Prost to Starkbierfest at Löwenbräukeller in Munich! Photo by: Evan Berman

One of the highlights of the entire Eastern European Experience was attending Starkbierfest (Strong Beer Festival) in Munich, Germany. I visited Löwenbräukeller, one of the famous beer halls of Munich, and had a terrific time. From drinking good beer and eating tasty German food to meeting new people and dancing to great music, this was an all-around success!

The review of my Starkbierfest experience is part of the Eastern European Experience. For more information on the trip, follow these links:

Intro

Flight: United Economy Class B737-800 CHS-ORD-SEA

6 Hours in Seattle

Centurion Lounge, The Club SEA, and United Club: SEA Lounges

Flight: Turkish Airlines Business Class B787-9 SEA-IST

Istanbul Airport’s Famous Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge and IGA Pop Up Lounge

Flight: Turkish Airlines Business Class B737 MAX 8 IST-BUD

2 Days in Budapest

Hotel: Ramada by Wyndham Budapest City Center

SkyCourt Lounge, Plaza Premium SkyCourt, and Platinum Lounge (Schengen): BUD Lounges

Flight: Lufthansa Economy Class A321-200 BUD-MUC and MUC-ZAG

24 Hours in Munich

Starkbierfest Munich (This Article)

Hotel: H+ Munchen (Wyndham)

Lufthansa Business Class Lounge MUC

2 Days in Split, Croatia, the Beauty of the Adriatic

Flight: Croatian Airlines Economy Class Dash 8 and ATR 72-600 (Twin-Prop Plane) ZAG-SPU-ZAG-SJJ-ZAG-BEG

Delicious Food in Split

Hotel Vestibul Palace in Split, Croatia, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (Hyatt partner)

Primeclass Lounge ZAG

6 Hours in Zagreb

Wine Tasting and Learning about Croatian Outlook

2 Days in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Restaurants in Sarajevo

Hotel Aziza Sarajevo (AABooking)

Business Lounge SJJ

Air Serbia Premium Lounge and Business Club: BEG Lounges

Flight: Swiss Airlines Economy Class Embraer E190-E2 and A220-300 BEG-ZRH-LJU

2 Amazing Days in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Food Scene in Ljubljana

Day Trip around Slovenia: Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, Bled Castle, and Lake Bled

Hotel Emonec Ljubljana, Slovenia (Rocketmiles)

Flight: Air Serbia Economy Class ATR 72-600 and A319-100 LJU-BEG-SKP

1.5 Days in Belgrade, Serbia

Restaurants in Belgrade

Hotel: Hyatt Regency Belgrade (Hyatt)

3 Hours in Skopje, North Macedonia

Primeclass Lounge SKP

Flight: Wizz Air Economy Class A321-200 SKP-MXP

14 Hours in Milan and Monza, Italy

Hotel de la Ville Monza, Italy, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (Hyatt Partner)

Sala Montale and Emirates Lounge MXP

Flight: Emirates First Class A380-800 MXP-JFK

Conclusion

What is Starkbierfest?

Most people are presumably familiar with Oktoberfest, the large festival in September that takes over Bavaria. Large maß (mass glasses) full of beer, good food, dancing, music, and celebrations abound. There are Oktoberfest celebrations throughout the US as well. Starkbierfest is much less well-known, especially outside of Munich. The English translation is Strong Beer Festival. Does that mean you have to chug 15% ABV beers? Well you can if you want to of course! However, strong in this context refers to the consistency, not the alcohol content.

In the middle ages, religious monks were required to fast for 40 days during Lent. They could, however, consume liquids. As with most beers, “Starkbier” originates with monks. This article highlights how the monks poured as many nutrients and calories as possible to sustain themselves for the season of Lent. The term strong beer was born as there was an extraordinarily high percentage of solids dissolved in the beer. Eventually word got out to the Bavarians about this new type of beer and the people loved it. The trend continues today– during Lent a special type of “Strong Beer” is produced at the main Munich breweries and Bavarians come to drink, dance, and sing at beer halls!

How Did I Learn About This Event?

I frequently get asked by friends, family, and acquaintances when recounting the story of an experience that I had, “how did you learn about that?” I thought it might be useful for each event I attend how I knew about it.

I was researching my trip to Eastern Europe, hence the name of the trip (Eastern European Experience). I knew I wanted to start with Budapest and incorporate a visit to Slovenia as I had been meaning to visit Lake Bled for several years. Other than that, the rest of the trip was up in the air until my return home from Milan. I googled “events in Europe in March” to see what was going on while I was on the continent. I had attended St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Dublin while studying in Paris in 2019 and while it was incredible, I did not want to return just for a day or two.

There were a few others happening around the same time in other parts of Europe such as an annual food festival in both Iceland and France (mostly Normandy). However, the one that stood out to me was Starkbierfest! I noticed that this festival (in contrast with others) was a series of evening events at various beer halls. No need to buy tickets in advance and no need to stay for several days to feel as though I got the full experience. I looked into flights from Budapest to Munich and onward to Croatia and was pleased that it was easy to add this onto my Eastern Europe trip!

Purchasing a Ticket

I arrived at Löwenbräukeller around 5:45pm, in advance of the 6pm start time. There was an option to purchase a table online, but it did not appear possible to reserve just 1 seat. At promptly 6pm, the doors opened and people began to move. I had joined the back of the line but noticed people were showing tickets to enter. I found a small table to the side of the outdoor beer garden where a woman was selling individual tickets. The nice lady was patient with my broken German, even speaking perfect English to help when I slipped up and let me know that only cash would be accepted. After a brief trip to the ATM to get Euros, I was able to purchase a ticket for 5€.

The Experience:

The 1st Pour– Entrance and Seating:

After showing my ticket, I headed into the massive beer hall. There was an impressive flight of stairs (shown above) leading to the first floor. I asked several staff until I found someone who spoke good enough English and he told me rather hurriedly to find any table I wanted to upstairs. That didn’t sound right, but I headed upstairs and repeated the process. Finally, a female staff member showed me an empty table and said that someone had just called to say they might not be using all of the seats. I was free to sit at the table until they arrived with the understanding that if the full party showed, I would have to move.

One of the many staff came to take my drink order and informed me that I could not have the special 2023 Starkbier until after Miss Bavaria tapped the celebratory keg and the event began. With everyone moving about, talking to one another and ordering drinks, the service was poor at the beginning. It was another 30 minutes before I had my beer! By that point, the group had arrived– a collection of women, 2 Brazilians, 2 Italians, 1 Croatian, and several others who came by our table later. As there were 6 total seats, I was able to stay at the table.

The group was exceptionally friendly and told me that while they all came from different countries, they lived in Germany now and were friends. I may have lucked out here as Germans are not known for their hospitality! 😉 After getting acclimated, we ordered our dinner and the show began!

The Refill– Traditional Bavarian Entertainment

At 7pm, the show began. While it was all in German, I gathered that Miss Bavaria was to “tap” the keg as a symbol of the beginning of the Starkbierfest. After a hearty “eins, zwei, drei, super!”– the first of many!– the band played a traditional melody as we had our first of many cheers of the maß (mass or german beer stein)!

Next up was the goaßlschnalzen or whipcracking. This is a Bavarian tradition that dates back to the era of stagecoaches. When someone would arrive, this was used as a sign of respect and welcoming. This extremely impressive act went on for about 5 minutes after which time our first Starkbiers arrived. Our food arrived soon after, just 30 minutes after ordering. Both the food and the beer were excellent and I was pleased with my choice in dining for my only night in Munich!

Another Round– Food and Music

As mentioned in my review of Munich, I was very pleased with the quality of the food. I had a bratwurst with sauerkraut and tasty bread while a Starkbier accompanied my meal. The food was tasty and quite filling, just what you need for a long night of drinking! At this time, the band began to play. It was amusing seeing people become more and more lively. While I only saw 1-2 people dancing on the tables at that time, it would soon become many more! Strangely, there were quite a few English language songs. For example, here is Take Me Home Country Roads:

And of course here is the German classic Zombie!

The band was fantastic, just as comfortable with Bavarian classics as rock and hip hop from English-speaking countries. Both the male and female singers were talented which meant that any song was available to be played! After we finished dinner, we headed down to the floor to be closer to the music and dance. The crowd was extremely lively and a constant source of entertainment!

Last Call– The Crowd and Leaving the Event

After a couple of hours enjoying the music and experience, it was time to leave. The crowd had started to disperse around 10:15pm. The crowd was older, the average age was probably in the early-to-mid-30’s, but quite lively. I am told that other venues, more specifically Paulaner (where this tradition began) is younger and more geared towards a party as opposed to the tradition. As a 23-year-old, I enjoyed the mix of tradition as well as the willingness to get up on tables to dance and sing! I’m sure the other options are better for partying the night away but Munich has many good options for that. The final song was Freed from Desire, a Eurodance song from the 1990s, which was accompanied with lights, a powerful ending to a wonderful performance and evening!

After that it was time to leave. In a contrast with American events, leaving was quite peaceful. There was no mad scramble to the parking lot/garage nor a gargantuan line for Uber or Lyft. Instead, people lingered, saying goodbye to old and new friends before heading in various directions to bars or their homes.

Review:

I had a terrific time in Munich attending Starkbierfest (Strong Beer Fest) at Löwenbräukeller Beer Hall. For a 5€ entry, we were treated to live music, dancing, and Bavarian traditions. The prices for food and beer were reasonable and both were excellent quality. In total, I paid 73€ for 4 beers, dinner, and the entry– a very good value for a night of fun! I had a wonderful time at this event and would return in a heartbeat. If you enjoy beer and traditions, check out Starkbierfest in Munich– it will be more authentic than Oktoberfest!

Had you heard of this festival before? Would you attend a future Starkbierfest? Let me know along with your favorite festival experience in the comments below.

Next up: a review of H+ Muenchen, the Wyndham hotel where I stayed in Munich before a recap of the Schengen Lufthansa Lounge near Gate G28 at MUC. Then, it’s off to Split, Croatia!