Posts Tagged ‘Oktoberfest’

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 »

Franziskaner is the oldest privately owned brewery in Munich and has a proud tradition, dating back over 700 years to 1363, where the brewery set up by Seidel Vaterstetter diagonally over the road from the Franciscan monastery, hence the name Franziskaner.  In 1841the brewery moved to more modern premises in Munich’s eastern suburbs at Lilienberg.  Franziskaner has been a proud brewer for Oktoberfest, with it’s first brews appearing way back in 1872, they produce a beautiful golden yellow beer especially for the event from a old Viennese recipe ideal for summer drinking.  Franziskaner beers are easily identified with the distinctive Franciscian Friar monk on the label, this was originally painted by Ludwig Hohlwein back in 1935 and has remained an important icon ever since.  The brewery produces a number of beers including their most popular the Weisse wheat beer,  Hefe Weisse Hell, a Dunkel and of course the Oktoberfest brew which appears at the end of Summer each year.  They are all top fermented and use no nasty chemicals or additives as stated in the German Purity Laws for beer.

Karl Strauss Brewery - Universal City - LA

When travelling around Southern California recently we came across Karl Strauss Brewery in downtown San Diego. They have about 6 different brews on tap at any one time and ever one we tried (all 6) were winners. They have ales, IPA’s, Lager, a Wheat and some seasonal beers- we were lucky enough to try their  Oktoberfest beer which was a very delicious malty drop. If you are not in for a big night and want to try a few they have a great sample deal where you can purchase a selection of the beers in small glasses. Much to our delight we found another Karl Strauss at the amazing Universal City Walk in Hollywood- so we thought we would give it a try- and to our delight the beer and food was just as good. There are quiet a few of the breweries throughout California including La Jolla, Sorrento Mesa and Costa Mesa. If your in the California region look out for Karl and drop in for a feed and a few beers- you wont be disappointed.
http://www.karlstrauss.com

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!

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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.

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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.

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This week’s Oktoberfest tent is Ochsenbraterei, which offers visitors to Munich’s massive festival a great atmosphere and plenty of partying. The huge hall is easily identifiable along the Wirtsbudenstrabe it’s the one with the giant rotisserie ox on top. THe Ochsenbraterei features Spaten beer and you guessed it the menu has plenty of ox on it, and the cooking alone is quite a spectacle. With the huge rotisserie machine last year 104 giant beasts were cooked up for the hungry visitors, being transformed into soup, roasts, grills and goulash to name a few specialties. The Ochsenbraterei is one of the festival’s most popular tents and has been a big draw card ever since 1881. Today 5900 can be seated inside and another 1500 outside making it one of the largest tents at Oktoberfest, but with all the seating doesn’t mean you will be able to get in and have a beer or some beef, you are best to book a spot to avoid any disappointment.

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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.

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The Hippodrom was first seen at Oktoberfest in 1902 and since then has become one of the most popular tents. This tent was the first to offer amusement and it was in the form of horse rides. There were 25 horses which carried visitors around a track. Today the real horses have dissapeared but their legacy remains with beautifuly decorated horse models hanging from the ceiling of this huge tent. The tent dosent only offer great beer and fine German food it has a champange bar. This bar is very popular with the ‘Beautiful People’ set of Germany and quiet often famous film and television stars are seen enjoying themselves at the bar.

Armbrustschutzenzelt has been a major tent at Munich’s Oktoberfest since 1895. The name in English translates to ”Crossbow Shooters Tent”, and thats exactly what goes on in this tent yes thousands of beer drinkers and cross bows. It sounds like a dangerous mix but no its perfectly safe, the crossbows fire foam rubber arrows and they are in a special area away from the crowd. The Armbrustschutzen is also famous for its tasty roast pig knuckles and of course its golden fresh Paulaner beer. The tent houses 5800 and another 1800 can fit in the outside beer garden. Work begins in the middle of July to build this massive tent and get it ready for the festival.