Month: March 2026

Written by Franz Hofer for A Tempest in a Tankard

If you’ve spent any time at all in Germany, chances are you’ve been to Munich. And you may even have visited Salzburg in neighbouring Austria, either on your way to Munich from points east like Vienna or Budapest, or as a day trip from Munich.

But did you know there’s a wealth of breweries and Wirtshäuser in the towns and villages along the trainline between Munich and Salzburg? As long as you’re not taking the express train, you can get out at almost any station along the way for good beer. All you need is a bit of free time.

And so, heading east from Munich to Salzburg, here’s a sampling of what Upper Bavaria has to offer — all of it within a few kilometers of the nearest train station. If you spend a few days in this corner of Upper Bavaria, you could visit all of these towns before continuing on your merry way in either direction.

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Written by Franz Hofer for A Tempest in a Tankard

You’re rarely at a loss for an excuse to have a beer in Bavaria. You’ve got beer garden season in the warmer months, and Oktoberfest in the fall. You’ve got Maibock season in the spring and a slew of Bockbier tappings through late autumn and early winter, especially in Franconia.

But what about the dead of winter, that time after the Christkindl markets close and the beer gardens reopen? It’s a dark and dreary time of year, brightened in places like Cologne by Carnival. Munich has its own answer to Cologne’s “fifth season”: Starkbierzeit, or the Season of Strong Beer.

Paulaner’s Starkbierfest, a three-week bacchanalia fueled by Salvator beer, is virtually synonymous with Starkbierzeit.[1] For centuries now, the residents of Munich have streamed east over the bridges of the Isar during the Salvatorfest to partake of Paulaner’s renowned elixir. Once an eight-day affair that took place around the Feast of St. Francesco di Paola, today’s Salvatorfest atop the Nockherberg is associated as much with Lent as it is with the Italian founder of the Pauline order.

Want to read more? Please click… HERE!!!