The official start of Oktoberfest is upon us. Prepare your dirndl and lederhosen and get ready to party!
While the festival originated in Germany almost 200 years ago to honor Bavarian culture, some version of Oktoberfest is celebrated worldwide. Hong Kong hosted a similar event until Covid forced lockdowns in Asia. Argentina and Australia celebrate. There’s even a Scotchtoberfest inspired by an episode of The Simpson’s television show.
Munich’s original Oktoberfest begins on September 17 and ends on October 3, at the Theresienwiese, the largest fairground in Munich. The 187th festival returns after a three-year hiatus because of Covid.
Why the Celebration?
Oktoberfest began as a wedding celebration when Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony – Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. They celebrated with feasting, horse races, and days of drinking. That’s our kind of wedding!
Six Breweries Allowed
According to Bavarian custom, only beer from six Munich breweries may be served during Oktoberfest. The six breweries include Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten.
Augustiner
Augustiner is Munich’s oldest brewery and still exists within the city limits. Monks of the Augustinian Order founded the brewery in 1328. Today, the Augustiner Wiesn beer (ABV: 6.3%) is served in the Augustiner Festival Tent, the Fischer Vroni, and the Tradition Festival Tent on the Oide Wiesen. Three smaller tents also offer Augustiner beer at the festival in Munich.
Hacker-Pschorr
Hacker-Pschorr (ABV: 6.0%) is available in the Hacker Festival Tent, the Pschorr Festival Tent Brauosl, and Herzkasperl Festival Tent. And in the Fisch Bada, Heimer Duck and Chicken Grill, and at Poschner’s.
Hacker-Pschorr was first mentioned in documents dating to 1417 and became Munich’s leading beer in 1817 under the husband-and-wife team of Joseph Pschorr and Maria Theresia Hacker.
Hofbräu
Hofbräu beer was founded under Wilhem V in 1589. The company has been run as a state-owned business since 1939. At (ABV:6.2%), Hofbräu is the second strongest of the Oktoberfest beers. It is served at the Hofbräu tent.
Spaten
Spaten Brewery was founded in 1397 and created the Munchner Hell (Munich Pale), the first pale ale marketed in 1894. Find this (ABV: 5.9%) beer in the Schottenhamel Tent, the Marstall, the Ochsenbraterei, or the Feisinger’s Kas-und Weinstubn.
Lowenbräu
Lowenbräu reportedly originated in the late 14th century. Lowenbräu became the largest brewery in Munich in the 19th Century.
The Lowenbräukeller and beer garden host the Stout Beer Festivals, but at the festival, beer lovers will find the (ABV: 6%) Lowenbrau-Wisentrunk at the Lowenbräu Festival Tent marked by the beer-drinking Lowenbrau Lion. Also, find the beer at the Haxnbraterei and the Schutzen Tent.
Paulaner
Paulaner monks first served their beer in 1634 and it was popular in Munich during festivals. Paulaner’s beer is (ABV: 6 %) and is served at the Paulaner Festzelt, the Armbrustschutzenzelt, the Munich Knodelei, the Butcher Stuben, the Kafer tent, the Kuffler’s Weinzelt, the Munchner Stubn, and the Heinz Sausage and Chicken Grill.
To learn more about the original Oktoberfest, visit Oktoberfest.de (Die offizielle website zur Wiesen).
You can also see live views of the festival (HERE)
Who’s on Second?
The second largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the world are reportedly in Blumenau, Brazil, in the Province of Santa Catarina.
We’ve all heard the rumors of Germany’s ties to South America. Do we need further evidence? Just asking.
In 1850 a German pharmacist, Hermann Bruno Otto von Blumenau paddled ashore and founded Blumenau along with 17 other Germans. This beer fest started in 1984 to revive the town’s economy. It now draws more than 700,000 visitors each year.
Oh, Canada?
Or is the Concordia Club Oktoberfest in Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario, the second largest? They say, ‘yes!’.
They’ve been celebrating Oktoberfest since 1873 and have hosted Oktoberfest since 1967. The Bavarian festival includes tents, schnitzel, schnapps, entertainment, traditional folk dancers, and a Thanksgiving Day Parade during the eight-day celebration. This year’s celebration is October 7-15.
In the U.S.?
Cincinnati, Ohio, draws more than a half million people each year to the Oktoberfest Zinzinnati. This festival started in 1974 and begins with the annual Running of the Wieners. The festival only runs from September 16-18 and claims to be America’s largest Oktoberfest.
This year there will be more than 120 beers, 30+ food vendors, and more than 30 live acts.
Get there soon. It’s only a two-day event in the heart of downtown Cincinnati.
Check your local calendars for smaller Oktoberfest celebrations. You’re sure to find something nearby.
But even if you miss Oktoberfest, other events also take place this time of year.
Colorado, Specifically
Denver Beer Week kicks off September 30 for a nine-day celebration of beer, including rare beer tappings, meet-the-brewer events, tap takeovers, and beer and food pairings.
This year’s event runs from September 30 to October 8. Explore the Denver Beer Trail, sample beer, and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), which runs October 6-8, at the Colorado Convention Center. The GABF is the largest ticketed beer festival in the U.S. in terms of the number of breweries and beers served.
The event was first hosted in 1982 at the Harvest House Hotel in Boulder. The festival moved to The Mile High City in 1984 before finally arriving at the Colorado Convention Center in 2000.
For the price of admission, you’ll get a branded tasting glass and access to more than 500 breweries and 2,000 beers from across the U.S.
Prost!
