My friends: Oktoberfest, perhaps the greatest festival on earth, will occur in six days. To celebrate, I of course made darn sure I had (in lieu of a plane ticket to Munich) a fridge full of German beer, a large variety of pork products, and a pressed set of lederhosen. Two out of three ain’t bad.

I went to a terrific store in my area; one which I had frequented as a college student, and had forgotten about until I drove right past it and did a double-take. The German store in Falls Church, VA is a great place for all-things-German. You can find tasty snacks and pastries, authentic brewery-labeled glassware (which is so cool) for your collection, and a 20-foot case of deli meats, ranging from the expected (bratwurst-to-go and incredibly tasty hams) to the grotesque (blood sausage and pig’s feet). Oh, they also have a huge selection of German beers and wines. I must say, this rivals even what you would find in the big-box liquor stores because of their tight relationships with distributors, no doubt. What caught my eye was a wondrous Bavarian bottle of sheer violence: Paulaner Salvator Double-Bock. More after the jump.

Quick German culture lesson on Bocks (with apologies to the Brigadier General).

Bocks are high-alcohol German lagers which were first brewed during the 14th century by (you guessed it) those crazy monks. These bright, simple men had to make up for the fact that they couldn’t hang out with women, it was cold in the Alps, and on top of all this, they had to fast for Lent. When I mean they fasted, it wasn’t like the wimpy two-days-out-of-Lent for todays’ Catholics: this was every day. Thankfully, the clergy decreed that monks were permitted one beer per day. These bright men of the cloth followed The Spirit of the Law, and created bock. They filled up their liter mugs with this high-octane beer, and as a result were able to get a large amount of their nutrition (and a decent buzz) from a single glass to help them sustain their bodies until Easter. The easy way to determine if a beer is a bock is to read the last four letters: “-ator”, which is German for “shit-kicker”. Salvator was the original Bock, and that is actually why there are so many “-ator” variants–a homage to this celebrated invention.

Salvator’s flavor is very complex and full-bodied. Pour it into a large mug or wide glass, not a pilsner-style glass. Give this Holy Lager some breathing room. You will find it is drinkable, but quickly find that it is to be enjoyed slowly, and in cool, crisp weather. The alcohol is truly present with a tangible burn (8%) at the finish. It’s sweet and fruity, but the bouquet is difficult to single out. I find it goes well with a heavy food, and after two bottles of this, you may want to switch to something a little lighter–unless, of course, you are either at Oktoberfest or a Bavarian monk. Drink on.