Author: beerfe37

One of the traditional alcoholic beverages in the entire world is beer. It is one of the world’s top three famous drinks after water and tea. With that, it is well established that the Germans celebrate beer more than anyone in the world. The Germans always have a strong affection for the favorite brewed drink and believe that it is a significant part of their culture as a country. That is why once a year they celebrate the biggest beer festival in the world we now know as Oktoberfest.

A lot of people from all over the world visit Germany and join the celebration of Oktoberfest. They believe that the three-week festival in Munich will become one of the largest and massive celebrations of all. It is their time to settle their days and nights partying with family, friends, and strangers as well as spending all their money on beers and pretzels while dancing under a giant tent.

According to a local reporter, there are more non-Germans than Germans celebrating the Oktoberfest. This fact is very peculiar since Oktoberfest is such a grand event for the Germans.  But since beer is not only exclusive in Germany, some countries extend their desire to celebrate the festivity. Germany only ranks third in Europe when it comes to per-capita in beer consumption. The country is actually behind Austria and Czech Republic. Nevertheless, the Oktoberfest in Germany is still the most famous beer event in the world.

What’s With Oktoberfest?

The Oktoberfest is as much for tourists as it is for the native Munchner or German. During the entire course of the three-week celebration, there are reportedly more than 7 million people that attend the event with only an accommodation of 14 giant tents and 20 regular ones. That’s a lot of people in a very small area. It is greatly advised for tourist to delay the visit to Munich during this time of year because the place gets undoubtedly flooded with people from all over the world. Event goers are advised to wake up early if they wanted a chance inside one of those tents because clearly, not everyone can be accommodated with the absurd number of people during the event. Parades will be everywhere during the Three-week event. Oktoberfest is known for its colorful booths along with its drunken participants, which make the whole celebration better and unique. Traditional costume parades are also present, and locals and devoted beer enthusiasts attend it.

The 2nd Weekend

The second weekend of the German beer event is commonly known as the Italian weekend. During this time, Italians come down to Munich and enjoy the festivities themselves. A lot of Italians and other tourists participate in the celebration. However, depending on their preference, people might avoid this second week due to the added crowded situation from the beginning of the holiday.

The Wiesn

People from Munich actually call Oktoberfest as Wiesn. It is the local term for the event. Although Oktoberfest is the widely popular name, Germans tend to stick with their culture. It is relevant to point out that there are certain traditions that follow during this event and tourists are advised to participate. They must know significant traditions to avoid upsetting the locals. One of the famous traditions is the singing of EinProsit. During Oktoberfest, the EinProsit is played every 20 minutes and commonly ends with everyone chugging their beers in unity.

The Oktoberfest is a very pricey event. Accommodations and travel cost are above expectations during the entire three weeks of celebration. However, the participants of this event are expected to be more than willing to spend a fortune merely to experience the most extensive beer event in the world.

Germany gives the yearly beer celebration too much importance because it is the largest beer festival known to people since the 18th century. That’s why people from different countries find it amusing to attend their Oktoberfest. It is an event where people not only from Germany gather together to celebrate, eat, dress up, sing, dance, and chug beers for three whole weeks.

Not all kinds of beer are allowed during this celebration. According to German tradition, the whole event only serves original Munich beers. These beers must follow the Bavarian Purity requirements.

Augustiner – Augustiner-Brau is the oldest independent brewery in Munich, Germany. The establishment was in the year 1328 within an Augustinian Monastery. Due to its ancient origin, the Augustiner’s first feature in Oktoberfest is somehow unknown. However, the earliest record of an Augustiner joining in Oktoberfest is on a picture dating from 1867. But even so, as one of the oldest breweries, it is preferably one of the best-tasting beers. That’s because Augustiner is still using wooden barrels in storing their original brewed alcoholic beverage. They are the only brewery that pours their beer directly from a wooden barrel. An authentic Augustiner beer served during Oktoberfest has 6 percent alcohol and can be purchased in an Augustiner-Festzelt.

Hofbräu – The Royal Brewery in Munich is also the local brewery in Germany, which is owned by the Bavarian State Government. It owns a massive tent on the Oktoberfest event. According to history, the name “Hof” comes from a royal brewery in the Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1589, Wilhelm V. who founded Hofbrau developed a beer garden that is still very famous up to this day. The Hofbraukeller beer garden of Hofbrau is one of the most beautiful beer gardens in Munich that continuously claims the country’s tourist attraction. The beer sold by Hofbrau during the Oktoberfest is the strongest one with 6.3 percent of alcohol content.

Hacker Pschorr – It is a brewery in Munich Germany established in 1972. It may not sound too old for other beers, but it is indeed a product of the merger of Hacker (founded in around 1417) and Pschorr. The Hacker brewery was the leading brewery in Munich during the 18th century. The beers sold by HackerPschorr during the Oktoberfest have an alcohol content of 5.8 percent. Considerably, it is the lightest beer offered during the festival.

Paulaner – The Paulaner is a German brewery established in 1634. The Minim Friars of Neudeck ob der Au cloisters are the founding fathers of the brewing company. At first, its beer was only available to the public for holiday seasons. However today, it now serves beer lovers anytime they want. It ranks 6th among the bestselling beers in Germany. The alcohol content of Paulaner sold in Oktoberfest is at 6 percent.

Löwenbräu – The Lowenbrau which also means “lion brew” in German is a middle size company in which became the biggest brewery during the 19th century. The tent of the Lowenbrau during the Oktoberfest can be easily spotted since it has its famous gigantic mechanical lion placed on the top of the tent. The alcohol content of Lowenbrau is at 6.1 percent.

Spaten – The brewery was founded in the year 1397 and is one of the oldest breweries in Munich. The logo of the brewery showcases a spade with the initials of Gabriel Sedlmayr. The Spaten beer has an alcohol content of 5.9 percent. Though it is one of least among the favorite, its taste still gives beer-lovers the satisfaction.

During Oktoberfest, millions of people gather inside crowded tents to enjoy a mass or even a liter of authentic brewed beer made in Germany alone. Each tent has a unique way of brewing where they set a standard on each beer to have significant taste, blend, and aroma that people can choose from.

Oktoberfest is an annual event in Germany where tourists around the world enjoy the best-tasting beer in the most satisfying way. Since beer is one of the most infamous beverages on Earth, it is basically behind water and tea. Fortunately, beer enthusiasts are not the only people allowed to enjoy Oktoberfest because kids and their families are welcome too. There are a lot of entertaining events throughout the festival. Although drinking beer is the main event of the Oktoberfest, the three-week celebration can mean so much more.

There are things to know before going to the event. Without this basic knowledge, old and new attendees might not enjoy the occasion very much. To get the full experience of Oktoberfest, one must first know the things on our list.

How Much Beer To Drink During Oktoberfest

The beers served during Oktoberfest are stronger than regular beers. They pack such a kick that too much intake may result in a lot of things, even memory loss. Therefore, one must understand the importance of knowing when is the time to cut off from drinking beer at the festival.

According to a famous organizer of the event, two mass beers or two liters of beer is the best measure for typical attendees. Though people differ in their alcohol content tolerance, most of them can handle this much alcohol and can still function appropriately. That’s an assurance to enjoy other activities like singing and dancing without passing out.

However, for some others, going for three liters is approaching borderline drunkenness. Though it’s reasonably what’s going to happen, there’s no stopping people from consuming more beers more than what they can handle. As a result, they roll over, sleep, and get wasted due to too much alcohol. So for a friendly suggestion to get a great optimal experience, it is much better to stick to two liters of beer during the festival.

Beer Drinking Is Not The Only Event During Oktoberfest

If people needed a quick break from alcohol, around the beer tents are unlimited rides and carnivals that they can enjoy. There are even special shows that they can watch on a timely basis. There’s also a costume riflemen’s parade during the opening weekend of Oktoberfest. It’s a parade of seven thousand costume performers who welcome the start of the festivities. There are also musicians, dancers, and farmyard animals that perform during the opening celebration. If the weather is good, the performance of 400 musicians in an open field also takes place.

Attendees Must Know When The Stores Close During The Celebration

The beer serving hours usually start from 10 am to 10:30 pm every weekday. However, drinking begins early during weekends since stores tend to open at 9 am and close around 10:30 pm. During closing hours, the band typically stops playing, and waitresses clean the table. From there, attendees are required to go out of the tent at around 10:50 pm.

It Is Highly Recommended To Dress Up, Though It’s Not A Requirement.

If you don’t dress up you might feel left out since almost everyone in the event is dressed up in Bavarian attires. Majority of the partygoers will be in costumes because it is part of the whole cultural experience. Locals and tourists around the world will don the famous Tracht (traditional German garments). But if ever attendees don’t want to dress up, it will still be okay.

There’s no denying that Oktoberfest is one the most fun and exciting events in Germany. Not only do people travel just to get there, but they also want to experience the fascinating culture of the country.