Posts under ‘Festivals / Events’

We just received an email from the Munich Oktoberfest and it looks like It is going ot be bigger and better than ever.  This year’s festivities start on the 17^th of September and go through to the 3^rd of October- that’s only 10 weeks away!  Beer prices have gone up about 30 Euro cents since last year a Mass or litre of beautiful fresh Munich beer will cost between 8.70 Euro and 9.20 Euro but entry is free.  There are 14 main beer tents including favourites like Hofbrau Festhalle, Café Kaiserschmarrrn and the Hippodrom all serving amazing German dishes and beer.  This year there are two new rides, The Rio Rapidos which is a raft ride and the Monster which sounds pretty scary, a swing which goes 40 metres in one direction before rotating down around its axis. Probably a ride to go on before the beers.  Over 6 million people are expected to attend this year and security has been raised to stop so many beer glasses being stolen, last year over 77000 were collected from people by security. For those planning to attend, start booking your spot in the tents as they are filling up quickly- avoid disappointment… do it today!!!!

Read the rest of this entry »

We received a great email from Anne who is the co-ordinator of the Finger Lakes Riesling Festival which is held in a town called Canandaigua in New York State USA which is not far from the northern end of the Canandaigua Lake close to the Canadian Border. Anna’s note mentions a fantastic festival in the area which will be held on the 14th and 15th of August this year. Read her note below and if are near the region in August pop in for some of the great craft beer on offer. We would love to hear what you thought of the festival and the beers so be sure to drop us a line.

“I am writing you on behalf of the 2010 Finger Lakes Riesling Festival to be hosted in Canandaigua, NY on August 14th and 15th. Along with having dozens of wineries on board for Riesling sales and sampling, the festival will feature live entertainment, local food and a craft beer tent. We would be thrilled if you would mention this year’s festival in your blog, and would be happy to send you Riesling samples from any of our participating wineries. So far Brooklyn Brewery, North American Breweries, Saranac Beer, Rooster Fish Brewing, Ithaca Beer and Soda Co., Southern Tier Brewing Company, and Ellicottville Brewing Company will be attending the event.”

Thanks Anne and goodluck with the event!

You can see more details about this event at  http://www.RieslingFestival.com

Read the rest of this entry »

The real Oktoberfest may be well and truly over but that don’t let that stop you celebrating at home. To help you out we are putting together a few helpful tips on how to set up your own Oktoberfest in your own back yard. Firstly you are going to need a fairly decent space outside (a townhouse deck won’t do) a double garage or a party tent would also be handy as your beer hall. For furniture the standard Oktoberfest issue is trestle tables and long benches, remember to beg and borrow as much as you can from party gusts as someone is sure to have  plenty of stuff you can use. Directors chairs are an ideal substitute for the benches as you can borrow these easily. A picnic table with some butchers paper on it is also good for your tables or you can get a fold up trestle table from hardware or party hire shops fairly cheaply. For decorating, streamers or ribbon from one side of your hall to the other are a popular and cheap Oktoberfest choice. Flags are also a great choice as they can be easy to make or even got off ebay cheaply. If you are going to make them the color choices should be black, red and yellow for the German flag or blue and white check for the Bavarian state flag. (avoid making an all red flag and using a Nazi symbol on it, as it can freak out your neighbors and really isn’t that funny). To get an idea of how the real beer halls decorate try googling for Oktoberfest images to get an idea of what you want to do. Hopefully that’s enough to inspire you to get started,  our next posts will discuss Oktoberfest beer and food. Read the rest of this entry »

The 45th annual Schutzenfest in Adelaide Australia is about to kick of this Friday offering the Southern Hemisphere’s largest folk festival attracting 10s of thousands to a weekend of German inspired fun for all. The Schutzenfest celebrates traditions which date back to medieval times, its basically a shooting festival with heaps of beer and German delicacies, not forgetting plenty of entertainment including German bands, dance and song.  Run by the South Australian German Association the event is one of the best on Australia’s event calendar.  This years festival will feature over 40 stalls, the famous Strong Arm Beer Stein Lifting Competition will be back and there will be plenty of ice cold beers.  As for  the shooting, well its nothing to worry about around all the beer (and the people drinking it) its more a carnival style shooting arcade and at the end of the weekend a King and Queen Shoot are both crowned.  So head on down to Bonython Park in Adelaide for some beer, plenty of Oompah music and maybe a shot or two. Read the rest of this entry »

Bok style beers are popular throughout Europe and like many beer styles date back to Germany but the Dutch sure do know how to brew a fine Bok. One we have found is made by Heineken called Heineken Tarwerbok. Brewed using all natural ingredients this beer features a ram on the label, which is common for a lot of Bok style beers. Some use rams others use goats- we don’t know why. The beer has a 6.5% alcohol volume and gives a good kick, especially on a cold winter’s night. These Bok styles of beers are usually only brewed for the winter market and you can see why because they sure do warm you up. The beer has a strong liquorices and even smoky flavor it is sweet although bitter, the first mouth full is a bit of a challenge but once you get into it you will really enjoy it and go back for more– trust me!. The beer is not a beer you can drink like a normal lager or pilsner, you need to really relax and enjoy it. It goes lovely with some chocolate by the open fire. Look out for a Bok beer next winter.

The 2008 Munich Oktoberfest is only weeks away and one of the big tents everyone will be flocking to is the Hacker Festzelt which can cater for 9300 seated guests in any sitting. The tent is huge and is decked out with clouds and really makes you feel like you are in heaven, especially with a few litres of ice cold Hacker Pschorr beers. The blue skies and clouds with traditional Munich skyline were painted by artist Rudolf Reinstander and are huge, with the tent stretching nearly 100 metres by 45 metres. The centerpiece of the tent features a huge revolving band stand which not only features a traditional Bavarian brass band ‘Die Kirchdorfer’ but ‘Cagey Strings’ which are a more rock n roll style band which will perform each night from 6 pm. The cuisine is just what you need to accompany the best of beer, with chicken and plenty of ox, pork and even duck. The tent specializes in some pretty tasty sausages and some of Oktoberfest’s best platters with hams, cheese, breads and other tasty treats. Remember to book your reservation to the tents well before your visit to avoid disappointment!

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes thats right the Yokohama is the place to celebrate Oktoberfest. German Bier, Sausages, giant pretzels, more bier, Bustly Barmaids (well Japanese ones) and even more beer plus all the things you would expect in Munich can be found at the annual Oktoberfest Celebration in the Japan city of Yokohama. The event started in 2003 and has been a huge hit ever since. It is held at the waterfront at the Aka Renga Soko or old Red Brick Warehouse where huge tents are erected for the event.  This year’s party starts on the 3rd of October and continues through to the 13th.

Read the rest of this entry »

The tapping of Oktoberfest’s first barrel is only 86 days away so it’s time to talk about another of the major tents at the huge Munich festival. Other than the beer and amazing atmosphere many of the 6 million visitors come for the great food, digging in to the pork knuckles, the oxen and chicken, well that’s not why they come to the Fischer-Vroni hall- it’s for the crisp Augustiner ber and the fish- yes fish- salmon, trout, walleyed pike you name it all smoked and barbequed on long skewers, but the most popular fish is the Steckerlfisch, which is said to be quiet tasty. This beer hall is not one of the huge ones, it only has seating inside for just under 2700 people and 700 outside, but it’s not hard to find, just follow your nose to the bouquet of fish. The Fischer Vroni is also a great place for some of the best oomph music with the Sepp Folger und seine Munchner Musikanten’s entertaining every day. The Fischer-Vroni has been a part of Oktoberfest for over 50 years and is know for one of the more family friendly tents with a quaint and friendly ambience. The Augustiner beer is brewed at Munich’s oldest brewery dating back to 1328 and is one of Bavaria’s most popular beers brewing in excess of 90 million litres of beer a year. Unlike many of the other Oktoberfest tents which pour their beers from stainless steel vats the Augustiner beer is poured from traditional wooden kegs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well it might seem like a while away but Oktoberfest isn’t really that far away, and if you are planning to go you better get cracking and book a spot in the tents. Starting next week and weekly until the big event we will feature a different tent at Munich’s biggest party. This year’s event is the 175 annivesary so it promises to be huge, over 6 million people are expected to attend.  The first keg gets tapped on the 20th of September at noon by the Munich Lord Mayor and continues through to October 5.

Read the rest of this entry »

Being a Sunday we thought we would pause for a religious moment and tell you about good old St Arnoldus or Arnulf or Arnold to his mates. St Arny is the patron saint of the hop pickers and the Belgian brewers. He was born in Flanders in Belgian around 1040 and lived to a ripe old age in those days of around 47 and was a career solder before joining the Benedictine monastery in Soissons France. He became a hermit for a few years before becoming the Abbot of the monastery before becoming the bishop. The abbey brewed beer under leadership at the monastery. Today in Brussels they have a special day in July where they remember Saint Arnoldus with a huge parade which they call the ‘Day of Beer”.