Paulaner - Salvator

I wish I had a t-shirt that said "I <3 Germany" with a disclaimer on the back that says "...Well. Just the beer and the efficiency with which it is put in front of me." I went to Munich last summer and I've been in search of the big 6 (Augustiner, Hofbrau, Spaten, Hacker Pschorr, Paulaner and Lowenbrau) since I returned to England. I've found bits and pieces, I've found a bottle of Augustiner (that I greedily snaffled up on Christmas and didn't review due to all the fun I was having,) and a bottle of Spaten Oktoberfest, which was delicious. I had a crappy imitation of a Lowenbrau in a local establishment but the less said about that the better. So it is that I come to Paulaner Salvator, the ORIGINAL Paulaner, the one that monks used to drink instead of eating bread during lent. This has a lot of history and a lot to live up to, but does it?

(Of course it does, I haven't even tasted it yet and I know it's going to.)

On the nose it's soft and malty with a hint of fig and raisins, suggesting that the beer itself is going to be smooth with a good bite of flavour. The other indicator is that it's a 7.9% doppelbock and when you get a beer like that then flavour is somewhat implied. Drinking it is like drinking a smooth version of some delicious brandy with a side of hot crossed buns, dripping with melted butter. The texture is creamy with a little fizz, making it is drinkable as the very tears of god.

The maltiness in it is somewhat reminiscent of malt loaf and there is a bread like quality to it but it is somewhat over powered by the sheer force of the sweet, tangy, raisin and malt flavours. It does taste like you're drinking history, I can easily imagine drinking this instead of eating, though I'd prefer to have this with a meal but if I had to choose between drinking and eating then I'd hope that having a beer blog speaks for itself.

It's so satisfying, sometimes, to drink beer that's ALL about the malt and less about the hops because you get such a deep sweetness and richness that is often lost elsewhere. I would advise anyone who is interested in beer history to give this a shot... A pint... And then a litre Stein.

Food Suggestion: This was made for lent, I'm writing this review around Easter, it would only be appropriate to eat this with a bit of stollen cake or a couple of hot crossed buns. If you're feeling like a glutton then you can crack open you're Easter eggs too. Religious holidays have such odd food associated with them.

Drink this if you like: Kill Your Darlings by Thornbridge is very similar to this with maybe a little bit more of a wild side compared to the traditional demeanour of Salvator.