Oktoberfest is going on now, what are you still doing here? Why aren't you in Munich?
Oktoberfest is a 16 day festival (the worlds larges fair) held in Munich Germany. There are 6 breweries that supply most of the beer for the fest, the Big Six are Spaten, Löwenbräu, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr.
The original Oktoberfest was on October 12,1810. Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on that date. He arrange a great horse race for October 17. Their wedding reception was the first Oktoberfest. Over the years, the fest got bigger and bigger, so they expanded to more dates, eventually moving the starting date into September, to allow for better weather. The final week of Oktoberfest takes place in October, no earlier than the third, for the next 7 years.
This years Oktoberfest started on September 20. At noon, the mayor of Munich tapped the first keg of beer. After that, everyone was allowed to start drinking. The last day of the fest this year is October 5.
The 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest is in 2010, if you want to go, you should probably have started planning the trip 5 years ago.
As to the beer:
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest is one of the Big Six. (There will be a quiz)
Bavarian barley slow roasted, caramelized to a rich, red amber color combined with the purest spring waters from the Alps, exclusive yeast and the finest Hallertau hops.The beer served now at Oktoberfest probably wouldn't be recognized as such at the earliest ones. Back then, the Oktoberfest would have been a Marzen style lager brewed in March and allowed to lager over the summer. They would have been dark, but since 1872, it's been a Vienna lager style of an amber color.
When you see pictures of people at Oktoberfest, they are normally drinking a lager that is paler than the traditional lager.
So, even though it's the middle of Oktoberfest, go out and have a traditional Oktoberfest lager.
If you find a hot chick in a dirndl, you get bonus points.
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