Although we are weeks away from the main event, here are the initial entries for our first annual Oktoberfest Beer Guide.
Oktoberfest. Those of age or who know a family or friend with memorabilia emblazoned with this word have heard of it. People have traveled distances to attend a festival, for the opportunity to wear a lederhosen or dirndl, while hoisting a stein. But do you know the history of Oktoberfest, beyond the presumption that beer, brats, pretzels, and music are included? Well, if you don't, here's the quick and dirty breakdown.
The Oktoberfest (German pronunciation: [ɔkˈtoːbɐˌfɛst]) is the world's largest Volksfest (beer festival and travelling funfair). It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16 to 18 day folk festival running from mid- or late September to the first Sunday in October, with more than six million people from around the world attending the event every year. Locally, it is called d’Wiesn, after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds, Theresienwiese. The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since the year 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations that are modeled after the original Munich event.
During the event, large quantities of Oktoberfest Beer are consumed. During the 16-day festival in 2013, for example, 7.7 million litres (66,000 US bbl; 1,700,000 imp gal) were served.[1] Visitors also enjoy numerous attractions, such as amusement rides, sidestalls, and games. There is also a wide variety of traditional foods available.
The Munich Oktoberfest originally took place in the 16-day period leading up to the first Sunday in October. In 1994, this longstanding schedule was modified in response to German reunification. As such, if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or the 2nd, then the festival would run until 3 October (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival now runs for 17 days when the first Sunday is 2 October and 18 days when it is 1 October. In 2010, the festival lasted until the first Monday in October (4 October), to mark the event's bicentennial. -Source, Wikipedia
History lesson out of the way, you now have a reminder or clarification on why breweries throughout the world look forward to Oktoberfest. Obviously, 2021 has a huge asterisk because of the ongoing global pandemic affected by SARS COVID-2. Recognizing that health and safety are important, we reached out to hundreds of breweries to see if they would like to share their list of Oktoberfest-inspired lagers.
From the traditional Oktoberfest, to the popular Festbier, there are many options to choose from in the first ever Oktoberfest Beer Guide. Plus, we have sourced a handful of festivals throughout the region celebrating Oktoberfest. Breaking it down for you, we have two guides, one by style and one by release date. All you need is right …
Oh, and one more thing. What you won’t find in this guide like the many before it, are ratings or our top picks. That’s really up to you. After all, we recognize that not everyone lives near a major city or a state where the beer is made. But we hope you consider this list as part of a commitment to support local or independently owned breweries, all celebrating German-style festival beers featured at Oktoberfest. Finally, this is not the complete list rather, it’s the beginning. As more breweries respond to our request for entries, we will update this list.
