dahoam Koji Ale

Name: Hotel Riederalm
Address: Rain 100, Leogang, 5771, AT
Telephone: +43-6583-7342
Price range: €€

Our response to the lack of viticulture in Leogang

Grapes don’t grow in Leogang.
And that’s exactly what sparked Andreas’s idea: Why not create our own accompaniment, using what actually grows here?

Our long-time partner, Zieferbauer, grows grains right on his doorstep. Spelt and barley form the basis of our ale.

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For certain dishes from our kitchen, we wanted to create a pairing that possesses the depth and elegance of a great wine while being sourced entirely from our region.

Andreas Herbst

Fermenting spelt with Aspergillus awamori produces koji, which gives our ale its distinctive aroma: subtle notes of dark chocolate, accompanied by a citrusy freshness with a hint of lime.

This is how our dahoam Koji Ale came to be: a homemade, fermented beverage that combines regional character, craftsmanship, and culinary creativity, making it an exceptional pairing for meals.

This is how our Koji Ale is made

Instead of using grapes, as is customary in winemaking, we work here with grains sourced from our immediate vicinity—from the Ziefer farm in Leogang.
Spelt and barley grow here on distinctive Pinzgau soils—robust, mineral-rich, and full of character.

In the first step, we transform the spelt into koji. To do this, we use Aspergillus awamori, a noble mold culture that develops complex aromas during fermentation and gives our ale its special depth. During this maturation phase, subtle notes of dark chocolate develop, accompanied by a fresh, citrusy hint of lime.

Once the koji is fully matured, we gently dry it in-house and further refine it using a special roasting process. This adds extra depth, subtle roasted aromas, and a distinctive texture.

Only then do we pass the koji on to our brewing partner, Max & Malz, where it undergoes top-fermentation and takes on its final form.

Our collaboration with Max&Malz

Max & Malz is an artisan contract brewery in Neumarkt in the Hausruckkreis district that specializes in custom recipes and small-batch production. Here, there’s no standardization-instead, we work with precision and a keen sense for raw ingredients.

Together with Max, we developed the final brew:
Barley from the Zieferhof, rolled oats for creaminess, yeast for body and our roasted spelt koji as the aromatic soul of the ale.

With the utmost care, the Koji Ale is top-fermented with pure water and then aged. The result is an elegant ale with remarkable depth, a subtle acidity profile, and complex aromas.

The dahoam Koji Ale is bottled in champagne bottles.
There, it can continue to age and develop additional complexity as well as a delicate, lively effervescence.

Serving suggestion

We especially love serving our dahoam Koji Ale with

steaks
crayfish dishes
Iberico pork from the Stechaubauer farm
or as a standalone alternative to an aperitif

With an alcohol content of 4.8% vol., the dahoam Koji Ale is intentionally light and precise, it complements food without overpowering it. Bottled naturally cloudy and allowed to continue aging in the bottle, a fine sediment may form, a sign of its lively character.

It combines the structure of a wine with the depth of a matured beer, while remaining unmistakably dahoam.