Bar Tending & Beerspectives
by Matt Martinkovic
| Brewsearch & Development - Nik's Wunderbar - Whitehouse Station NJ |
| Since we're in the midst of a great Oktoberfest celebration here at Nik's Wunderbar I thought it might be appropriate to talk about that other Oktoberfest in Munich. It's an age old tradition that was started in 1810. The celebration then lasted just five days in honor of the wedding of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The whole affair started Oct. 10 when the couple got married and ended on the 15th when they had a giant horse race. There has been a celebration almost every year since. There's one really confusing factor in the modern Oktoberfest for most people: It starts in September,at noon Saturday, Sept. 19, to be exact. What's up with that, you ask? The answer is fairly straightforward - the weather in Germany starts to get bad in October, so to combat that the celebration dates were moved ahead. The Oktoberfest has attracted between 5 and 7 million visitors each year during the last decade. Roughly 70% visitors come from Bavaria, 15 % from the rest of Germany and15% from European countries, the US, Australia and Canada. Entry to the Oktoberfest grounds (Wiesn) is free, as is entry to the tents .Children under the age of six are not allowed in beer tents past 8pm. Kids up to the age of 14 can only go with their parents and are not allowed to drink beer. In an effort to keep festival attendees as safe, the Red Cross has set up 15 hangover beds for people this year. In the past few festivals an average of 7,000 people each year needed treatment for various aliments. At Oktoberfest, there's a lot of standing, as there are fewer seats than there are visitors. The largest Oktoberfest beer tent of all time was the Pschorr-Brau-Rosl-tent in 1913, which held 12,000 people. Today, the Hofbrau-Festhalle is the largest tent, with 10,000 seats. But you better get there early. Overall there are 13 huge drinking tents,and all beer served is made by just six Munich-based breweries,Served in the classic 1-liter beer stein, the average Oktoberfestbier golden lager has a6% ABV, Over 6.4 million litres of beer was bought at last year’s event. Beyond the usual suspects of lost items last year – including 1056 passports, 520 wallets, 320 mobile phones, 300 bags and rucksacks, and 50 cameras – there were some more peculiar finds, such as two wedding-rings, a hearing-aid, a set of false teeth,a tombstone shaped like a pencil and a Segway. Hope to see you soon at Nik's Wunderbar. ================ Cheers, Matt |
| And don't forget my friends at the Northside Lounge, 100 Brooks Boulevard, Manville, NJ 08835 908-722-7712 |
 |
| |
 |
Matt Martinkovic is not only a recognized beer authority but a well known ecological writer whose
work has appeared in the The American Midland Naturalist (University of Notre Dame) among other
industry publications. He also has been an agricultural consultant on, of course, the growing of hops.
work has appeared in the The American Midland Naturalist (University of Notre Dame) among other
industry publications. He also has been an agricultural consultant on, of course, the growing of hops.
| More From Matt: Beerspectives #1. #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9 , #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17. #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26 |
| Oktoberfest |
| To all my readers and friends, please stop in and say hello to me at my new home, the great Nik's Wunderbar, It's an exclusive Bavarian beer hall and beer garden focusing on German dishes and German brews. The staff wears traditional Bavarian dress too! When you come in be sure to sign up for my free newsletter. And tell them you saw it here on BeerNexus! 454 Route 22 West Whitehouse Station, NJ 08888 |
| For Matt's latest Wunderbar Newsletter click HERE |