Starkbier Celebration

East of the Isar in Munich, amongst the chestnut trees on the fabled Nockherberg hill, stands the Paulaner brewery, complete with beer hall and beer garden. As far as beer drinking establishments go, it's not the most picturesque nor the best value for money in Munich, but once a year in March, this hill becomes a pilgrimage point for many a beer swilling Bavarian. Every evening for about three weeks, the space inside the cavernous beer hall fills with tuba’s toots, trombone’s parps and cymbal’s clash as the crowd sways and laughs and sings along to the cheesiest ‘Schläger’ hits. Decked out in their finest Tracht they swing their giant Stein-krugs of dark, malty beer, and devour mountains of pork, chicken and Spätzle. This is Munich’s fifth season - Starkbierzeit!

With 17th century origins the beer festival takes place during Lent, which is usually a time of fasting and penance observed by catholics directly after the sinful celebrations of Fasching (Carnival). During these hungry times, the nutritional value of beer takes a greater importance (they don't call it liquid bread for nothing). Münchner monks of old, seeking greater sustenance, decided that a fuller, maltier beer would fortify them more effectively against the crisp temperatures of early spring. You can't fault the logic, but fasting monks quaffing beer with an alcoholic percentage of 10-12% obviously had the upshot of some rollicking good times. Eventually this tradition transformed into an annual festival and these days all of Munich’s breweries hold their own Starkbierfest. The original though, and definitely the most legendary, is that held at the Nockherberg.

Each year the beer is brewed especially for the occasion. The legend goes that to test the beer, the monks would pour some on a wooden bench and then sit down to drink a mug of the syrupy brew. Once finished if the bench stuck to the seat of their trousers on standing up, it had passed the test. I can not attest to the validity of this claim, what I can confirm is that after one litre of Starkbier, it can be hard to get off the bench at all.

Throughout the year there are countless beer festivals to be found in Bavaria, from the most obscure Dorf-fest to the largest festival in the world - the legendary Oktoberfest. All have their place, but it seems the Starkbierfest on Nockherberg holds a special place in Münchner's hearts. Partly because it is not overrun by tourists. Many locals will avoid the Oktoberfest at all costs, complaining about the inflated prices, overcrowded tents and the profusion of horrifically drunk tourists. At Starkbierfest on the other hand, most of the horrifically drunk people are locals, which at the very least makes it feel a little more genuine. It seems Starkbierfest encapsulates what a beer festival really means to Bavarians. It is a centuries old celebration of their unique culture, music, joie de vivre and of course, perhaps most importantly, their love of beer. As one local shouted beerily in my ear “the Wiesn is for the world, Starkbierzeit is for Munich!”