Austrians allegedly drink more beer than all but the Czechs. And they have plenty of brews to choose from, as you’ll discover at the Super Bier Fest beer festivals in Vienna.
- Showcases of beers from Austria & beyond
- Yep, you get to taste the beers
- Includes street food stands, too
- Large range of brews, often with weird and wonderful names
- Formerly known as the Craft Bier Fest
- Next dates: TBA (last one was 11-12 April, 2025 as Beer Culture Days
- Book a spot on a guided craft beer tour* of Vienna
- See also:
The former Craft Bier Fest
(I came back from the April 2024 edition with a couple of tins and anniversary glasses from the final event under the Craft Bier Fest name)
Austrians are fairly loyal to local beers, so regional breweries and the craft beer movement fit naturally with drinking habits.
You could, of course, take a road trip to track down and taste all the various varieties, whether from the big producers or smaller craft operations. That would take a while.
As an alternative, drop into the two-day celebration of beer that is a Super Bier Fest in Vienna (previously known as the Craft Bier Fest).
Numerous breweries present their best efforts to turn water, yeast, hops and (mostly) barley into a (mostly) golden nectar, typically offering five or more different beers each.
Expect everything from standard IPAs and lagers through to exotic fruit-based sour beers, vintage beers and other unusual delights like white porters.
(The beer festival inside the Marx Halle; press photo © Super Bier Fest / Max Garschall)
At a previous event, I tried a milk stout, a peach-flavoured sour beer, a prize-winning IPA from Sitzenberger, a Belgian-style Saison beer, an oat beer and more. All in small quantities, if you’re concerned for my well being.
Note the absence of vintage beer from my selection. Never again (with apologies to fans of that concept).
The Super Bier Fest events inevitably focus on Austria and its eastern neighbours; the Czechs and Slovaks normally appear in number. But breweries from all over Europe and beyond sometimes attend, too.
At one event, for example, I spotted brews from Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Scotland, England, Ireland, Estonia, Germany, Wales, and the USA.
2025 dates, tickets & tips
Events typically take place twice a year. The first 2025 date was April 11th and 12th for an event branded as Beer Culture Days with a revised format that included live music.
Ticket information etc. is available from the website (see below): you typically buy online or on the door.
A day ticket for the Beer Culture Days included a free beer tasting glass and one “welcome beer”. Once at the festival, you made good use of the glass for sampling the brewer’s art.
(The glass from an earlier event)
The event used to work with a token system for buying the actual beer once inside, but the organisers have used a digital chip system for the last couple of editions. We usually spend €20 on site to taste around eight beers, which makes for a fine couple of hours.
Vienna has a couple of other beer festivals to offer. For example:
- The Vienna KRAFT Bier Fest in the Gleis//Garten food hall
- The Ottakringer Bierfest at our big local brewery with its mainstream and craft beer lines
- The Wiener Bierfest on Am Hof square in the very centre with a mix of large-scale and and craft breweries
How to get to a Super Bier Fest
The last autumn festival occupied the large Marx Halle venue that has come a long way since its days as a cattle market. The April 2025 event took place in the Ottakringer Brewery mentioned above.
Follow the links above for travel tips.
Address: Karl-Farkas-Gasse 19, 1030 Vienna (Marx Halle); Ottakringer Platz 1, 1160 Vienna (Ottakringer Brewery) | Event website