It's that wonderful time of year again where beautifully crafted German lagers are being consumed in Munich and all over the world. Here are a few Oktoberfest tidbits to impress your friends with this Oktoberfest season.
1. Oktoberfest takes place in Munich Germany starting in SEPTEMBER. The 2022 Oktoberfest started on September 17 and ends on Oct 3. This is the first Oktoberfest since 2019 (see above).
2. There are six breweries that brew in the city of Munich Germany that can designate their fall lager an Oktoberfest beer and pour them in the tents of the festival. The breweries are: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Paulaner, Hofbräu, Spaten, and Löwenbräu. Each have massive tent villages that designate that their brewery's beer is pouring under that tent.
3. Oktoberfest is the biggest folk festival in the world. It started on October 10,1810 in celebration of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria, who later became King Louis I, to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.
4. There have been a few different styles of lager over the years poured at Oktoberfest with a smokey Dunkel being the first. From 1841-1990s the delicious amber lager, Märzen, was the beer poured. This gave way to a lighter bodied, colored and less alcoholic Festbier, Märzen's younger lighter sibling.
5. There are stein holding contests at the fest by the female beer servers that deliver the frothy suds to the masses. The world record for the number of one-liter Maßkrugs carried at once is 29.
6. The clothing that men wear on their legs are called lederhosen (like panty hose for men) and women wear chest German corset tops called dirndls.
7. Over 6,000,000 people visit the Wiesn or"The Meadow" or lawn every year to consume nearly 66,00 barrels of German lager at Oktoberfest. That's a lot of beer!
8. The only time Oktoberfest has not taken place in 187 years was during the two World Wars, cholera epidemics and most recently the global pandemic of Covid-19.
9. There are not one but two Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal (GABF) winning Märzen lagers made in Asheville, NC. Hi-Wire Brewing won for their German Märzen in 2016 and The Wedge won for their Märzen the following year in 2017. Both beers are amazing!
10. Since 1950, the festival has only started after the official gun salute and the mayor shouting O’ zapft is! (“It’s tapped!”) and offering the first mug to the Minister-President of the State of Bavaria. Only after that, can the festivities begin.
If you like learning about different styles of beer check out my post about Hazy IPAs. We make sure that everyone has a great time learning about beer on Beer City Brewery Tours. Book a tour today and learn all about beer culture, Asheville and beer, the brewing process, beer styles, ingredients and so much more. We look forward to seeing your group real soon in Beer City USA.
Cheers!
Evan Rosenberg
Beer City Brewery Tours
Asheville, NC