I know that "Oktoberfest" exists, and that it is a big beer festival in another country, but I was thinking today about the fact that I literally know nothing else about it. And since we've already talked about Oktoberfest the beer, then I thought I could write today about Oktoberfest the festival. I.e. Joe Reads the Wikipedia Page So You Don't Have To.
The first thing that I should've already known is the location: Munich, Germany. The festival began in 1810, when large party (basically) was held outside the palace gates to celebrate the king marrying a princess. The townsfolk had such a good time that eventually, it was decided that they should just go ahead and have the festival every year, whether the king was marrying anyone or not.
At first, the primary focus of the festival was horse racing, but eventually, a parade took precedence. The fairgrounds became populated with carnival booths, and crazy shit like bowling alleys and flower shows were popping up. It wasn't until 1892 when beer started to be sold in glass mugs in large quantities. Humans by and large have an unlimited thirst for liquids that are going to make them forget their lives outside the festival grounds, so beer became the primary focus after a while. By the 1960s, large beer halls were constructed, solidifying, I think, the scene of Oktoberfest as it still exists today.
Not that this tradition has been perfect every year for 210 years. The Austro-Prussian War, the Franco-Prussian War, and WWI all caused Oktoberfest to be cancelled. Nazis used Oktoberfest as a propaganda tool in the early '40s, and excluded all Jewish people from participating. There was a bombing in 1980 that killed thirteen people (and the perpetrator never 100% determined). And, of course, Oktoberfest 2020, which would've begun this coming Saturday, has officially been cancelled, for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who has peeked outside their cage in the past six months.
From a American-beer-drinker perspective, there's something about Oktoberfest that I struggle to wrap my mind around, and that is how strict the beer availability is at Oktoberfest. I think because I'm so used to going to a craft beer store and having thousands of options, but I think it's crazy that only a certain type of beer is served at this gigantic festival. Criteria: 1) must adhere to Reinheitsgebot (which means that only water, yeast, barley, and hops are used in the recipe), and 2) must be brewed in Munich.
In 2013, 3.75 million U.S.-sized pints of beer were consumed at Oktoberfest, and it's wild to think that everyone was pretty much drinking the same thing. Here's where there's a bit of confusion—yes, the beer itself is also described by some as "Oktoberfest." Really, any beer that meets those two criteria could be considered an Oktoberfest beer, but most of the beers served are of the Vienna/Marzen lager style that we in American also call "Oktoberfest."
But then, not every beer we in America call an "Oktoberfest" is actually an official Oktoberfest beer, due to the "brewed in Munich" requirement. So today's Shiner, which was brewed in Texas, is not allowed to be served at Oktoberfest, despite the fact that it is called "Oktoberfest" and probably tastes identical to the three million Oktoberfest beers being served at Oktoberfest.
In recent years, a paler version of the Marzen/Vienna/Oktoberfest beer style has started to become more prominent at the festival. They call it "Festbier." It meets both criteria, but just uses paler malts, as opposed to the former's darker, carmel-y malts. Honestly, if everyone drank Festbier instead of Oktoberfest beer (the style), then everything might be a little less confusing for us dumb Americans, ya know?
As it stands now, I probably enjoy Oktoberfest the bastardized American version of the beer style more than I would enjoy the actual Oktoberfest festival. I get that the idea of gathering with lots of other beer-minded people in a country known for its good beer might sound appealing on paper, but as I get older, I find myself averse to crowds of that size. To think that I could be squeezed in tight with thousands of sweaty drunks for sixteen days straight—the idea gives me the howling fantods, honestly.
Pam and I agreed that we'd much prefer to find some sleepy Belgian town next to a quiet abbey and drink some quality beers in solitude. Oktoberfest sounds fucking amazing if that's your thing, but I can tell you right now that it would not be my thing, personally.
Anyways, that's all hypothetical, since who the fuck knows when we could even begin to imagine the possibility of visiting a foreign country, let alone leave the fucking house.
BEER: Shiner Oktoberfest
GENRE: Oktoberfest Lager
ABV: 5.8%
BREWED BY: Spoetzl Brewery
LOCATION: Shiner, Texas
PURCHASED AT: IGA
PAIRED WITH: homemade gnocci, good job Pammy
GRADE: 3.5 pukes out of 5
BEER COUNT: 357.5
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