If I like Paulaner Salvatore, what other dark beers would I like?!
Some of my favorite Doppelbocks are Ayinger Celebrator (consistently rated the best in the world - recently given a "98" rating by the Beverage Tasting Institute), Sam Adams Double Bock ("94" rating - hard to find, as it's a seasonal and already sold out in most markets), Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock (MI), and St. Victorious (Victory Brewing Company, PA).
These are absolutely brilliant beers! In fact, since 'Tis The Season... here's an article I recently wrote about the subject...
I’m not a Catholic, and this is neither the time nor place to get into a religious discussion, but during Lent, I go to thinking about the mutual relationship between beer and religion. You see, most of the beer we enjoy today can trace its lineage, in one way or another, back to monks of religious orders, be it in medieval times, or even earlier. Many of the best beers produces today come from monastic orders in Europe, and other beers have strong ties to religious traditions.
Enter: Doppelbock. This beer was originally brewed by monks to sustain them during their Lenten fasting period. (Beginning to see a connection yet?)
Doppelbock is a rich, dark lager that traces its origins to medieval Europe, specifically in Bavaria, circa 1634. This strong lager was first brewed by the Pauline Monks of St. Francis of Paula. In this time, as today, it was customary for monasteries to brew beer for personal use, as well as for a means of income to survive. Don’t get me wrong, monastic orders have never been considered “For-Profit Corporations,” but they had to get by, right?
These ingenious Pauline Monks originally brewed their Doppelbock, named Salvator (Latin for “Our Savior”), as a form of sustenance. They referred to it as “Liquid Bread,” because of its vitamin and mineral-rich ingredients that helped them get by without food until Easter Sunday. Of course, the vitamins weren’t enough. The beer had to have a large amount of fermentable sugar in order to raise the alcohol content enough so the monks would feel no pain, from hunger or otherwise, during the period of Lent.
Interesting side note: during this time, any proposed Lenten sustenance had to be sent to The Vatican for the approval of The Pope. Keep in mind there was no form of refrigeration in the year 1634, and it was a long journey from Bavaria to Rome. By the time the beer arrived, The Holy Father tasted it and proclaimed it so bad that he decreed the Monks of St. Francis of Paula MUST consume it during Lent, as a form of penance. The monks took their Papal Decree and ran with it, knowing full well the liquid tasted much better in its non-spoiled form.
Today, we have many commercial varieties of Doppelbocks available. The Church is not directly involved in the production of any commercial varieties, though some monastic orders no doubt still produce batched for in-house consumption. The original, Salvator, is still available, brewed by the Brauerei Paulaner of Munich, which is owned by global brewing conglomerate Heineken. There are many other delicious German examples, such as Ayinger Celebrator and Spaten Optimator, as well as US Craft versions like Bell’s Consecrator, Flying Dog Collaborator, Samuel Adams Double Bock, and Big Butt Doppelbock from Miller’s Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company.
Notice the majority end in the suffix “-ator.” This is a tribute to the original, Salvator. Many also contain imagery of a goat. Why a goat? There are several reasons. First, “bock” is the German word for “Billy-goat.” Also, being that Doppelbocks are relatively high in alcohol, the goat is a symbol of virility and fertility, tying in with the springtime theme of Doppelbock season; you do the math.
No matter the origin, Doppelbocks are here to stay. Lucky for us, they also pair brilliantly with a number of foods, especially going into the Easter season. The best pairings are simple: smoky sausages, pepper-cured meats, Gruyere cheese. Get creative! Try braised boar, venison sausage or meatballs with fennel, or maybe a spicy beef barley soup with a pulled pork sandwich. Any hearty foods will do, as Doppelbock is a take-no-prisoners kind of beer. Roasty, bold, and slightly sweet (in a dried-fruit kind of way), the Doppelbock is a once-rare style now available for the secular world to enjoy.
This Lenten season, and continuing year-round, I urge you to take up a pint of tasty Doppelbock and raise a toast to the Monks of St. Francis of Paula, the men who gave us this delicious liquid. They are the TRUE beer aficionados!
Cheers!
On a side note, I would also recommend looking into Schwarzbier, also known as black lager, another German style. The most common varieties are Kostritzer Schwarzbier (Ger.) and Sam Adams Black Lager, but there are many other unique varieties out there as well.
Enjoy!
Answers: Dammit... I was late to the party. Definitely search out other Doppelbocks, as mentioned in the other posts. Despite its dark color and rich texture, Salvator, as well as other Doppelbocks (or Double Bocks) are actually lagers... which is a HUGE surprise to most of us Americans. Remember, the color has to do with the length of time the grains are kilned, not with the strength of the beer.
Some of my favorite Doppelbocks are Ayinger Celebrator (consistently rated the best in the world - recently given a "98" rating by the Beverage Tasting Institute), Sam Adams Double Bock ("94" rating - hard to find, as it's a seasonal and already sold out in most markets), Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock (MI), and St. Victorious (Victory Brewing Company, PA).
These are absolutely brilliant beers! In fact, since 'Tis The Season... here's an article I recently wrote about the subject...
I’m not a Catholic, and this is neither the time nor place to get into a religious discussion, but during Lent, I go to thinking about the mutual relationship between beer and religion. You see, most of the beer we enjoy today can trace its lineage, in one way or another, back to monks of religious orders, be it in medieval times, or even earlier. Many of the best beers produces today come from monastic orders in Europe, and other beers have strong ties to religious traditions.
Enter: Doppelbock. This beer was originally brewed by monks to sustain them during their Lenten fasting period. (Beginning to see a connection yet?)
Doppelbock is a rich, dark lager that traces its origins to medieval Europe, specifically in Bavaria, circa 1634. This strong lager was first brewed by the Pauline Monks of St. Francis of Paula. In this time, as today, it was customary for monasteries to brew beer for personal use, as well as for a means of income to survive. Don’t get me wrong, monastic orders have never been considered “For-Profit Corporations,” but they had to get by, right?
These ingenious Pauline Monks originally brewed their Doppelbock, named Salvator (Latin for “Our Savior”), as a form of sustenance. They referred to it as “Liquid Bread,” because of its vitamin and mineral-rich ingredients that helped them get by without food until Easter Sunday. Of course, the vitamins weren’t enough. The beer had to have a large amount of fermentable sugar in order to raise the alcohol content enough so the monks would feel no pain, from hunger or otherwise, during the period of Lent.
Interesting side note: during this time, any proposed Lenten sustenance had to be sent to The Vatican for the approval of The Pope. Keep in mind there was no form of refrigeration in the year 1634, and it was a long journey from Bavaria to Rome. By the time the beer arrived, The Holy Father tasted it and proclaimed it so bad that he decreed the Monks of St. Francis of Paula MUST consume it during Lent, as a form of penance. The monks took their Papal Decree and ran with it, knowing full well the liquid tasted much better in its non-spoiled form.
Today, we have many commercial varieties of Doppelbocks available. The Church is not directly involved in the production of any commercial varieties, though some monastic orders no doubt still produce batched for in-house consumption. The original, Salvator, is still available, brewed by the Brauerei Paulaner of Munich, which is owned by global brewing conglomerate Heineken. There are many other delicious German examples, such as Ayinger Celebrator and Spaten Optimator, as well as US Craft versions like Bell’s Consecrator, Flying Dog Collaborator, Samuel Adams Double Bock, and Big Butt Doppelbock from Miller’s Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company.
Notice the majority end in the suffix “-ator.” This is a tribute to the original, Salvator. Many also contain imagery of a goat. Why a goat? There are several reasons. First, “bock” is the German word for “Billy-goat.” Also, being that Doppelbocks are relatively high in alcohol, the goat is a symbol of virility and fertility, tying in with the springtime theme of Doppelbock season; you do the math.
No matter the origin, Doppelbocks are here to stay. Lucky for us, they also pair brilliantly with a number of foods, especially going into the Easter season. The best pairings are simple: smoky sausages, pepper-cured meats, Gruyere cheese. Get creative! Try braised boar, venison sausage or meatballs with fennel, or maybe a spicy beef barley soup with a pulled pork sandwich. Any hearty foods will do, as Doppelbock is a take-no-prisoners kind of beer. Roasty, bold, and slightly sweet (in a dried-fruit kind of way), the Doppelbock is a once-rare style now available for the secular world to enjoy.
This Lenten season, and continuing year-round, I urge you to take up a pint of tasty Doppelbock and raise a toast to the Monks of St. Francis of Paula, the men who gave us this delicious liquid. They are the TRUE beer aficionados!
Cheers!
On a side note, I would also recommend looking into Schwarzbier, also known as black lager, another German style. The most common varieties are Kostritzer Schwarzbier (Ger.) and Sam Adams Black Lager, but there are many other unique varieties out there as well.
Enjoy!
Salvatore is a Dopplebock, so would recommend starting with more of the same style
Ayinger Celebrator is exceptional one of the best beers in the world in fact
Check out the link here
http://beeradvocate.com/top_beers?style=...
It's the top 10 doppplebocks as rated by beeradvocate.com members.
I've only had The Celebrator and The Autumnal Fire, so can't comment on the others.. but if they are on that list, they must be good.
Beck's Dark
None.
Like the first poster mentioned Salvator is a dopplebock and it goes without saying that you'll probably enjoy dopplebocks. Many have the suffix "ator" attached to them and as such are easy to spot on a shelf for example Celebrator, Optimator, Goosinator, and so on. There's a story behind this but that's an answer for another question. Optimator (Spaten) should be pretty easy to find and you may also be able to find La Rosa by Bira Moretti which is also a dopplebock.
In addition to dopplebocks you'd probably appreciate other similar German styles like bock (single), Maibock, Vienna lager, and Marzen/Oktoberfest beers. Some common examples of these styles (respectively) are Sam Adam's Winter Lager, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Sam Adam's Boston Lager, and Spaten Oktoberfest. There are better examples of each but those should all be pretty easy to find.
Some other styles which you may appreciate are barleywine, old ale, and imperial stouts. Again some examples of each which should be easy to find are Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine, North Coast Old Stock Ale, and Sam Smiths Russian Imperial Stout.
If you like bocks, you might appreciate some of the other malty, lightly-hopped beers, or at least ones in which the bitterness of the hops does not overpower the maltiness (like barleywine). Try Scottish export ale (80/, pronounced 80 shilling), English brown ale, and strong "scotch" ale.
There is a ton of home brews that you would love!! If your ever in Missouri there is a great micro brewery that is called Trailhead.
Try the Missouri Brown.
If you can request it or find it, Tuchers has a wonderful Dopplebock, called Bajuvator. Most liquor stores carry the Tuchers wheat beers, but you don't always see their Dopplebock, but they can easily order it, and it is quite affordable.
Another good one, that isn't quite a dopplebock is Okicims Baltic Porter, has that nice dark, malty flavor like a dopplebock, and is about 8.3%abv.