Ottakringer Wiener Original
Ottakringer Brauerei AG

Last dunk in 2003 in Vienna Austria, the home of Ottakringer.
Great working man's beer sold in that Austrian standard 500 cc brown bottle.
Inexpensive, daily driver type.
Sooo... why can't U.S, breweries sell good tasting beer at less than 55-75 cents a pop?

Caveat-Beware the export lager beers from european breweries, oftentimes actually worse tasting than the standard lagers sold in the same nation the beer is brewed in.

Had on tap, unfiltered. Clear amber brown body with a large off-white head. Toasty malt, lighter brown nuts, bready yeast, caramel and a touch of orange hops. Taste leans into the malt more with caramel, toast, malt, and brief dark fruits, rounded out by the yeast and very faintly the hops. Feel is malty and super smooth, but has some yeasty and frothy textures to counter pleasingly. Paired great with schnitzel. Y'all tripping, this is a very good vienna lager

 

16oz can split with my brother.

This was very enjoyable. Smooth, smooth, smooth - and creamy. No off flavors or rough ending - tasty all the way through

500ml/16.9oz can. Bottom stamp reads '19:04 035478 22202'.
Partly cloudy, dark gold colored body. One finger of white head that reduces quickly to a thin cap and thin ring. Tiny lacing spots left behind.
Aroma of caramel, toasted bread, and lemon.
Taste follows the nose with toasted bread malts, sweet caramel, and a touch of lemon citrus. Aftertaste stays with the toasted caramel bread flavors.
More than medium mouthfeel. Has a crisp finish but a substantial body that precedes this. Good carbonation.
Malts lead the way, with slight hop bitterness at the end.

16oz can

Pours a lovely finger of dense white head. Retention is average and the head fades within a minute or two. Lacing is decent. Body is nearly bronze in color, high clarity, with minimal nucleation. Looks alright.

Nose is toasty, nutty malt. Mild, but inviting.

Flavor is tame with a small amount of toasty malt, just slightly nutty, but it has a little bit of character - exactly what I have come to expect from a Vienna lager. Those notes do come out more with time.

Carbonation is elevated. Body has a little weight to it, but still relatively light. Malty but well attenuated. Bitterness is very low. Overall a nice mouthfeel.

Drinkability is great.

Overall light, but it does develop over time into an elegant profile. More flavor than some Vienna’s I’ve had.

 

 

 

(500 ml can, 039184 22202; purchased single off shelf at State Line last week... poured into a Tubinger mug)

L: mildly-hazy, amber liquid; ample, thick foam requiring a few top-ups... the head looked superb as it held for a few, but soon recedes into a steady, misty cap, while lacing in random bands

S: bread dough/crust with a (multi-)grain accent and definitely caramelized tips, getting breadier and more busy as it aerates; methinks this was decocted... pretty damn magnificent in its potency and spctrum of aromas; one of the better noses on a lager I've encountered in ages

T: grainy, bready grains from the smell carry over, while the sidetones of caramelization project more toastier elements to extend the malt character... the very bottom of the palate floor is rather dry, with some subtle mineral content... middle of the palate in the aftertaste is buzzing with herbal hops and pop-rocks fireworks of marginally charred/woody grain husk... sip after sip, a soft black tea flavor builds, even curiously an almost lemon note eventually

F: an expansive swell, slow lumbering wave of yeasted malt nectar washing over the palate, with the roof of the mouth curiously lit up... buoyant up front, slightly sudsy and simmering in the finish... dry and glowing to the point of questioning whether it's infected, if you know what I mean, but it's ultimately a clinic in recipe build and lagering

O: just one of those beers I got lucky on... I've seen it a few times at State Line, but finally snagged one... I could drink this every day, as long as half those times I eat some rib-sticking comfort food with it... darn dandy (2326)

I am partial to Ottakringer as I now live in Wien. This beer is delicious. There isn't a significant craft beer scene here since the local beer is so good and cheap. This week Ottakinger Wiener Original, Bio Zwickl Helles & Gmischtes were on sale at the Billa: Buy 6, get six free. Normally Euro 1.39, on sale .69. There are always sales going on in the different supermarket chains.

16.9 oz can into a tall Lager glass.
L: SRM 3 Pours honey-hazed honey color with a thin creamy white head, low retention, medium-steady carbo bubbles, light mosaic lacing, head recedes to edge foam.
S: Light caramel malts, distant fruit, faint pastry dough.
T: Caramel malts, honey, light bitterness, grain notes, mandarin orange, tangerine, citrus zest and honey remain in the finish and fruit lingers wide. There is a bit of a light brown bread note.
F: Gently brisk, smooth and slightly drying. Has a medium to med-light bodied feel that is soft overall.
O: Fairly malty with delicious fruit notes. Drinks quite easily and is gently sweet with a touch of honey. It is very refreshing and has a zesty finish. It is very good to excellent in its style.
*** Try Fernson Lion's Paw Lager. It has equal value in this style.

500 mL can from TBS; dated Mar 8 2023, BB Mar 8 2024 and served slightly chilled. Labelled as "Ottakringer Vienna Lager".

Pours clear golden-amber, topped with more than a finger of soapy white foam that settles within several minutes' time. A wavering, half-inch band of lace clings tenaciously to the glass, with a tight collar and patchy film lingering on the surface - lookin' good so far. Understated aromas of toasted grains, bready malts, lightly caramelized sugars and an herbal, earthy noble hop note; spot on so far.

A quality lager, with just the right level of sweetness for the style. Flavours of toasted grain, whole grain bread, honey and caramel develop early on; hints of digestive biscuit, too. Earthy, herbaceous bitterness on the back end, concluding with suggestions of toasted malt and spicy noble hops; there's a little bit of that lingering 'Euro strong lager' maltiness, but it works nicely here. Light-medium in body, with restrained carbonation that gently prickles the tongue; feels very smooth, and goes down effortlessly easy. Too bad I only bought one can!

Final Grade: 3.97, a B+. Truthfully, I don't drink a lot of Vienna lager - partially due to a lack of enthusiasm for the style on my part, but also because there are no breweries in my region that produce them on a reliable basis. Ottakringer Vienna Lager is absolutely one of the best I've tried so far, and I'd love to add it to my regular lager rotation. Unfortunately I have never seen it locally... oh well, sucks for me, but if you think you'd enjoy a rich, malty German-style lager, then it's worth the price of admission.

Smooth af. A slight bite of bitterness, but only slight. I subconsciously tend to associate anything above 5.0 alc with strong taste, but this is incredibly pleasant. Definitely give it a try if you stumble across it.

On tap at the Lindner hotel
Clear copper switch streams of micro carbonation , one finger of white. Foam cap
Aroma is sweet malt
Taste is sweet malt
Smooth, sudsy
Good beer

 

So where has this beer been? Or, more specifically, where have I been? Vienna Lager is one of my favorite styles and this is the first "original" Austrian example I've run across. Saw it at the new Frederick Wine Store (MD) in 16+/- oz cans and figured I'd give it a try. Poured beautifully dark gold, slightly hazy, with a nice yellow head. Nothing particular in the nose, but no off-putting Euro skunk either. The initial flavor was wonderfully clean, malty, a hint of roasting, and just a tiny hint of sweetness that mellowed into a subtle hops bitterness. Very good, moderate mouthfeel, and a reasonable ABV. All combined to make this a wonderful beer. I've made plans to get more. And share.

from the bottle. Thick resistant foam. Bready, honeyish smell with a hint of hops. Tastes of brown bread crust, honey and cola lolipops. Nice acidity, quick dry finish. Medium carbonation. A great representative of Vienna Lager. Very drinkable. My go-to vienna lager.