THE PLACE TO ENJOY

HERRING FEAST ON CARNIVAL TUESDAY?

If you’ve always wondered why the traditional herring feast at the IMLAUER brewery restaurant takes place on Shrove Tuesday, we’d like to let you in on a little secret.

Shortly after taking over the then Hotel and Restaurant StieglBräu (now Hotel Bräu and Brewery Restaurant IMLAUER), the popular herring feast was held every year on Ash Wednesday. The StieglBräu has always been frequented by locals from all walks of life.

One cold afternoon in January, a priest from Hallein stopped by and wanted to talk to the manager about the upcoming herring feast. Georg Imlauer sat down with him, somewhat surprised, and listened to the concerns of Pastor Schwarzenauer from Hallein: “You know Georg, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent… and your herring buffet is really plentiful and tasty, but filling your belly with delicacies like this on the first day of Lent shouldn’t be allowed.” Georg Imlauer nodded and the two of them philosophized about God and the world that afternoon.

Since this fateful encounter, the herring feast has always taken place on the last day before Lent, Shrove Tuesday.