Refrigeration Equipment At The Vienna Brewing Congress

In 1873, Carl von Linde presented his refrigeration ideas to brewers at the International Brewing Congress in Vienna, held during the Vienna World Exhibition. Historical accounts describe Linde as arguing strongly for vapor-compression refrigeration, while competing cold-air systems were still being debated. The congress helped make brewers aware of the economic promise of mechanical refrigeration. Linde’s work soon moved from theory and demonstration toward practical brewery equipment: his early machines were developed with support from large breweries, and reliable mechanical cooling became one of the key technologies that allowed lager brewing to grow beyond older seasonal and natural-ice limits.