Some time ago a few friends and I did a head-to-head comparison of a number of lovely Munich Starkbiers in honor of the end of Lent, and the winner was – Korbinian!

I’ll write a little more about Starkbier later, but you should know that the traditional Munich Starkbiers are all named with names which end in -ator. Korbinian is an exception to this rule, and it isn’t even the beer its brewer, Weihenstephan, mentions with respect to the season known as the “fifth season.” For those of us who tasted it, the winner was clear.
My ranking of the beers we had, for what it’s worth, is as follows:

1. Korbinian (Weihenstefan, a nice balance of heft and taste, with a pleasantly subtle sweetness)
2. Celebrator (Aying, tasty but somehow lacking in comparison to the number 1. A little thinner in taste)
3. Optimator (Spaten, too much heft for my taste, we all agreed one was enough for a single sitting)
4. Salvator (Paulaner, lighter in body and taste than the others, with a lot more sweetness)
5. St Victorious (Victory, I love many of their beers but this wasn’t one of their best efforts. Like the Celebrator mixed with water, too little body for this style)

Post from: EveryJoe

Battle of the Starkbiers

If you haven’t looked at airfares recently, travel to Europe in the winter is pretty darn cheap (although the exchange rate will make your stay pretty darn pricey). Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a way to spend some of that money on a beer-related trip, Munich’s Starkbierfest may be the answer. The Starkbierfest, also called the fifth season, is a remnant of the days when the monks, fed up with fasting, tapped kegs of extremely thick, high-alcohol beer to get them through the rest of Lent. Nowadays there’s not much fasting going on, but a trip to Paulaner’s Nockherberg during the Starkbierfest is a must for any beer lover. For pictures of the place and the event, check out this webpage (in German).

A word to the wise, though, Starkbier means strong beer, although it doesn’t necessarily taste like it, so drink in moderation. This year’s Starkbierfest starts on February 21 and goes for 17 days, until March 9.

image from Toytown Germany

Post from: EveryJoe

The fifth season approaches