Shorter days, colorful leaves and a stein that holds almost three draft beers; October may be my favorite month. It’s not too cold yet, I get to spend all month planning a killer costume, but most of all, it is when we Americans celebrate the German festival of Oktoberfest.
I was lucky enough this semester to be able to attend a whopping three Oktoberfest celebrations in a row.
The first Oktoberfest I attended was Oktoberfest Weekend at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.
I had never been to Renn Fest before and jumped on the excuse to kill two birds with one stone and go on that particular weekend.
The beer selection was a lot better than I’d anticipated, no urine-flavored water like Miller Lite and the like on draft. I also found myself taking a few breaks from beer to enjoy some mead or hard cider.
My next weekend was spent at the Maryland Brewer’s Oktoberfest, which featured local breweries from all over the state. The atmosphere was definitely more authentic, there was an Oompah band and tons of German food (and I do love the kraut). Thankfully my friends and I were dressed up for the occasion in good company.
Of course, due to the nature of this festival, the beer selection was absolutely fantastic. I tried my hardest to force myself to try new stuff, but I couldn’t stop going back to my favorites at The Brewer’s Art and Clipper City Brewing Co. In fact, the tasting selections at the former gave me “the thirst”—I was crazy for Brewer’s Art and found myself there the following Wednesday, and my cravings have definitely not been curbed.
Finally, I took the six-hour drive down to my native Blacksburg, Va., to attend the Oktoberfest held at Mountain Lake.
I hadn’t been to this event since middle school, and I had a much better time this year for very obvious reasons. I was accompanied by almost all of my mother’s extended family, the side I get my German heritage from.
My cousin and I arrived wearing our beer girl costumes, but when we arrived to find snow falling from the sky and dusting the ground, it became apparent that this was the wrong day for short skirts, so we shamelessly changed attire. Either way, I guess the closest my family will ever get to bonding over our shared ancestry will forever be stuffing our faces with exquisitely prepared German food and cradling our enormous steins while butchering the lyrics to “Schnitzelbank.”
This final Oktoberfest was hands-down my favorite of the three I went to. It features a highly interactive Oompah band that makes you stand up and sing, and cute boys and girls clad in lederhosen and dirndl who roam the masses, inspiring conversation and teaching guests traditional dances. The food is the best--a complete buffet of some of the most authentic German food I’ve had and a healthy selection of German beer, wine and Jägermeister. I even got a free shot for leading a dance with the emcee. But I spent my night drinking Spaten out of a stein that was so big I had to hold it with two hands. Lovely.
So finally—Ein prosit! A toast! To your well-being, der Gemutlichkeit!
Going German
Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, October 28, 2009
1 comments
john
Its too bad that you havent been able to attend and experience the real Oktoberfest in Munich which actually starts in September..
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