It's currently the Starkbierfest in Münich. Damn, this is seriously strong beer! I was at the Paulaner hall last week....
About Starkbierfest:
Starkbier is a "strong beer" which is consumed in Germany during Lent. You may think "stark" is refering to the alcohol content. Actually it's not. Instead it describes the concentration of disolved solids: the starch, sugars, proteins and minerals. The technical name for these solids is the "Wort".
This being Germany, the supreme land of rules and regulations, you'll probably not be surprised to learn there are laws governing which beers may qualify as Starkbier. There are two types of Starkbier: Bockbier and Dopplebock. Bockbier must be at least 16% wort whilst Doppelbock must be at least 18%. The famous "Salvator" Starkbier brewed by Paulaner weighs in at 18.3% wort. It's a Doppelbock. This means that for every liter of Starkbier, if you boil away the water and alcohol you have 183 grammes of solids remaining. Or, in layman's terms, one Mass contains roughly the same amount of "Stuff" as 16 loaves of bread. Hence: liquid food. For the monks, fluid doesn't break fasting rules.
Although the "Stark" in Starkbier is nothing to do with the alcohol content, the alcohol levels are indeed higher. A Bockbier is 7% whilst the Salvator Dopplebock is 7.5%. This is in comparison to the 5% for a normal beer.
Don't mention this to a Bavarian or they won't speak to you again, but Starkbier is not actually a Bavarian creation. The first Doppelbock was brewed in 1352 up in Hannover, North Germany (Einbeck Bock Beer). The monks at Munich's Paulaner monastery only caught on in 1773 when the famous Brother Barnabas invented with his Salvator receipe. This same brew has remained largely unchanged for the last two and a bit centuries. Originally the monks were forbidden to serve Salvator to anyone outside the monastery. This particular rule was quickly repealed in 1780 because the monks never obeyed it anyway.
Whilst the Palauner Salvator is the most famous of the Munich Starkbiers, the other breweries also have their own versions. Löwenbräu have a brew they call "Triumphator". The Augustiner have "Maximator". And the Airport brewery, can you guess? Yep... Aviator. Not kidding.
Nockherberg
The Starkbierfest is celebrated at many beer halls throughout Munich. The epicenter, however, is the Paulaner Keller at Nockherberg in Giesing. Here the festival lasts 16 days: from Friday 4th March til Sunday 20th March 2005. Their Festsaal has capacity for 3,500 pissed up punters and is decorated in the style of an Oktoberfest tent. A Mass of Starkbier costs €7.10. A Mass of any other drink costs exactly the same - even Spezi or table water! Entry is €1. After 5pm (3pm at weekends) entry is €7.80 Euro for which you also get a beer voucher.
