"When the beer is good, you import the beer. When the beer is great, you import the brewery!" This is the conviction of the American brewing entrepreneur Carlos Alvarez (1959-2024), who in 2004 established the "sister brewery" of Salzburg's Trumer Privatbrauerei in Berkeley, California.
Berkeley, east of San Francisco, is known not only for its elite university based there, but also for its alternative lifestyle and pionering spirit. "A perfect location for the production of our most famous pilsner specialty," says the current Trumer boss Seppi Sigl, who runs the company in the eighth generation. Since the beginning, hops and malt have been imported from Austria, ensuring consistent quality across both production sites in Austria and California through an ongoing exchange.
The output of Trumer USA, which is now managed by Alvarez's son-in-law John Brozovich, has grown to about half of its production in Obertrum over the past 20 years. "We are extremely proud to have introduced such a great beer and such an extraordinary brand to the US market with 'Trumer Pils'. Trumer Pils was always the 'great love', the 'love brand' of my father-in-law. The 20th anniversary makes us all the more motivated to carry on his legacy," says Brozovich.
"We are incredibly pleased that such a successful and extraordinary partnership has developed between us two families over the past two decades. Trumer Pils has now gone from being the 'underdog' from Austria to the hip craft beer brand in California and is served in the best scene bars and restaurants from San Francisco to L.A. We are therefore very proud of our sister brewery," adds Seppi Sigl.
