GERMANY’S STRONG BEER TRADITION

A smiling woman wears a traditional Dirndl dress and holds a Masskrug (Stein) the Starkbierfest (Strong Beer Festival) at the Nockherberg in Munich, Germany.

You may be forgiven for suspecting that anyone explaining the monastic origins of the strong beer today served at springtime festivals in Bavaria and beyond is jesting. Rest assured, beer is taken seriously in Germany and, save details that have inevitably become fuzzy over time, the seemingly improbable legend stands up to scrutiny.

TEXT & PHOTOS: STUART FORSTER

Termed Starkbier in the German language, Doppelbock – the beverage known generically in English as ‘strong beer’ – was first brewed by monks in Munich to provide energy during Lent. Fasting from Ash Wednesday until Maundy Thursday was widespread in Europe among devout Christians during the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern periods.

Biblical scholars will turn to the New Testament, quote the fourth book of Matthew and tell you that the Lenten fast was inspired by the 40 days that Jesus Christ spent in the desert resisting temptation. Monks observing the fast were expected to eat just one simple meal a day. Some would undoubtedly be taunted by devilish pangs of hunger. How could they be expected to resist tempting morsels of food or, more importantly, stay focused on God’s work?

At the Neudeck ob der Au monastery in Munich, friars of the Order of Minim – founded by Saint Francis of Paola – created a seasonal beer significantly more calorific than their normal batches. Brewed in bottomfermented tanks using more malted barley than regular beer, it provided sustenance that drew comparisons to liquid bread. In the circumstances, monks regarded the drink as a form of salvation.

But why consume beer, you may wonder? At a time when tea and coffee were barely known in Europe, slurping beer for breakfast was by no means uncommon – even among children. In our age of careful regulations relating to hygiene, it’s easy to overlook that consuming water was riddled with risks back in 1634.

Documentation from that year mentions monks brewing in the Au district of Munich. Over time their establishment evolved into

Photo: Unsplash

Woman enjoying the Starkbierfest (Strong Beer Festival) at the Nockherberg in Munich, Germany. what we today know as the Paulaner Brewery, named in honour of the Calabrian place of origin of Saint Francis.

They named their doppelbock Salvator. The modern version of the Paulaner Brewery’s doppelbock packs 62 calories into every 100 millilitres and 7.9 per cent of the volume is alcohol. Look along the shelves in any modern beer store and products whose names end with ‘ator’ tend to denote strong beers. Also originating in Munich, Maximator is from the Augustiner Brewery, Löwenbräu brews Triumphator and the airport-based Airbräu also flies in the general direction of naming conventions for strong beers with its appropriately branded Aviator.

The monks who created the ancestor of the modern Salvator brewed in accordance with Bavaria’s Reinheitsgebot. The purity law, dating from 1516, dictated that only malted barley, hops and water could be used as ingredients by brewers. Yeast was mentioned only in later iterations of the law that is still, famously, the basis of brewing across Germany. Yet the friars who prayed and brewed in Au would undoubtedly be familiar with today’s recipe.

During the mid-18th century, the Lenten tradition of Munich residents heading to Au to drink doppelbock evolved into an officially sanctioned beer festival. Traditionally, the first keg is now tapped at an invitation-only event at which politicians receive a roasting by renowned comedians.

The festival hall at the Paulaner am Nockherberg subsequently opens to members of the public. People make merry while the Kirchdorfer Oktoberfestband thumps out music.

Many guests put on Tracht – traditional Bavarian costumes – to attend the Starkbierfest, a beer festival with a far less touristy feel than its autumnal cousin.

In common with the Oktoberfest, people sit on long wooden benches and order litre-sized beers. But those brought to the tables during what is termed Munich’s ‘fifth season’ are served in ceramic mugs. The material from which a Keferloher is made reputedly keeps beer cooler for longer than glass. But during the Starkbierfest, intermittent toasting helps ensure that their contents empty swiftly.

In addition to the Starkbierfest hosted by Paulaner am Nockherberg, bierkellers across Munich celebrate the fifth season. Other notable venues include the Löwenbräukeller at Stiglmaierplatz and the Augustiner-keller at Arnulfstrasse. The pandemic prompted cancellations of the strong beer festivals in 2020 and 2021, leaving Starkbier lovers thirsty for the 2022 edition

Photo: Unsplash

Photo: Unsplash

Although the Middle Ages, knights and jesters have long been a thing of the past, castles still captivate our minds today.

“If you look at it objectively,” begins museum development planner Dr. Micha Röhring, “it’s quite an odd building: castle on the outside, albeit without any function, classicist castle within with representative spaces.”

We are talking about Löwenburg Castle, one of the many gems of Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, which is going to reopen after comprehensive restoration works on 15 July 2022.

Built at the end of the 18th century by Elector Wilhelm I, he pursued one goal: Löwenburg Castle was to display the power and endurance of the House of Hesse. On a side note: the elector never lived in this castle. The building represented the beginning of a romanticising return to the Middle Ages; a development that culminated in the idealised, pseudo-medieval castle of Neuschwanstein.

Asked about Löwenburg castle’s appeal, Röhring ventures an explanation: “The castle was built to give the impression of having been built in the Middle Ages. An inscription above the southern gate even claims, misleadingly by the way, that the castle was built in 1495. Varying window shapes and supposedly bricked-up windows and doorways are intended to suggest different construction phases – yet in fact, were all built at the same time. In order to fully appreciate the building and its various facets, visitors are advised to look closely and, as the castle refers to Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe and to the buildings within built by the elector’s ancestors, first take in its surroundings. Originally, only the keep was planned. But in the course of the construction works, the visions of the builder and his architect Jussow became grander. One can almost follow this thought development and planning process. One edifice here, another turret there… this human aspect, the development, the fulfillment of dreams, all render Löwenburg Castle very accessible, becoming a point of reference. Its turrets and architecture corresponds well to our ideas of what a castle should look like – thereby cementing its unique appeal.”

The original, well-preserved interior furnishings play a large part in this vivid experience as well. “Löwenburg Castle is not a ‘cleared out’ building,” stresses Röhring. “The tapestries, furniture and decoration date from the elector’s times and, despite their extraordinary state, are currently also being carefully restored. The interior spaces give the feeling of visiting a stately home, with its residents perhaps gone on a short trip. Everything feels alive.” Thus bringing those Middle Ages back to life for visitors.

Obwohl das Mittelalter, Ritter und Minnesänger längst der Vergangenheit angehören, üben Burgen heute noch immer eine große Faszination aus.

„Ganz nüchtern betrachtet”, schmunzelt Museumsentwicklungsplaner Dr. Micha Röhring, „ist das schon ein recht eigenartiges Gemäuer: außen Burg, allerdings ohne Funktion, innen klassizistisches Schloß mit repräsentativen Räumen.”

Die Rede ist von der Löwenburg, einem der vielen Schmuckstücke der Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, die ab dem 15. Juli 2022 nach umfassenden Instandsetzungsarbeiten wieder komplett zu besichtigen sein wird.

Erbaut Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts vom späteren Kurfürsten Wilhelm I., verfolgte dieser mit dem Bau der Löwenburg vor allem ein Ziel: Die Demonstration der Macht und der Langlebigkeit des Hauses Hessen. Bewohnt hat der Kurfürst die Burg, die am Anfang einer romantisierenden Rückbesinnung auf das Mittelalter stand und in der idealisierten, pseudomittelalterlichen Ritterburg Neuschwanstein ihren Höhepunkt fand, übrigens nie. Nach der Faszination der Löwenburg gefragt, wagt Röhring den Versuch einer Erklärung. „Das Gebäude sollte ja den Eindruck erwecken, im Mittelalter erbaut worden zu sein. Eine Inschrift über dem südlichen Tor behauptet sogar fälschlicherweise, dass die Burg 1495 erbaut wurde. Unterschiedliche Fensterformen, vermeintlich zugemauerte Fenster- oder Türöffnungen sollen unterschiedliche Bauphasen suggerieren - entstanden allerdings tatsächlich alle zur gleichen Zeit. Um das Gebäude in all seinen Facetten zu erfassen, sollte man also genau hinsehen und zunächst auch das Umfeld auf sich wirken lassen. Die Burg nimmt nämlich Bezug auf den Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, in dem sie steht, und auf die dort befindlichen Bauwerke der Vorfahren des Kurfürsten. Hinzu kommt, dass ursprünglich nur der Bergfried geplant war. Im Laufe der Arbeiten wurden die Visionen des Bauherrn und seines Architekten Jussow allerdings immer größer. Diesem Denk- bzw. Planungsprozess kann man fast beim Entstehen zusehen. Hier noch ein Gebäude, ein weiterer Turm. Dieser menschliche Aspekt, die Entwicklung und Erfüllung von Träumen, macht die Löwenburg zugänglich, nahbar, bietet für viele einen Anknüpfungspunkt, entspricht mit ihren Türmen und der verwinkelten Architektur wohl unseren romantischen Vorstellungen einer Burg. Und entwickelt damit ihre besondere Anziehungskraft.”

Einen großen Anteil an dieser ‚lebendigen’ Erfahrung trägt allerdings auch die praktisch noch original erhaltende Inneneinrichtung der Burg bei. „Die Löwenburg ist kein ‚leergeräumtes’ Schloß”, betont Röhring. „Die Tapisserien, Möbel- und Dekostücke - alles stammt noch aus der Zeit des Kurfürsten, und wird, obwohl außerordentlich gut erhalten, ebenfalls gerade mit viel Fingerspitzengefühl restauriert. Die Innenräume vermitteln eher das Gefühl, eine hochherrschaftliche Wohnung zu besuchen, deren Bewohner kurz in den Urlaub gefahren sind. Alles fühlt sich lebendig an.” Und erweckt damit mittelalterliche Träume zu neuem Leben.

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