Fall seasonal beers are beginning to be released. Fresh hop ales, made from freshly harvested hops and soon the ubiquitous pumpkin flavored beers will be showing up on the shelves. It’s also the traditional time for king of festival beers – Oktoberfest.
Before refrigeration, beer was often made from autumn into spring. Summer fermentation was too chancy. Beer made in March (Märzen), was the last practical month for brewing and it was lagared in ice caves and ready for consumption in late summer. By the time cooler fermenting weather came about sometime around Oktober, the harvest of hops and grains were ready too.
These lagers were dark (dunkel), made exclusively with a kilned malt that really defined their bier. Today, that malt is used around the world and known as Munich malt.
Oktoberfest is a signal that lighter summer beers are shifting to a beer with a little more heft. A beer with amber hues, lightly kilned malty flavors, medium body and the body of a lagar.
This is no crisp hoppy IPA, hops in an Oktoberfest beer are restrained, and decidedly of the noble German variety. These beers are perfect matches for bratwurst, schnitzel and other hearty harvest fare.
All this leads up to the world’s most famous beer festival in Munich. Oktoberfest, the festival, is an annual event that celebrates harvest, beer and food.
In heaven there is no beer, because it’s all drunk at Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival which begins in September not in October. During the 16-day event in 14 big beer tents and a dozen smaller ones, over 3 million visitors drink 11 million liters of beer, munch on pig’s knuckles, roasted oxen (60 in 2016) and chicken (22,000 in 2016). There are parades, shooting galleries, crossbow competitions and, of course, lots of music.
It all started back in 1810, when a couple of Bavarian royals got married and invited the whole city of Munich to come to the celebration. Today, the Munich Oktoberfest continues the tradition of opening 15 days before the first Sunday in October.
As you can well imagine, things get lost at the world’s largest beer festival. Here’s the official list from Oktoberfest 2016 lost and found office: 350 pieces of wardrobe, 350 passports, 120 wallets, 110 smartphones, 211 pairs of glasses, 100 umbrellas, 85 keys, 35 bags and backpacks, 30 pieces of jewelry, 10 cameras, one flugelhorn, one Napoleon-hat, one monk’s robe, one limited edition Oktoberfest mug (price tag: 120 Euro), two wedding rings (both engraved), two paddles, two blood sugar analyzers and a pair of red high heels.
Other cities around the world have Oktoberfest celebrations that are modeled after the original Munich event. If you can’t afford the airfare, Oktoberfest in Bavarian modeled Leavenworth is the next best thing to being in Munich.
This year, four venues serve up German and Washington beer, bratwurst, schnitzel, and pretzels. There is live entertainment and free shuttles in Leavenworth and affordable shuttle routes all the way to Wenatchee.
The Keg Tapping Ceremony happens each Saturday at 1:00 pm. This Bavarian tradition has Leavenworth’s Mayor tapping the first keg just like in Munich.
It begins Friday, October 5th and runs each Friday and Saturday until October 20th. Friday’s are 6pm until midnight and Saturday’s run from noon until 1am. Tickets are $10 on Fridays and $20 on Saturday. Food and drink can be purchased inside the festival with either cash or plastic.
More details here http://www.leavenworthoktoberfest.com/
Washington’s Largest Munich-style Oktoberfest takes place the weekend of October 5, 6 and 7 indoors at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup.
Two Festhalles, the Munich Festhalle and Bavarian Festhalle dish up authentic food and bier. Bavarian Bier-lympics entertainment includes Hammerschlagen®, a Brat Toss – think football toss only with a bratwurst, Stein Holding – how long can you hold a full stein, arm extended, and a Keg Rolling contest. Hammerschlagen® is a Pacific Northwest bar game. The goal is to drive a nail into a cross section of wood faster than your opponents.
The 11th Annual Running of the Wieners starts at 11:00am on Sunday the 7th. Dachshunds compete in various races and competitions. The races benefit local rescues chosen by race organizers NW Wiener Races. Visit their website for more details: https://www.oktoberfestnw.com/
Oktoberfest Weekend at The Hub in Gig Harbor begins this weekend and runs through October. Harmon Brewing is behind the fun and games. This festival has live music, games, and beer. A stein holding competition grand prize winner will win a trip for two to Leavenworth’s Oktoberfest. And there is the HarmonSchlagen, a brat eating contest, an Oktoberfest Trivia contest, Tapping the Firkin Keg and Sunday’s Hangover Breakfast.
These guys really want you to succeed! They’ve even published a training manual for Stein Holding. You can read about it and other info here: https://www.harmonbrewingco.com/oktoberfest/
Fremont’s Oktoberfest 2018 happens on September 21st through the 23rd at NW Canal Street and North 35th Street in Seattle. This weekend of beer features a wide variety of microbrews and German beers, live music, and chainsaw pumpkin carving contest.https://fremontoktoberfest.com/about/how-it-works/
Probst!
