Oktoberfest...In Your Home Town


Oktoberfest! It's the world's biggest fair and liveliest beer party. From September 22 through October 7, some six million people will descend on Munich, where they'll stuff themselves with chicken and pork knuckles and drink foamy lager out of huge steins while swaying to brass band music.

Bavaria's brewing calendar made Oktoberfest inevitable. Before refrigeration, brewing in warm weather was a crapshoot: contaminants like wild yeast often spoiled the beer. So brewers took the summer off. But not before making one final batch and storing it in a cool place in the mountains. The beer was called Märzen, a robust, reddish-amber lager Bavarians enjoyed all summer.

When September's cooler days arrived, the brewers returned to their kettles. And with a new batch of beer on the way, it was time to finish off the last of the Märzen. In 1810, Münchners were given one more reason to drink up: Crown Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese. Their nuptial celebration turned into--or, more likely, became the excuse for--Oktoberfest.

A lot has changed since the first Oktoberfest: a harvest fair was added; carnival rides made their appearance; and local breweries set up beer tents for the crowds. The beer got a makeover as well: Märzen became a lighter, less potent brew called Oktoberfest, or simply festbier.

For many of us, a trip to Munich is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But every fall, thousands of North American communities, large and small, stage homegrown Oktoberfests. Legend has it that Blob's Park, a dance hall in Jessup, Maryland, staged the first one in 1947. The idea caught on quickly; German-American societies and local chambers of commerce launched their own celebrations. Here are some of the best:

  • Cincinnati, Ohio, September 14-16. Being Munich's sister city means living up to high standards, but Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati delivers. Drawing half a million or more, it's one of the most popular Oktoberfests outside Germany. Silliness is encouraged; the world 's record for the largest Chicken Dance was set here, and this year's massed kazoo band will be led by Tony Orlando.

  • Columbus, Ohio, September 21-23. German Village isn't just a charming bit of living history; it's a thriving urban neighborhood. The site is unmistakably German, but the festival itself has taken on an all-American flavor, with something for all ages and tastes. The big draw is three stages where visitors can listen--and dance--to everything from the blues to country.

  • Frankenmuth, Michigan, September 13-16. Michigan's "Little Bavaria" celebrated its first Oktoberfest in 1989, the year the Berlin Wall came down and the two Germanys were reunited. This little town has earned a coveted honor: its Oktoberfest is the only one in America with an official seal of approval from Munich's Lord Mayor.
    The copyright of the article Oktoberfest...In Your Home Town in International Beers is owned by Paul Ruschmann. Permission to republish Oktoberfest...In Your Home Town in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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