Paulaner Salvatore
Brewed By: Paulaner
Brewed In: Munchen
ABV: 7.9%
Type: Doppelbock
What They SayThe Paulaner Salvator with its strong,typically malty taste is the original Paulaner. The bottom-fermented Doppelbock-Bier unites the finest hops and dark barley malt. The Paulaner monks served Salvator as a replacement for food at Lent. Their most famous brewer was Brother Barnabas, who was the head of the Paulaner monastery brewery starting from 1773. Its original recipe is today almost the same as it was in Barnabas’ time. In order to protect the original recipe, Paulaner had the trade mark “Salvator” patented in 1896.
Website: The bottle claims “PaulanerUSA.com” which does not exist. paulaner.de does.
Why I Picked It: Happened to see it in the refrigerator at Whole Foods right around the time I was being sad about not being in Germany this year. Sadness. I had it.
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Presentation (5): Love the label on this beer — it looks like it should be hanging outside a bar. Two old men, a nobleman and a monk, grinning at each other. The Paulaner seal is in the middle and name of the beer written on a wooden shield. I assume they used “Double Bock” instead of “Doppelbock” to not scare off…. actually I have no idea. 5
Originality (5): I give a lot of retroactive points for originality with craft brewing, but I’m never quite sure how to rate this with these types. Paulaner has been brewing beer since 1889 using rules created in 1516. I have to imagine that I can’t even give them originality points on a doppelbock since that was probably brewing in Germany 300 years before they came around. 3
Body (10): Pours a thin brown with heavy carbonation and a thick head that reduces quickly. The odor is, well, German. As a beer brewed under the Reinhesgebot, it smells pretty similar to most. I really like the body of these German imports. They’re always light, unfilling, and convey the flavor perfectly. No difference here. The body is crisp and refreshing even for the heavy maltiness. There’s no oiliness or heaviness in the body. It’s really perfect. 10
Taste (10): This beer has the smooth, easy drinking quality of most German beers. I decanted this in to my Lowenbrau mug, which may be punishable by flogging in Germany, but the 11 oz beer would have looked absurd in my supersized Paulaner mug. I have to say, there’s not a whole lot going on here flavorwise. The flavor is light, with bold maltiness in the finish. As snobby as it sounds, it’s just not quite as good as it is sitting outside in Munich. Ha. 7
Efficiency (10): Somewhere between OMG and Yikes. This is a nearly 8% beer that goes down as smooth as any German I’ve ever sampled. A single bottle for $2.00 translates to $10 for a six-pack of 8% deliciousness. You can’t beat that. 10
Versatility (10): Limited availability hurts here as it seems to be a boutique thing offered only occasionally. It’s available in some Manhattan beer spots, but I can’t imagine I’d sit down and slug these at a bar for the night, nor can I imagine buying a bunch of single bottles to drink at home. This beer really needs a 22 oz. bottle. 4
The Snob Sez: Somewhat bland flavor as Germans go, but a great body and efficiency pushes this beer in to the blessed realm of ‘above average’.
Final Score: 39 of 50
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