Malt & Grain

What malt is Innviertler Märzen brewed from? Barley malt, as is the case with nearly every bottom-fermented beer. Barley is steeped, allowed to germinate, and then kilned—dried with warm air. The hotter and longer the kilning, the darker and sweeter the malt becomes, which is where beer color comes from.

The region's Märzen draws its character from a malt body that can taste of bread crust and honey without becoming cloying. The Märzen from Brauerei Ried and the one from Baumgartner in Schärding are both brewed from pale malt with an addition of darker malt. The word Märzen harks back to beer that was once brewed in March to last through summer, which is why it was made stronger. Baumgartner also offers a Doppelmalz, whose name alludes to double the malt quantity—that is, a higher original gravity. Original gravity refers to the proportion of dissolved solids in the wort before fermentation.

The Bavarian legacy also shows in the wheat beers. Weissbier requires wheat malt, and in Ried the tradition goes back a long way: the brewery's first wheat beer was brewed as early as 1932. Wheat brings less bitterness and more protein, which gives the beer its soft body and creamy head.

Beer is also tied to the land that supplies the barley. The Innviertel is farmland, with grain fields, corn, and pastures. Whether a brewery sources its malt from its own maltings or buys it in varies from one operation to the next, and it's something worth asking about locally.

In the end, what matters most for the region's flagship beer isn't origin but blend. A Märzen made from pale malt alone tastes flat, while one with too much colored malt feels almost heavy. The goal is a balanced middle ground: golden to copper in color, with a mild malt character.