Real “Salzburger” Craft Beer

Made in California

By Julia Aßl

Top Photo: Master brewer Lars Larson with a Schlanke Stange beer glass in his hand at Trumer in Berkeley, California. Trumer

The Trumer brewery in Obertrum am See, a town of 5,000 in the heart of Salzburg’s Lake District, traces its roots to the brewery that was blessed by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich in 1601. Later, in 1775, it was acquired by hops dealer and councilman Josef Sigl, who was the first to run the familyowned brewery and make it a success story, regardless of major destructions suffered during the Napoleonic War and a fire in 1917. Since 2013, the family business has been led by Josef Sigl in its eighth generation.

After an upgrade initiated by Josef Sigl in the 1980s, the old, existing building was completely renovated, taking the shape of a high-tech production plant for beer and unique, mouth-blown glassware. The socalled Schlanke Stange design (roughly translated the “slim stick”) has been named the most beautiful beer glass in the world in 1997 and was exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

In 2003, the Trumer brewery attracted the attention of Carlos Alvarez, an American beer magnate. The CEO and founder of the San Antonio-based Gambrinus Company is known for having introduced Corona to the United States, making the Mexican beer a leading global brand.

Both parties reached an agreement to brew the flagship Trumer Pils in the United States using all essential ingredients shipped from Europe. In 2004, a brewery was opened in Berkeley, California. Hop and malt are still imported from Obertrum, while the water comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountains as it is quite similar to the Alpine water in Salzburg. The quality of this hand-crafted pilsner is widely recognized and has been awarded eleven gold medals in the most prestigious beer competitions in the world over the past thirteen years, making Trumer the most awarded craft pilsner in the U.S.

Julia Aßl is the Senior Communications Officer at the Austrian Press and Information Service in Washington, DC.