OUR
HISTORY

We are brewing in the 11th generation. With Bohemia as our starting point and with full passion as our drive.
The Mautner Markhof family has been producing beer since 1690. From a small village in Bohemia, the products were traded all over the world and internationally appreciated. The breakthrough came with Ignaz Ritter Mautner von Markhof, who leased the St. Marx brewery in Vienna in 1841. His brew was so successful that he not only bought the brewery, but also expanded the business over the following decades to become the third largest brewery in Europe.

1690

The family bought a brewery in Smiřitz near Königgrätz, a small village in Bohemia. With this purchase they laid the foundation for a brewing tradition that lasted for centuries.

1841

Vienna. The family had leased the brewery in St. Marx and began work. Unfortunately, the reputation of the brewery was so damaged at that time in and around Vienna that innkeepers would only accept our beer on the condition, that “the beer barrels were stored at night time so that the customers would not find out that St. Marx beer was being served to them”.

But Ignaz Ritter Mautner von Markhof was the first in Vienna to brew exclusively bottom-fermented beer, so-called “Abzugsbier” – today better known as “lager”. It was pumped from the fermentation vats directly into the lager barrels to mature and to be served yeast-free. In this way he secured large sales volumes for the brewery, e.g. in the Vienna Prater, where until then no cool beer could be sold during the summer months.

With his draught beer, he not only spared the innkeepers the problematic and space-intensive maturing in their cellars, he also made the discovery that the common thesis “every beer would suffer damage from strong cold fluctuations” was absolutely wrong. At first, he succeeded in preserving the beer until the month of May by adding ice to the barrels. Then, from 1843, by constructing the “Mautner Normal Beer Storage Cellar System”, he was able to supply high-quality, bottom-fermented draught beer throughout the whole summer.

This meant that production could be increased sevenfold from 36,000 hectoliters from the initial year of 1841 to 1875.

1873

The World Exhibition came to Vienna. After London (1851, 1862) and Paris (1855, 1867), the Vienna World Exhibition was the first to be held in a German-speaking country. With the ambition of surpassing all previous events in magnificence and grandeur, the city prepared itself.
Vienna was the venue of a gigantic international happening. This World Exhibition surpassed all its predecessors by far – both in terms of area and the number of exhibits – and contributed significantly to Vienna’s rise to become a world city. The Ignaz Mautner & Sohn company was present with its own exhibition pavilion, designed by Eduard Kuschée, to present its beer to the world. The beer also aroused the interest of Emperor Franz Joseph, who tasted it and praised it as the “only true beer”. He even insisted on having it served to his international guests at the following déjeuner, thus celebrating the progress of Austria-Hungary.

1938-1945

The success continued uninterrupted until Austria’s annexation by the Third Reich in 1938. Although the regime could not directly expropriate the Mautner Markhof family, it forced them into so-called “reorganisations” and de facto took over the businesses until the end of the war in 1945 – with massive disruption to the owners family.

1945-2003

After the end of the war, the Allied occupation of Vienna continued until 1955. The brewery’s individual locations were based in different zones of the city, which greatly impaired coordination. But despite all the physical and economic damage, the Mautner Markhof family was able to rebuild full operations and dominate the beer market in eastern Austria.

In 1978, a merger with Österreichische Brau AG finally took place.

In 2003, the family sold its share package to Heineken.

2021

We have arrived at the 11th generation. The Mautner Markhof family always stands by its principles: “Firstly, there must be no better beer than ours; secondly, care for and appreciation of the clientele; and thirdly, the best understanding and a warm heart for employees and workers.”

It is with pride, with passion and with love for the art of brewing that we present Austria’s most famous beer in cooperation with the vice world champion of beer sommeliers – ready to inspire the world of beer lovers again and again.

Our origin

Castle Seisenegg

The birthplace of Seisenegger beer is Seisenegg Castle in Viehdorf, Lower Austria, where the Mautner Markhof family runs a small castle brewery and serves its own beer to friends and guests of the house.

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Our beer

The Vienna Lager

A beer for those very special moments. Seisenegger Wiener Lager promises exclusive enjoyment and the incomparable taste of select ingredients with every sip.