Going out in Munich during the Strong Beer Festival

Ach! The Oktoberfest is so kind to tourists: simply don lederhosen/dirndl and head for the Wiesn.

The Starkbierfest is a little different, though, because although the first step – putting on traditional Bavarian costume – is the same, the second bit is trickier. Where to go out in Munich? Where can you find an authentic knees-up for the Strong Beer Season?

The bad news is: there’s no one place in town to head where the party is guaranteed to be at.

The good news is: we’ve got an overview of where you can go out when – right here!

Paulaner am Nockherberg (Giesing)

This is the original destination inasmuch as the first barrel of Munich’s oldest strong beer, Salvator, is tapped here (and accompanied by cabaret, TV crews, and all sorts of local celebrities…). This year, they go going on 21^st March and will be serving strong beer through until 6^th April. Music is traditionally Bavarian courtesy of Paulaner’s Oktoberfest brass band; weekdays things get going at 4pm while, on the weekend, you can get started at 1pm…

Löwenbräukeller am Stiglmaierplatz (Mitte)

Even though the “season” doesn’t officially start until Paulaner says so, the legends at Löwenbräu don’t let that bother them, and have been selling litres of their aptly-named Triumphator since the week before last. You can count on another of the very talented Wiesn bands for traditional Bavarian sounds and, if you’re of the type that like the test-your-strength hammer-thingies at a fairground, you’ll love trying to lift the 500-pound stone. Just be sure to loosen the laces on your lederhosen first…

The third key strong-beer location in Munich is the good old Augustiner beer hall, serving Maximator. They too have been at it for almost a month now (but don’t tell anyone…) and are showing no signs of stopping: in fact, the music and the food are still good enough to compete with Paulaner and Löwenbräu despite all those weeks of tiring work…

And then…?

Assuming – and this is a big assumption – that you can still move after the Starkbierfest and fancy going out, then Munich (with a distinct lack of tourists) is your oyster. If you’re at Paulaner in Giesing, for example, you’ve got the great bars around Kapuzinerstraße just across the river (just ask for “Enrico Palazzo”), while Löwenbräu and Augustiner are both within striking distance of the city centre and even the bohemian charms of Schwabing. Not that we ever make it past the legendary Pimpernel, mind…