Let's Get Crafty

Local Oktoberfest Celebrations!

“G rab the Yank!!” I hear from behind me. It’s September 2004, Oktoberfest. I’m in Munich, Germany at the festival with my friends. And yes, Octoberfest does begin in September, not in October. Modern tradition is to have the festival in the last two weeks of September so that it can end on the first Sunday in October, close to October 3rd, German Reunification Day. We are in the Ochsenbraterei (Ox Roast) Tent sponsored by Spaten. There are two huge oxen roasting on spits in one corner of the tent. Each major brewer in Munich erects a tent at the festival. These socalled “tents” are nothing of the sort. They are enormous structures that are more like warehouses than tents. The larger ones hold approximately 6000 people. Imagine a Walmart that has been stripped bare, a band stand placed in the middle, then the rest of the space filled with picnic tables, that would be one tent.

This trip is a religious experience for any beer drinker. It’s the world’s biggest kegger. Over 16 million people from all over the world will make the pilgrimage to Munich during the two weeks of the festival. This is my first of my five trips to Munich for Oktoberfest. I’m a rookie. And I’m not paying attention to the Australian and Irish group behind me. We had been laughing and joking with them earlier. I'm too busy dancing on the bench of our table and slaughtering German drinking songs at the top of my lungs with my buddies while trying to maintain control of the giant oneliter stein of beer in my hand.

I should be paying attention.

“Grab the Yank!” I hear again. And what I stupidly do not realize is that I am the Yank.

I’m suddenly grabbed from behind and lifted into the air. I crash onto the tabletop behind me, my beer spilling all over me. I look up to see the Aussies and Irish laughing at me.

“We have decided that you are drinking with us!” one Irishmen shouts as he raises his glass and spills part of his beer on me.

A big Aussie points at me and bellows, “There’s only one rule! No shagging my sister!” The others roar in laughter.

He didn’t actually say “shagging”.

His sister then strikes him several times for his indiscretion. She’s hitting him hard. He’s a big guy. I can tell that she’s hurting him. Which means that she could hurt me. I will very much obey his rule.

Someone else is now shouting at me again, but this time it is in German.

“Nein! Nein! Nein!”

There is a security guard now towering over me. He begins to lecture me in German. I do not speak German. This is one of those situations where one does not need to speak the language to understand. You’re not allowed to sit, stand, or, evidently, lay on top of the table. I had learned this lesson the night before at the Hofbrau Tent when a friend told me that we were allowed to dance on the tables. She was wrong. The security guards there reacted the same way. If nothing else, I was learning the culture of the place.

The Irish and Aussies pull me up. I spend the next hour partying at their table.

The festival in Munich began on October 12th, 1810. It was a celebration of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria, who later became King Louis I, to Princess Therese von SachsenHildburghausen. The celebration was originally an agricultural fair with horse races. In the 20th century it developed into the huge beer tent festival we know today. Approximately 2 million gallons of beer are consumed during the festivities. It is truly the world’s biggest kegger.

The beers we drink in the tents in Munich are different than most of the Oktoberfest beers you will find here in the States. Our Oktoberfest beers tend to be Marzen style. Marzen was the original style of Oktoberfest in Germany as well. Marzen is a dark, rich, malty beer that the Germans would brew in March, Marz in German, and then age throughout the summer. It would be ready to drink in September or October, just in time for the festival. Starting in the 1970’s, German brewers began brewing a pale, lighter tasting lager, as the traditional Oktoberfest beer, or Festbier. The change was initiated by Paulaner originally, but all the others had made the switch by the 1990’s. The reasoning was simple. The lagers were less filling, lighter in alcohol content, and therefore easier to consume during a long day of drinking.

Does that mean that the American Oktoberfest beers are actually closer to the traditional beers the Germans produced for the festival? The answer is no, not really. Although Marzen was the traditional style, the American brewers are not held to the strict standards of the German Purity Laws, or Reinheitsgebot. These laws limit the ingredients for beer to just barley, hops, yeast, and water. And tradition dictates Oktoberfest beers must use Munich malt, noble hops, and Bavarian lager yeast. American brewers are free to use whatever ingredients they want. And many use caramel malt in addition to, or instead of, the Munich malt. This makes the American Festbeirs sweeter and more caramel-like in flavor than their German cousins. The American brewers have the advantage of experimenting with flavors and techniques that the German brewers do not.

Many local brewers in America will brew both styles, and a few different types, for Oktoberfest. Try both styles. See which one excites your palate.

Oktoberfest is a time of joy and merriment. It’s a time to gather with friends and hoist a pint, or liter, to health and good times. And it’s a great opportunity to expand one’s palate. These beers are only brewed once a year, so jump on the opportunity.

As for me, my Oktoberfest chops were honed in Munich. When September comes around, my preference is that beautiful German lager.

Prost!

Timothy Long is an educator, writer, consultant, and experienced restaurant operator. Instagram and Twitter: @wvutimmy. Blog:What Is That Fly Doing In My Soup? https:// whatflyinmysoup.com/ Email: tlong@belmarinnovations.com.

Port City Brewing, Alexandria, VA

Port City offers a great line of German beers for Oktoberfest. Among them, their Great American Beer Festival Bronze Medal Award winning Oktoberfest Marzen Style Lager, made with both Munich and Vienna Malt. One of my personal favorites is returning; the Swarzbier is a black lager that is deep brown in color and smooth in taste, with notes of coffee and toasted malt. Other offerings: German Pilsner, Hefeweizen, and the Rauch Marzen, a smoked version of their Oktoberfest bier. Port City will also be teaming up with Haute Dogs and Fries Restaurant for an Oktoberfest Party at their Brewery on October 2nd. The event will include both a Stein Hoisting Contest and an Oktoberfest Costume Contest.

Village Brauhaus, Alexandria, VA

Village Brauhaus will begin Oktoberfest with the traditional keg tapping on the weekend of September 17th and will continue weekend celebrations until mid October. Get ready for German oompah bands from all over the country, traditional Oktoberfest dining and of course Munich imported Oktoberfest beers. Hofbräu Oktoberfest, Paulaner Wies’n, Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest are just some of the traditional beers being imported! Come celebrate with us, Prost and O’Zapft is!

Aslin Beer Company, Alexandria and Herndon, VA

Aslin will celebrate Oktoberfest from September 30th until October 3rd at both their Alexandria and Herndon locations. They will feature a Festbier, along with Doch Marzen, Belligerent Attempts Pilsner, Bird Leaf Dry Hopped Pilsner, and Fragile Kind – Pilsner. Aslin will also feature German-style food along with specialty stein glassware and merchandise. Plus, on Sept. 29th in Herndon, and September 30th in Alexandria, they will screen the movie “Beerfest”!!

Try these fun craft Festbiers while enjoying Oktoberfest around the DMV!

1. Center of the Universe Brewing Company,

Ashland, VA. Oktoberfest: Marzen style, malty, clean, refreshing festbier. 2. Flying Fish Brewing Company, Somerdale, NJ.

Oktober Fish: Marzen style festbier with a great light toasted malt flavor. 3. Devils Backbone Brewing Company, Roseland,

VA. Oktoberfest: Marzen style, malty flavor with notes of bread. Great taste. 4. Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland, OH.

Oktoberfest: Marzen style lager, Crisp, with a good mouth feel. Great malty flavor. 5. Calvert Brewing Company, Upper Marlboro,

MD. Autumn Oktoberfest: Malty, light, and dry.

Very good beer.