Stöckl im Park – Vienna

In 2015, our restaurant brewery “SALM BRÄU” received a unique offer to develop the already derelict former “Belvedere Stöckl” in the historic Schwarzenberg Garden into a new restaurant brewery. The only condition of the landowner, Prince Karel von Schwarzenberg, was that an original Czech dark beer should also be brewed in this brewery.

This part of the Schwarzenberg Garden had become overgrown after the “Belvedere Stöckl” went bankrupt. The Stöckl building was also in a poor condition and it was far too small for a restaurant. However, as there was an approved building plot next to the Stöckl building Vienna’s most renowned architectural office, Hoppe, was commissioned to plan the project with the greatest consideration for history and botany.

It’s not surprising that an opposition to this project formed. Everything from odour nuisance to noise and light emissions was being raised with incredible vehemence by the opponents of the project. Hardly a week went by without the project being reported on Austrian national TV and various lawyers trying to make a name for themselves. In the end, however, the battle for the permits was won in court and the project was completed in 2019.

At some point after the opening in December 2019, one of the residents critical of the project asked when the brewery would finally start brewing and he was very surprised by the fact that the brewery had already been in operation since October. No noise nuisance, no odour nuisance, no other negative impacts that had been raised against the project in court.

The brewing equipment is SALM’s latest generation based on a 20 hl brewhouse with computer control Brewmatic 07 and a fermentation and storage cellar control system and automatic wort cooling. It has an annual capacity of 4000 hl and can also be operated remotely.