Augustiner Bräustübl Mülln has poured beer under monastic ownership since 1621, Augustinian until 1835 and the Benedictine Abbey of Michaelbeuern ever since. The ritual of rinsing your stoneware mug at the fountain before filling it from the barrel is unchanged. It remains one of the cheapest and most atmospheric places to drink in Salzburg.
The Story
Augustinian friars at Mulln Church began brewing and serving beer here in 1621, and the Benedictine Abbey of Michaelbeuern has owned the operation since 1835, making this one of the oldest beer halls of its kind in the German-speaking world. The operation has grown considerably since then, but the basic structure of the experience has not changed much: you walk in, collect a stoneware mug from the rack, rinse it at the stone fountain, pay at the desk, and draw your beer from one of the wooden barrels in the vaulted hall.
The complex occupies a series of cavernous arched cellar halls and opens onto a large garden. On warm evenings the garden fills with a cross-section of Salzburg that you will not find at most places in the city: locals, tourists, students, families, and anyone else who knows a fair price when they see one. Beer here costs considerably less than at a café on Alter Markt, which goes a long way toward explaining its enduring popularity.
Food comes from independent stalls along an internal corridor. The selection runs to roast chicken, pretzels, cold cuts, and similar straightforward things. Cash is the safer assumption for the food vendors. The atmosphere in the halls on a cold evening, when the vaults fill with noise and condensation, is its own kind of Salzburg experience.
Visiting
The Bräustübl is on Lindhofstrasse 7 in the Mulln district, roughly 15 minutes on foot from the Altstadt along the Salzach, or about 10 minutes from Mirabellplatz. Open Mon-Fri from 3pm, Sat-Sun and holidays from 2:30pm, closing at 11pm. Closed Christmas and New Year. No booking needed. Pairs well with a look at Mulln Church next door or a walk up to the Museum der Moderne Monchsberg terrace on the way back.