Braucommune Freistadt

The Braucommune Freistadt stands in the Upper Austrian town of Freistadt, a brewery with roots stretching back to 1770. It sits just beyond the old town walls, where the first communal brewhouse was built between 1771 and 1780. The site still houses the main brewing operations today, turning out around 160,000 hectolitres of Freistädter beer each year. A further 20,000 hectolitres of soft drinks are produced, making it the largest private brewery in the region. The brewery’s delivery area covers the Mühlviertel, the Linz and Wels conurbations, Steyr, parts of the Waldviertel and even Vienna.

The brewery’s history is woven into Freistadt’s civic life. In 1363 the town secured brewing rights for every householder inside the walls, regulated by a detailed brewing ordinance first recorded in 1440. By 1780 only one citizen-run brewery remained, run collectively by the 149 householders who still own shares today. The 1835 introduction of an elected board shifted control from the mayor to a small group of citizen-directors. Early records mention loans to the Bürgerspital, the Johanneskirche and the town’s shooting range, showing how closely the brewery was tied to public finance.

Visitors step into a working brewery where copper kettles gleam beside modern stainless steel. The 1780 brewhouse still stands, its stone walls bearing the date 1777 carved above the main gate. Inside, the mash tun, copper brew kettle and coolships recall the days when steam boilers and electric lifts were cutting-edge technology. Outside, the yard where dray horses once stood now holds delivery trucks, and the old ice cellars beneath the depot yards keep beer cool the natural way. The brewery’s office building, once the seat of the elected board, still carries the marks of civic pride that have guided Freistadt’s beer for more than two centuries.