The state where beer culture has been shaped by innkeepers

Tyroleans’ reputation for being particularly thirsty beer drinkers is no doubt partly due to the fact that there are a lot of holidaymakers in Tyrol.  Their occasional pint helps push the numbers up.  It is certainly noteworthy that Andreas Hofer, Tyrol’s freedom fighter, was an innkeeper.  Innkeepers have always had a big say in Tyrol, including when it comes to beer.  Tyrol’s oldest surviving brewery dates back to 1500, the state’s biggest folkloric gathering centres around the tapping of a barrel, and even the annual satirical State of the State Address held by a fully costumed Gambrinus, King of Beer, has become a firmly established tradition.  The state’s touristic folklore includes giving tourists in Tyrol the option of bathing in beer.

Farmers, monks, aristocrats and craft beer

Naturally, it was often innkeepers who set up breweries in Tyrol.  This paid off for many new producers.  We know that a tavern brewery can, with time, become a prosperous medium-sized business.  We also know that beers with agricultural ties are particularly appreciated.  After all, it was farmers who invented brewing in ancient times. 

One can assume that a brewery has monastic roots (even if there are no other signs of monks) if it honours age-old fasting traditions by making stronger beers.  Manor breweries reflect the influence that aristocrats once had on brewing, and modern microbreweries show that new, beery flowers can blossom out of all those ancient roots if the right technology is coupled with the right brewing skills.