You may have heard about the story of Sankt-Vaters-Bier (Beer of the Sacred Father), which they later called Salvatorbier, a strong, sweet malty beer which the Paulaner friars had brewed for themselves back in the 17th century.
According to certain accounts, the monks had crafted this beer as a means of sustaining themselves during the Lenten fast. Since they could not eat any solid food, they drank the beer throughout the day for several days until the period of Lent ended. The beer contained calories, vitamins, and minerals, so it was enough to keep them going.
But that isn't exactly the story of Salvatorbier, by the reckoning of Mark Dredge, a beer expert. Though it is true that monks' diets were limited during Lent, they were allowed to have bread, smoked fish, herbs, and oil in the evenings. Alcohol, on the other hand, was allowed throughout the day.
Furthermore, the Paulaner friars had even stricter diets than other orders, as they were expected to maintain the Lenten diet all the time. And not just this, but their founder, Saint Francis of Paola, was a strong advocate for the complete absence of cruelty, thus encouraging his brothers to stick with what we now know as the vegan diet.
With this in mind, the Paulaner friars had brewed their beer as a necessity for their lifestyle. But the story behind Salvatorbier is one that is not concerned at all about fasting, but feasting.
As the Paulaner friars settled in Nockherberg, they started brewing their own beer as per usual. And even though they were prohibited from selling their beers, they simply sold the beer illegally for 150 years.
During that time, they would celebrate Saint Francis' Feast Day every year on April 2nd. At this feast, they would serve Salvatorbier to the people. Later on, they will be granted a license to sell their beer, at first only on the Feast Day, and after a while, they were allowed to sell it the whole year round.
After celebrating this feast for over a hundred or so years, it lost all its religious connotations, and simply became a Volksfest or folk festival. And the tradition of serving and selling Salvatorbier continued, as it still does today, every year during Salvatorfest (Strong Beer Festival).
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