Auf Gehts Zum Oktoberfest!

If you can't be there at least you can enjoy the live feeds from Munich, keep in mind the time differential, not much going on right now:

http://www.oktoberfest-tv.de/?PkId=2&LCID=1033

And the question I ask every year. Why the heck is OctoberFest in September?

The answer goes back to 1810 during the dark days of beer drinking before refridgeration.

In those days in Germany beer would never be brewed in the summer months. The batches would never turn out good.

The last batches were usually made in March. These last batches would have higher alcohol content to take advantage of alcohol as a preservative.

Traditionally there would be a big fest starting on the last Saturday in September till the First Sunday in October. The purpose was to drink up the old stocks of beer to make room for the new brew that would be make after harvest. The tradition goes back to the 15th and 16th Centuries.

The first official Oktoberfest was held in 1810. Crown Prince Ludwig threw a big party to celebrate his wedding to Princess Therese on October 12, 1810. The party was open to all. Everyone liked it so much they kept having the party every year.

So where are the best Oktoberfest celebrations in Colorado? I have been to the one in Breckenridge and downtown Denver and they were fun but I really liked the one in Colorado Springs.

otisptoadwater wrote: The answer goes back to 1810 during the dark days of beer drinking before refridgeration.

In those days in Germany beer would never be brewed in the summer months. The batches would never turn out good.

The last batches were usually made in March. These last batches would have higher alcohol content to take advantage of alcohol as a preservative.

Traditionally there would be a big fest starting on the last Saturday in September till the First Sunday in October. The purpose was to drink up the old stocks of beer to make room for the new brew that would be make after harvest. The tradition goes back to the 15th and 16th Centuries.

The first official Oktoberfest was held in 1810. Crown Prince Ludwig threw a big party to celebrate his wedding to Princess Therese on October 12, 1810. The party was open to all. Everyone liked it so much they kept having the party every year.

So where are the best Oktoberfest celebrations in Colorado? I have been to the one in Breckenridge and downtown Denver and they were fun but I really liked the one in Colorado Springs.

Lived in Germany many years before joining Navy, (Army Brat). Best one was in Bad Cannstatt, in Stuttgart. The German Military down in Ft Bliss holds one every year. I got to go this year was with my son. Flew in the Beer, brats, brochen, etc and the band from Germany

navycpo7 wrote: The German Military down in Ft Bliss holds one every year. I got to go this year was with my son. Flew in the Beer, brats, brochen, etc and the band from Germany

Now I'm jealous! I'm just looking for a good local (some place in the state) celebration with mostly authentic goods and traditions (with a hotel within walking distance). Of course this time of year the boss always sends me out to Asia where German anything is hard to come by and there are few if any celebrations of Oktoberfest.

In the meanwhile, Christmas rapidly approaches and I'm also looking for a good Christkindl market. My brothers and sisters love gifts from a Christkindl and we always enjoy celebrating the Christmas holidays together. The younger kids seem to be lost on those trinkets (I blame the in laws but they are trying) so I'm trying to get them to understand our family traditions and appreciate how important they have always been to our family.