Image via Complex Original
Even though the official “Oktoberfest” draws to a close this weekend, it’s not too late to impress your friends with your beer knowledge! Fest beers and Märzens are flowing throughout the month of October, so now’s the best time to hone your knowledge of the world’s largest drinking festival and the beers they serve in Bavaria. Jimmy Carbone (owner of Jimmy's No. 43 and host of Beer Sessions Radio on Heritage Radio Network) and some of his beer industry friends helped put together a “best of show” of interesting and sometimes colorful facts about the annual rite of fall drinking.
We’ve put together a Letterman-esque “Top Ten” list, a German beer drinker’s primer of sorts. So study up! Not only will you sound like a beer expert as you go out to hoist a stein or two this Oktoberfest, you’ll also know the best beers to put into that stein... and maybe learn a thing or two about lederhosen along the way.
Know Which Food Pairs Best With German Beer
The locals may be accustomed to the Fest-level quantities of beer that are consumed each day: on average, each imbiber manages to drink one liter at Oktoberfest. But many foreigners new to the Fest overindulge and end up strewn about the grounds passed out or incapacitated. The locals have their own name for these unfortunate tourists: Bierleichen, which means "beer corpses" in German!
To avoid being a zombie in Munich, pair your beer with hearty German food. Our favorites include pork chops, roast chicken, smoked meat, potatoes and sauerkraut.
Whatever your drinking this Oktoberfest, there’s no better beer for raising a stein in a toast: PROST!
When In Rome… Er, Munich: Don Your “Tracht”
Costumes—called “Tracht” in German—are as much as part of Oktoberfest for Germans as they are for Americans at Halloween. The dress-up dates back to 1810 with the first parade celebrating the anniversary of King Ludwig’s marriage. However, to Bavarians putting on their tracht: It’s a celebration of their heritage, and the Dirndl (women’s traditional dress with smock) and Lederhosen are worn by many at the Fest.
And while you won’t see too many men in Lederhosen at a beer garden in Manhattan, if you dare, you can learn some tried and true trips relayed to Jimmy by Stephan Michel from Mahr’s Bräu, who did an impromptu demonstration modeling lederhosen when he visited NYC last summer.
The most important tip: Make use of the “hidden” flap, which is closed by buttons, not zippers (if you are wearing lederhosen with zippers, you’re cheating!). Most of the men start unbuttoning on the way to the Herren’s room, because it’s a lot to get through. Even though lederhosen—traditionally peasant garb—is waterproof, we don’t recommend that you test that in a literal sense.
Drink Like A Local
Sure you can hang out at the beer garden and get sloshed and stand in line for the “piss trough” (how the urinals at Oktoberfest are often called) with six million of your new best friends, but Germans don’t need an annual festival to celebrate with beer. Every day ends with Gemütlichkeit , which is loosely defined as “friendliness” but means much more. Gemütlichkeit is the best part of the day, when you’re in a good mood, have peace of mind, you feel that you belong and—best of all—you aren’t in a hurry to get anywhere.
So, chillax this Oktoberfest and feel free to try some of the other types of German brews. From Koslch to altbier to Dopplebocks… They’re all good!
Know Thy Fest Beers
Historically, not all beers brewed for Oktoberfest were Märzen-style style beers, and these are some of the best seasonal beers you’ll find during the Fest. While special "Festbiers" generally have more alcohol and less carbonation than a brewery's "normal" beer, they would often be more similar in style to a brewery's everyday beer than a proper "Oktoberfest".
Among these styles are wheat beers and smoked beers. Our favorites include Schneider Weisse’s Wiesen Edel-Weisse ("special wheatbeer for Oktoberfest"), which actually was part of the annual Munich fest until the brewery's destruction during World War II.
Other atypical festbiers include smoked malt beers, such as Schlenkerla Smokebeer and Brauerei-Spezial Rauchbier, both from Bamberg. And Jimmy once hosted a crazy Oktoberfest party here in NYC with visiting German artists where for an entire day they drank nothing but Schneider Aventinus strong dark wheat beer, a day he still refers to as, “The best beer day ever.”
Get Familiar With Helles Beers
The original Märzen-style lager historically associated with the festival has gradually been replaced by a slightly stronger lager known as the “Helles” (“golden”) or “Münchener” style beer. Each Munich brewery makes its own version, but if you are actually in Munich, the one to try is the Augestiner, which is almost impossible to find outside the region.
If you’re stateside, go for one of our favorite beers this fall, Krauss Lager Hell, a traditional (and lighter—only 4.7% ABV) lager from Brauerei Kraus in Hirschaid, Germany
Get to Know Märzen Beers
So what do you drink for Oktoberfest? Historically, the classic beer is the cave-cooled Märzen. Classic Märzens are 5.5-6.0% ABV lagers. They have a full body, super inviting maltiness, and color that ranges from deep gold to amber. The classic Märzens all follow the Reinheitsgebot (strict German purity laws), meaning they are made from water, malt, hops and yeast—and that’s all.
Only classic German variety hops are used. Known as “Noble Hops” these varieties balance the malt, while still being refined and clean and free from extreme bitterness. Typical “Noble Hops” used in Oktoberfest beers include the Hallertauer Mittelfruh, which is named after the Hallertau (Halledau) region in central Bavaria.
If you’re looking for a great Märzen beer for your Oktoberfest celebration, try the Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen, the highest rated Märzen on RateBeer.
Realize Oktoberfest Is To Munich As Champagne Is To France
If you want to be a purist, technically only a handful of breweries within Munich’s city limits can lay claim to producing Oktoberfest beers. It’s kinda like French Champagne as opposed to Italian Prosecco or California “sparkling wine.”
If you want to drink like a Bavarian, stick to the following breweries, each of which is represented at the Fest with a massive tent that can hold, literally, thousands of beer drinkers: Paulaner, Hofbräu, Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu, Augustiner, and Spaten.
Realize How Large Oktoberfest Really Is
Oktoberfest is big. How big? Well, with almost seven million visitors every year, it’s the world’s largest “Volksfest” (People's Fair). Compare this to the mere 50,000 people who attend Burning Man each year, or the 500,000 people who travel to Cincinnati for their annual Oktoberfest.
You can probably imagine the massive impact to the local Bavarian economy, but reports have reported income greater than €1 billion (id="mce_marker".36 billion) with more than 12,000 jobs created for the event (many of which are year-round). Interestingly, despite the influx of international travelers to Munich, the majority (70 percent) of attendees are German residents.
Know That Oktoberfest Begins in September
American beer drinkers generally cannot wrap their heads around the notion that Oktoberfest is pretty much ended once October has begun. Because the event was orginated as a harvest festival, the dates were moved back to accommodate the farmers bringing their fall goods to town. The festival that originated mid-October, was pushed back to late September.
With regards to brewing beer, this change in the Oktoberfest calendar allowed beer makers to get rid of all their existing beer before the new brewing season began again (typically in, you guessed it, October!). The seasonal calendar also gave its name for the quintessential Oktoberfest beer, Märzen, or “March” beer which was brewed in the late winter and stored in caves to keep cool during the hotter, non-brewing months.
Figuring out the dates of Oktoberfest is easy: Count backwards 16 days from the first Sunday in October (this year’s Fest runs September 21st through October 6th). The Fest will run from noon on that Saturday in September when the Mayor of Munich proclaims the start of Oktoberfest, announcing “O’zapft is!”, meaning “It is tapped!” The Fest runs 16 days unless the first Sunday of the month is the 1st or 2nd, in which case the event runs through October 3rd to include German Unity Day. Just think of those years as a Leap Year, with the excuse to drink even more great German beer!
Know That the First Oktoberfest Didn't Even Include Beer
The first thing every beer expert needs to know is the who, what, where, when why… Well the first official “Oktoberfest” didn’t even involve beer. It was a royal celebration of the marriage of Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen to Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (later King Ludwig). The celebration went on for 16 days starting October 12, 1810, and included horse racing, games of chance and gambling.
The following year, food was brought in (it was more like the state fair than the current Fest, with farmers bringing their wares to town). Horse racing continued for 150 years, with carnival style games supplementing the entertainment added from 1816 on. Beer, in fact, wasn’t the centerpiece of the event until glass mugs were introduced in 1892. Purists will insist that a mug or Willibecker glass still is the best for getting optimal flavor from Fest beers.
The Fest has always been in one location in Munich, at “Theresienwiese” or “Theresa’s Meadow,” which got its name from Ludwig’s princess bride. In fact, locals don’t call the Fest “Oktoberfest,” but rather refer to it as die Wies'n after the fairground’s name.