Starkbierfest 2018

Munich’s Strong Beer Festival (Starkbierfest) is a lesser-known German beer festival with some seriously powerful beer. We heard it referenced as “Oktoberfest’s Little Sister.” While the overall festival was the same concept as Oktoberfest, there were not nearly as many tourists at Starkbierfest. Beer halls around Munich host their own Starkbierfest celebrations, but the biggest one is at Paulaner am Nockherberg which is the one we went to! We actually went twice and had SO much fun!

The Purity Law of 1516 demands that all beers brewed in Germany be made with only water, hops, malt, and yeast. Starkbier, which translates to  “strong beer” was created by Paulaner monks in 1651. Starkbier is super heavy, and the monks brewed it to help them survive their 40 days of Lenten fasting.

The atmosphere at Starkbierfest was so much fun, with live music, dancing on the tables, and colorful balloons for sale…somehow Pat and his friend Tim both ended up with pink unicorn balloons!