Starkbierfest

Enjoy three different Schnitzels with a couple of Paulaner Biers celebrating Starkbierfest. Jason Baen from Paulaner with tell us a story of Salvator the monk who the name sake of the famous Doppelbock Bier.

 

 

Starkbierzeit, the strong beer season, in March is considered Munich’s fifth season. It is thanks to the monks who brewed a strong, nourishing beer in the monasteries at this time of year to get through Lent unscathed. The tradition of Starkbier is still alive today and enjoys great popularity. In the weeks of March, sometimes even from the end of February, many Munich brewery pubs host Starkbier festivals. Fasting with a boozy twist – Munich’s Starkbierfest

Alcohol, coffee, sweets, too little exercise – many of us use the Lent period between Ash Wednesday and Easter to abstain from bad habits for a while after the wild days of carnival. In the past, people had no choice at all and fasting was subject to strict rules, especially in monasteries. The diet of a monk from the mid-17th century can be summed up as ”meagre and vegan”. They were not allowed to eat more than one meal a day during the fast, and the food was to be free of meat and other animal products. Anyone who broke the fast faced harsh punishments.

Nevertheless, the monks kept coming up with new tricks to ease their daily fast. For example, they wrapped minced meat in a coating of pasta dough to hide it from God’s eye – did they really believed that God could not see inside a so-called Maultasche? They also brewed a particularly strong beer, rich in alcohol and thus also rich in calories, because liquids were exempt from fasting. Allegedly, they even sent a sample of it to the Pope to get his blessing. On the interminable journey to Rome, the beer had gone sour, and the Pope is said to have replied in disgust: ”If they insist on drinking this swill, then so be it – for penance it’s suitable!”

Although most Starkbier today comes from Bavaria, its origins date back to the 13th century in the town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony. For a long time, the Munich court had beer imported from Einbeck, until it became too expensive for them and they simply poached the Einbeck brewmaster along with his brewing secret for ”Ainpöckisch Bier” for the Hofbräuhaus (beer hall). This name then developed into ”Bockbier” (buck beer), which has nothing to do with goats or other bucks. The Starkbier, also known as ”Fastenbock” or ”Doppelbock”, is higher in original wort than usual (at least 18 per cent), as can be seen from its golden yellow color. With an alcohol content of around 7.5 per cent, it is also significantly stronger than a normal Munich draught beer, which has about 5 per cent.

All the major Munich breweries brew Doppelbock beers. You can identify them by their names which end in ”-ator”: Augustinerbrauerei’s Starkbier is called Maximator, Löwenbrauerei’s Triumphator, Hofbräu München Delicator, Spatenbrauerei’s Optimator, Hacker-Pschorr’s Animator. The most famous is the original – the Salvator from Paulaner.

The tradition of tapping Starkbier at the Nockherberg – the importance of ”derblecken” in a Beer Hall two weeks after Ash-Wednesday in March – Broadcasted live to all Bavarians via BR in a 2 ½ hour show.

Since 1651, the Paulaner monks in the Munich monastery of Neudeck in der Au have served a beer variety in the style of ”Ainpöck” beer every spring in honor of the founder of their order. It initially bore the name ”Sankt-Vater-Bier”, which later developed into Salvator in local vernacular. Since the 18th century, the Bavarian Elector has been the guest of honor at the annual Salvator tapping and was presented with the first filled Stein from the just tapped first keg of the season. This tradition continues to this day at the Nockherberg in the Au. Today, instead of the Elector, the Bavarian Prime Minister has the honor of the first Stein. But unlike the situation almost 300 years ago, he has to put up with a lot of personal ridicule in return. He shares this fate with the rest of the invited political VIPs. Actually, all those present seem eager to be ”derbleckt” or made fun of. Because if you don’t play a leading role in ”derblecken”, the traditional deriding of politicians, you don’t play a leading role in politics either. In addition to the Salvator tapping at the Nockherberg, numerous other Munich and Bavarian “Brauhäuser” organize their own authentic stout beer festivals, as we will do with the Hofbräu München Delicator, Spatenbrauerei’s Optimator, Ayinger Celebrator, Kloster Weltenburg’s Asam Bock and the Weizenstarkbier Aventinus from Schneider in Kelheim, the Aventinus from now until early April. The Salvator tapping and strong beer festival at the Nockherberg, the merry ”Salvator-Polit-Show”, is the annual prelude of Starkbier tapping. A cabaret artist in a monk’s robe slips into the role of ”Brother Barnabas” – since 2023 it’s Maxi Schafroth – and pours mockery and biting remarks over the heads of the powerful in Munich and Bavaria. In the weeks afterwards, Munich’s most famous strong beer festival is celebrated at the Nockherberg.

We will bring this event to Plano, Texas by inviting our guests to join us for Plano’s own Salvator Starkbierfest Kick off on the second Wednesday following Ash-Wednesday Schnitzelfest – paired with a talk of our Paulaner Ambassador about Salvator. This meal will offer very popular lunch size Schnitzels, one breaded “Wiener Art”, one floured “Rahm Schnitzel” and one filled “Cordon Blue”, inclusive 2 Paulaner Salvator in 1/3 liter glasses.

Please make sure to make reservations at 972 881 0705 as these popular festivities require us to prepare a certain amount of specific food – when can’t cook for you if we don’t know you are coming!

 

 

 

 

 

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