The Brew
Felix Gmachl has been at the helm of "Die Salzburger Weissbierbrauerei" since January 1, 2015 as managing director and master brewer, known as the "Bräu." He took over Austria's oldest wheat beer brewery from his father Hans Georg Gmachl.
Just as it was in the very beginning, the Salzburg wheat beer brewery is committed to tradition and quality. With Felix Gmachl, the continuous development of this family business is ensured, as he has shown that tradition and innovation complement one another.
After his training at the Doemens Academy in Munich, Felix Gmachl spent several months in the US in 2014, where he and Steve Holle, an American real estate dealer and beer lover, founded a brewery in Kansas City based on the model of the "WEISSE."
Together with Dirk Baert from the legendary Salzburg beer bar "Alchimist Belge," Gmachl brewed the "Hafer Weisse," an oat beer, which is exclusively served at Alchimist Belge.
Another innovation followed in 2015: the first gluten-free wheat beer.
With this product, which not only increases the well-being of people suffering from allergies, Felix Gmachl was a pioneer in a new product category in which digestibility and tolerability of ingredients play an important role.
"With the registration number AT-022-001 with the Austrian Coeliac Society, we are the first Austrian producers of gluten-free, organic wheat beer in all of Europe, perhaps even in the whole world," Felix Gmachl proudly says.
"I have many ideas on how to develop the beer diversity of "DIE WEISSE". The ultimate goal today just like 100 years ago is to maintain the high quality of all brewery products. Our customers appreciate the difference compared with industrially produced beer," Felix Gmachl explains. "It is important to identify trends so that we can always surprise our consumers with new products. And while innovations are important, by no means do I want to forget the roots and the tradition of wheat beer brewing here in Salzburg, because it is the basis of our success," the young master brewer remarks.