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The Grandmas and Grandpas Brewing Beer in Vienna
In the maze of neon-lit corridors beneath a senior home on the southwestern outskirts of Vienna‚ the warm scent of malt leads to a small room that’s become the headquarters of an unlikely microbrewing success story. A colorful mural on the wall depicts five residents of the home enjoying a pint‚ and beneath‚ three of them are pitching in on today’s brewing efforts.Â
Gustav Paier labeling bottles. Credit: Andreas Jakwerth / Häuser zum Leben
Helmut Riegerbauer always comes in early‚ and by the time the others have joined he’s already pulled on purple latex gloves and moved to the manual bottle capper. “He’s the only one who gets to wear an official apron‚” quips Gustav Paier‚ himself neatly dressed in a colorful cable-knit sweater. “You have to earn it‚” winks Helmut‚ smoothing the dark green apron emblazoned with the word Brauwerkstatt.
And earn it he does — in the course of the morning he caps around six cases of freshly filled beer bottles‚ careful to add a tab of priming sugar to each. Occasionally he comes to check on his friends‚ who are busy with labeling. “I’m the controller‚” he explains‚ swiftly scanning a case and pulling out a bottle missing the back label. Rupert Jaksch‚ who has taken up his usual position at the end of the table‚ quickly puts on the missing label for their Viennese lager‚ called Opa and Oma — Grandpa and Grandma.Â
The lager was the first beer the Brauwerkstatt in Haus Atzgersdorf started brewing in the summer of 2020‚ when the Covid lockdowns made life in the senior home especially lonely. The home’s previous director came up with this unusual plan to bring the residents together and give them a meaningful way to spend their time. Helmut‚ Gustav and Rupert have been part of the project from the start and have become fast friends. They’re all firmly in their 80s‚ with Rupert the oldest at 88‚ but the laughter and easy banter make the atmosphere in the room feel unusually festive for a Thursday morning.Â
A bottle of Oma (“grandma”) Viennese lager. Credit: Andreas Jakwerth / Häuser zum Leben
What started as an off-the-cuff idea has since become a successful microbrewery that can barely keep up with demand. In 2023 the Brauwerkstatt doubled its brewing capacity to 12.000 bottles annually and is planning to double it again this year. The senior home staff takes care of the more physically demanding aspects of the work‚ but Bernhard Wittholm‚ a trained beer sommelier who joined the team last year‚ recognizes that the heart of the project lies elsewhere: “It’s not really about brewing beer but about companionship. The residents have a lot of stories to tell‚ and it’s good for them to get out of their bubble. You notice that they blossom when they’re here.”
Including the senior residents in the project was crucial from the start‚ says the home’s director‚ Christian Ehm: “They’re involved in the whole production process‚ from brewing to bottling‚ packaging‚ a bit of advertising … and drinking.” He laughs. “Doing something you enjoy also keeps you fit and alive.”
Haus Atzgersdorf is one of the 30 Häuser zum Leben (Houses for Living) in Vienna run by KPW‚ a nonprofit that also includes 150 senior clubs in the city‚ making it the largest provider of senior care in Austria. While the Brauwerkstatt is one of its most visible projects‚ a full event calendar ranging from yoga to clown workshops ensures that the seniors in these homes remain active and connected. “We want to change the idea that being old has to be something tragic and passive. We’re convinced that older people have a lot to offer if you give them the right framework‚” says KPW spokesperson Hans Grasser.
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