500 years of passion

The Archbishopric of Salzburg gave the Provostry in Zell am Ziller the right to produce and serve beer and brandy for the “Polsingerhaus”. This marks the beginning of the rich history of Zillertal Bier. At that time, the brewery was in the still family-run Hotel Gasthof Bräu in the center of Zell am Ziller. Since then, the Gauder Festival has been celebrated on the “Gauderlehen”, the agricultural property belonging to the brewery. Today the festival is Austria's largest spring and traditional costume festival and attracts more than 30,000 visitors to Zell am Ziller every year on the first weekend in May. For this festival we have always brewed a special beer, our famous Gauder Bock.

Ludwig Jobst, a direct ancestor of our family, acquired the "Polsingerhaus" in 1678 and the associated right to produce and serve beer and brandy. Ludwig Jobst was thus the first "free beer brewer in Tyrol". Since then, our family has run the hotel and the farm as well as the brewery.

The brewery was moved to Gerlosstrasse in 1738 by Ludwig Jobst's grandson Ludwig Anton Hochbichler. We brewed our beer specialties at this location until 2012. The Polsingerhaus was continued as a hotel. In the often-difficult times, the respective brewery owners managed to keep the business going. The actual upswing in the brewery only began after the Second World War due to the development of tourism in Tyrol. In the 1950s, approximately 2,500 hectoliters of beer were brewed.

The history of Zillertal Bier was largely shaped by women. With skill and the necessary flair, they led the company into the next generation, which could also benefit from rich experience and the precise records.

We have always supplied the inns in the area with our beer. So, a good partnership with the innkeepers and locals developed in time. The oldest customer relationship has existed since 1506. The brewery was also involved in the progressive development of the region. Of particular note is the brewery owner Kaspar Schneider, who was one of the co-founders of the Zillertal Bahn. (Railway)

Two large warehouses for the entire logistics were built on the village outskirts. But the brewery was still at Gerlosstrasse in the center of Zell am Ziller. For this reason, the entire full and empties had to be transported back and forth between the two locations.

In 2008 the construction of the new brewery on the outskirts of Zell am Ziller started. In the first of a total of three stages of construction, a fermentation and storage cellar, the filtration and the filling station were newly built. The new part of the brewery went into operation at the end of 2009.

In the second stage, the brewery's innovative brewhouse was equipped with the latest technology. After a construction period of only nine months, the new brewhouse started operating on 12.12.2012.

As part of an exciting multimedia tour, visitors have the opportunity to learn more about the yesterday, today and tomorrow of our family business as well as the uniqueness of the region.

We have been brewing our beer specialties according to the tradition for over 500 years. Today with the latest technology, but still with selected, regional ingredients. This makes the Zillertal Bier specialties a special piece of home.