Starkbierzeit literally means "strong beer time," and it more than lives up to its name. For the locals, it can be even more fun than the fall Oktoberfest, because there are fewer foreign tourists clogging up the bars.
The festival takes place in March, with the wildest festivities occurring on St. Joseph's Day (March 19). We have the Paulaner monks to thank for this annual tradition. The monks, so the story goes, started to make a really strong beer to tide them over during their Lenten fasts. This beer was called "holy father oil" and "liquid bread," among other names, after its debut in the 1630's. This special beer received the name of "Salvator."
After Napoleon conquered Bavaria, he offered church-owned property up for sale, in keeping with the anti-religious fervor of post-Revolution France. Franz Xavier Zacherl ended up owning the Paulaner monastery, and in 1861, he began selling Salvator to the public. His initial marketing campaign hailed the beer as a way to get over the doldrums of wintertime. As one might imagine, Salvator was an instant hit.
In the spectrum of beers, Salvator is what is known as a "doppelbock." "Bock" by itself means a strong beer, and "doppel" (double) should give you some idea of what Salvator can do. It has 7.5% alcohol by volume.
Before it burned in 2000, the Paulaner Keller was the hub of Starkbierzeit, located up on Nockenberg Hill, which is Munich's highest point. Currently, efforts are underway to restore the Paulaner Keller before the 2009 edition, but, for now, plans are to base next year's festival in the Mariahilfplatz. If that plaza is too crowded, though, the Löwenbräukeller also celebrates Starkbierzeit, offering its own doppelbock called Triumphator. Other local breweries offer such doppelbocks as the Maximator and Unimator. If the idea of 7.5% beer is a little intimidating, breweries make other special offerings for the two-week festival as well. Be sure to visit the Forschungbrauerei, which still serves its beer in ceramic mugs instead of glass.
For more information about the festival, you can visit the main site at: http://www.2camels.com/starkbeirzeit-strong-beer-festival.php