Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
September 21
And more Bavarian Beer
September 18-27

We spent only one day at Oktoberfest. This included 5 one-liter mugs of beer. Guess who had to help who with hers. Take the train like we did, there's no way to drive home. Or to read your notes from later in the night.

Oktoberfest is an annual celebration started to honor some prince's wedding in 1810 (actually Ludwig I, but who cares). 16 days. 6,000,000 people, an equal number of beers (at $8.50 per), an equal number of pretzels, and an almost equal number of chickens and sausages giving their lives to honor the prince and princess. There's lots of history and tradition but Oktoberfest now is a very large carnival with very large rides, hundreds of food stalls, and 9 beer "tents" that hold up to 7,000 people each.

To grasp the experience, think of a typical midwest State Fair with the race track covered with rides and the 4H pavilions replaced by beer tents. It seems about the same size.

Two concepts to grasp about the beer. 1) Only the big 6 brewers in Munich get to sell beer. Hacker and Pschorr both have tents because they got in before they merged. Plus there's two Paulaner and two Spaten tents for some reason. 2) The beer served is not a big Oktoberfest Marzen beer that we're used to in the States. It's a slightly darker and slightly stronger Hell they call a Festbier. So if you're looking for a Oktoberfest-beer-lover's experience, wander the Indiana brewpubs in September. They almost all make an Oktoberfest and are each proud to make the best in the state.

Oktoberfest is first and foremost a party. 3/4 of the area is devoted to rides for those who don't throw up easily. The beer tents may also require a strong stomach since liter sized mugs are the only portion. After dark it's dancing on the tables (or at least on the benches) and chanting soccer cheers - or even chanting "Hang on Sloopy"). Gilley's of Bavaria.

The "tents" are really permanent structures, each with at least 3 pouring stations and at least one huge kitchen. All are flanked by outside seating - a good thing because all of the seating inside is reserved after 5pm by hotels and businesses in Munich for their guests. Oh, opening hours are 11am to 11pm.

Augustiner


At night it gets a little louder.

Augustiner served their Edelstoff Hell exclusively. A couple of others had a choice but if you ordered without specifying you got their lighter beer.

Hacker

Hacker served an Oktoberfest beer. The average age here was 15 years younger than in the Augustiner tent. Our Munchener friend, Oliver, told us in Bamberg that the Augustiner tent is where all the people who are serious about beer go, since it's the best.


Omar, this one's for you.

Hofbrau

The Hofbrau tent was very empty in the afternoon.


Hofbrau made the waitresses stand in a line to buy a ticket to get the beer or
food to serve to the patrons. This slowed down service quite a lot.

Lowenbrau


Getting on toward 5pm the tables get empty waiting for people with reservations.

The Lowenbrau lion roars, drinks his beer, and wags his tail up and down.

Paulaner

Here, three sections out of about 30 were not reserved. By 7 pm they were full. This wasn't the best beer but I'll be darned if I can read my notes - maybe "not a great beer too puppy". I can read "a table w/ 5 guys with sticks all the way up to their eyeballs" but don't know what that means either.

Armbrustschutzenzelt Paulaner

This Paulaner tent was less than half full in the afternoon.

Pschorr

A light colored hell served here.

Spaten

Schottenhamel Spaten

Food

Vendors occupy all the space in front of the tents and a lot of space in front of the rides. You could stay the entire 16 days and never eat the same food twice. Weisswurst, Maultaschen, Leberkase, Sauerkraut, Schweinswurstel, Rahmschwammerl, Jungschweinsbraten, Kalbsbrust, Haxe, Spanferkel, Sauerbraten, Tellerfleisch, Forellenfilet, Kase of all kinds, Gulasch, Hendl, Strudel, Kucherl, Dampfnudel, Fleischpflanzerl, Schlachtschussel, Gemuseeintopf, Zungenfilet, Radis, Ochsenbrust, Kalbsbraten, Roulade, Bofflamott, Schweinsbraten, Bratwurst, Leberkas, Suppes of all kinds. Even spare ribs, corn on the cob, and popcorn. Plus of course pretzels.

Rides


A kid with a future.

The major rides looked to be about 3€ each - at least in the afternoon. Lines at that time weren't long at all. Some were very, very, tall.

Sights

I promised Terry this picture wouldn't be put on the web site.


The U-Bahn terminal at the front gate was great mayhem.
Everybody too tired to fall onto the tracks but there were guards anyway.

Bad Schussenried - Schussenrieder Erlebnisbrauerei. A small museum and a nice 2-room pub with very plain furnishings. The musuem has very little to do with beer but there's a couple of coaches and a few cars. Go for the beer instead. And for Petra, Conny, and Klaus.


Petra, Conny and Klaus.


Gotta love the occupants.

Marnau - Karg's Braustuberl. A 2-room town local busy with Sunday afternoon traffic. Known for weisse beer and ample food portions. On the main market street.

Hausham - Brauhaus Hausham Braustuberl. Directly across from the train station, this 3-room pub is quite large. The owner/brewer, Peter Aver has spent the last 6 years expanding the place as well as building a showcase brewing system, both with his own hands. The older, cozier system was the warming place for lunch the day we visited. GFS food but good soups.

Peter is the third generation owner as his grandfather founded the enterprise in 1935. He makes about 1,000 hecoliters per year by brewing 5 days per week. Bottled beer is distributed to a limited area from his new bottling plant.

Tegernsee - Herzogliches Brauhaus Tegernsee. A big brewery in an old monastery in a lakeside tourist town. Pictured is the garten on a cold day of the fancy dignified restaurant at the lake-end of the complex. To the left is a the old church and past that a typical big German braustuberl beer hall where you'll experience haxe (pork knuckles), beer, laughter, smoke, bare bulbs, vaulted ceilings, glass-clinking, wood benches, beards, and 20-somethings in sweaters. Too bad the beer doesn't live up to the ambiance.

Bad Tolz - Grunerbrau Brauereigasthof. A quiet hotel restaurant on the long main market street. At least the name goes back to 1603. At 5pm on a Monday it was abandoned.


 

Fussen - Braustubl Brauhaus. In-town gasthaus and popular local. Food is reportedly good but only available after 5:30. Three dining rooms with a harried bartender. Wolfgang Weyerer's beer is served in King Ludwig Dunkel glasses - not a good omen in this land where every brewery has it's own logo's glassware. Both beers were as-expected Bavarian lagers.

Ettal - Klosterbrauerei Ettaler. At the stately Hotel Ludwiger Bayer across the street from the monastery. The beer is, of course, no longer brewed by monks. This brewery has a good reputation locally. It's a shame we were a bit disappointed.

Andechs - Kloster Andechs. Since 1455 under the same ownership. Kloster Andechs is a still-functioning major monastery and the monks are still brewing the beer here (unlike many other "klosterbraus". There are more pictures and talk about the food on the Bavaria in September page. About the beer:


To-go shop. Single bottles, 4-packs, and bottles of schnapps, etc.


The brewery is on the grounds but down the hill from the tourist's area.

Weilheim - Dachsbrau. A warm 2-room local with a busy stammstich. Hasn't changed much since the 1950s. The big brewery in back offers lots of choices. I want to find this same exact place in England this winter. 6 retired guys and one barmaid that afternoon. That makes 8 old codgers with something in common - the appreciation of the beer. They may be big enough to export to the US (hint, hint).

Kloster Andechs and Dachsbrau made a perfect day - one of those days Terry drove back to the hotel.

Miesbach - Gasthof Brauwirt. Market square pub and butchery. An independent brewery that's only 10 years old. Great schnitzl.

Wolnzach - Burgerbrau. The city of Wolnzach seems to have started a community brewery in a multi-use facility with a petting zoo, kindergarten, park, some sporting fields, and the Museum of the Culture of the Hand. The brewery was built in 1999 and is mainly a brewpub that puts out some bottled product for stores in town. Great food prices.

Berching - Baren Brauerei / Gasthof Winkler. Berching is a very quaint, nay, beautiful walled city and the Gasthor Winkler is right in the center of things, as is their brewery right next door. It's actually a tower brewery with a working 3rd floor door to load malt at the top.

As we left Bavaria again we had to stop back in one of our favorite cities, Bamberg, and at our favorite brewery - Schlenkerla. Bob got to be the last customer out two more nights. A happy boy.

The first night I was greeted at the door by Oliver and Hans from Nurnberg - Oliver says he's up in Bamberg 2 or 3 nights a week to drink at the Schlenkerla and it wasn't too big a surprise to see him again. Thanks once more for a great evening.

The second night we talked at a table with a Bamberger and a guy from Augsberg who comes for the beer. Terry headed back to the hotel and the other two left after a while to crawl other bars. That's when the waitress invited me to sit at the Stammstich since a Swedish woman from Sacramento needed an English speaker to talk to. How wonderful.

Bamberg - Mahr's Brau. Very like the Schlenkerla, 11 items on the menu, one draught beer, old bent-beamed ceilings, 19th century ceiling fixtures, antlers, wrought iron, and a local following that's almost religous. There's also an ancient telephone and a coal fire in the green enamel furnace. They also have a fine rauchbier (that isn't nearly as smoky). One difference is the kegs - they are molded plastic rather than wood - but they still allow the house beer to be served with very little CO2.

Bamberg - Keesman. Across the street from Mahr's. I visited on a rainy afternoon and it was deserted. Completely deserted. Strange because Mahr's had a dozen or so people.

The inside is very nice, clean, and new. The backyard terrace is outside the brewery shipping plant and just feet from the trucks - presumably this isn't a problem in the evening.

Wolnzach - Hopfenmuseum.

In the heart of the thousands of Hallertauer hop fields, this city museum is geared to create empathy for the growers. It's all quite educational with very professional displays, interesting machinery, production charts, etc. Did you know Vikings cultivated hops that originally grew wild, growing up tree trunks like the vine they are? Interesting but we sure could have used an English-language guide.


Many different varieties are growing inside in flowerpots.


The hop harvest used to be a manual task for the entire family.


The hop song?


Not every display was serious.


A hop press to fill the burlap bags.


Like many museums, this one has a wall of pictures kids drew during their visit.

Other beers we tried: