IT'S NOT NICE TO FOOL THE POPE.

Sometimes, though, there's an unintended consequence.

The Paulaners were a strict order, and when Lent rolled around, they abstained from solid food. They COULD however, drink beer. And when they doubled the malt, the beer satisfied the monk’s hunger pains (a 1 liter Mass contains 160-200 grams of malt, the equivalent of 4-5 slices of bread).

Now here’s where myth steps in. According to legend, the beer tasted so good, that they felt guilty. Lent was a time of abstaining from pleasures, and enjoying beer is contrary to the spirit of Lent. The monks decided to take it to a higher authority…not God… the Pope. The thing is, the Pope lived far away. Road Trip! A few of the monks took a barrel of their strong beer up over the Alps for judgement. Along the way, the barrel was subjected to changes in temperature… and it went bad. When the Pope tried the beer, he declared it foul, and an appropriate Lenten penance. The monks were granted Papal Approval to drink their Doppelbock Bier during Lent.

Back in Munich, the authorities granted Paulaner monks permission to produce beer for their own consumption, but… somehow outsiders managed to get their mugs on some of it in exchange for “donations”.

Much more about the variations on Bock Beer at the link.

Prosit!