Journeys and Adventures

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the lovely ski resort town I live in, is just 45 minutes away from Munich, the site of the “world’s largest party,” also known as Oktoberfest.  Which means that I have made it to the world’s most famous beer festival seven times and have plenty of stories about my experiences—including the crowds of singing Australians and Italians, standing outside in the rain waiting for a table to open, and the extremely long lines at the bathrooms.

   But, thankfully, Germany has plenty of other beer festivals (with beer that tastes just as good and rides that are just as much fun) to choose from that are usually a little bit cheaper, a lot less crowded, but much more traditional and with much more culture.  There’s:

• Munich’s Starkbierfest with a specially-made collection of dark beers.

• The Freimarkt in Bremen with a history that dates back to 1036.

• An International Beer Festival in Berlin with more than 260 breweries from 80 countries serving 1,800 kinds of beer.

• Munich’s Frühlingfest (Spring Fest), held on the grounds of Oktoberfest.

• And more.

   The fests are in many different cities and at different times of the year, so you might find one that will fit into your next trip to Germany.  Or, use this list to plan your next trip to Germany—hit as many fests as you can handle!

   Check out this article on Germany’s “Other” Beer Fests for more information about these traditional beer fests in a country famous for its beer.

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Munich’s Starkbierzeit, or Strong Beer Season, began on February 26th and will continue until March 29th.  During this season, Munich’s breweries each serve their own version of strong beer, a heavy flavorful beer with a higher alochol content and higher concentration of solids than the already strong and flavorful German beer.  A unique German beer festival, the Starkbierzeit is not only a tasty time of year for locals and visitors, it’s also a time of year with an interesting history.

     More than 300 years ago, monks of the Paulaner order from Calabria in Southern Italy built a monastery atop the Nockherberg Hill, Munich’s highest point, and began brewing strong beer.  The strong beer was brewed to help “sustain” the monks through the 40 days of Lent.  The monks were unsure if the beer really was allowed during the fasting time of Lent, so a small barrel was sent to the Pope for his blessing—by the time the beer completed the long hot journey to Rome, it had turned and become rancid.  The Pope couldn’t understand how anything tasting that horrible could be bad, so he gave his blessing on the drink.

     Now the season is used to celebrate the arrival of the year’s beer.  Each brewery creates their own version of a strong beer—most with names related to the Paulaner’s original Salvator.  The Augustiner makes Maximator, the Löwenbräu produces Maximator, and the Spaten-Franziskaner makes Optimator.

     The “strong” label does not indicate a higher alcohol content; it refers to a higher level of Stammwürze, the hops, malted barley, and yeast.  Beers must have at least 18% of the Stammwürze to be called a strong beer.  Christian Dahnke, the head of the Paulaner brewery, points out that “we call it liquid bread.”

     Visitors coming to Munich for this beer festival won’t find the crowds or expensive beers of Oktoberfest, but they will find Bavarians enjoying a time-honored local tradition—and some delicious food and drink.

     Check out the websites for each of the breweries for more information.

Photo Dark Beer by mzacha, www.sxc.hu.

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I have two favorite ways to explore a new culture—food and festivals.  What better way to get to know a foreign country and its locals then by tasting home-cooked dishes and enjoying unique adventures through local festivals?

     The good folks at Delish, a food-focused website with recipes, information on chefs, and more, recently debuted a list of food festivals and cook-offs in the month of March, including:

• the 21st Annual National Fiery Foods and Barbecue Show in New Mexico 

• the US National Barista championship in Portland, Oregon

• an International Rum Festival in Tampa Bay, Florida

• Missouri’s Annual Wurstfest

    If you’re a fan of food and festivals or are just looking for something fun to do in March, check out Delish’s list.