: the qualified beer sommeliers. The three home-brewed beers are served only in the hotel and the adjacent restaurant Franz.; but there is a wide selection of international beers on offer. Since my friends are beer-lovers, this hotel is the best.
Genussdorf Gmachl, Dorfstrasse 35, 5101 Bergheim

Which hotel would you choose for yourself?

The Friesacher in Anif. It's not only absolutely idyllic, in the country but close to the town, but also a fantastic high-quality hotel. The Friesacher Einkehr [tavern] has its own bock-beer cellar and they broach a wooden barrel to draw the beer. In the evening, you can savour a few glasses of bock beer from the vintage cellar, and the next day visit the nearby zoo.
Hotel Friesacher, Hellbrunner Strasse 17, 5081 Anif