Zipf Brewery

Lore & Background

In 1842, Friedrich Hofmann began brewing beer in a small brewery with an adjoining pub in Zipf, Upper Austria, selling to other local pubs. Financial difficulties led to a forced auction on July 20, 1858, when Viennese banker Franz Schaup purchased the premises for 19,500 gulden; this day is considered the official foundation date. Schaup expanded the brewery by digging cellars into the mountain and equipping the brewhouse and malt house with a steam engine, increasing annual output from 1,542 hl to 14,206 hl within five years.

He bequeathed the brewery to his son Wilhelm Schaup in 1864, who transformed it into an industrial brewery featuring artificial cooling, a connection to Austria's western railway, a company health insurance fund, and a company hospital. By his death in 1899, output reached 120,000 hl. Management passed to his sons-in-law Richard Kretz and Max Limbeck-Lilienau.

First World War

The First World War interrupted the rise, with output dropping to 14,000 hl in 1917. Currency devaluation led to conversion into a stock corporation on January 1, 1921, with the predecessor bank of Creditanstalt and the Göss brewery holding 45% of shares; the remaining 55% stayed in family ownership.

Anschluss

After the 1929 stock market crash, Creditanstalt's stake passed to Continentale Gesellschaft für Bank-und Industriewerte in Basel, then to Braubank AG in 1935. During the Anschluss, raw material controls began in 1940–1941, and in 1943 the brewery's underground cellars and equipment were confiscated for the Redl-Zipf subcamp, where prisoners worked on V2 rocket engines. Brewing ceased entirely in the last war year.

After the Second World War

After World War II, Fritz Kretz, great-grandson of the founder, took over and brewed the first post-war Zipfer beer in February 1946. With his nephew Gottfried Nüchtern, he laid the foundations for growth from 0 hl in 1945 to nearly 1,000,000 hl by the mid-1990s, driven by early focus on specialty beers such as Zipfer Spezial, Zipfer Urhell, and Zipfer Urtyp. On January 1, 1970, the brewery merged with Brau AG. In 2003, Heineken merged with Brau Union, gaining majority shares in Zipfer and other Austrian brands, while leaving brewing sites, raw materials, and recipes untouched.

Reader's Guide

The Zipf Brewery's significance lies in its transformation from a small local brewery into a major industrial operation, surviving wars and economic upheaval to become a key brand under the Heineken group. Its history reflects broader trends in Austrian brewing: the shift from rural to industrial production, the impact of railroad expansion, and the challenges of two world wars. The forced auction of 1858 and subsequent expansion under the Schaup family established a modern facility with steam power and artificial cooling, setting the stage for growth. The brewery's role during the Nazi era, including confiscation for V2 rocket production and use of forced labor at the Redl-Zipf subcamp, marks a dark chapter.

Post-war recovery under the Kretz family, with a focus on specialty beers, drove output from zero to nearly one million hectoliters by the mid-1990s. The merger with Brau AG in 1970 and eventual acquisition by Heineken in 2003 integrated Zipfer into a global portfolio while maintaining local production methods. The brewery's legacy is one of resilience and adaptation, from a small pub brewery to a modern industrial concern with a distinctive range of beers.