Beer logistics at Munich’s Oktoberfest

by Gadling Staff on

“It’s a panic,” remarked Michael Bannister, a distinguished gentleman visiting from Cambridge, England. “The thing is they all know the songs.” The crowd — some ten thousand strong — sang along with various German tunes but the real gusto was reserved for intentional hits. They belted the chorus from “Hey Jude” so loud the rafters seemed to shake. People inside the Paulaner tent danced in place for hours and did all the right moves from “YMCA.” Moreover, songs like “Sweet Caroline, “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Country Road” brought the crowd into frenzy. And you’ve never heard the song “Tequila” until hearing it on tuba and accordion! “There is so much energy here,” said Jo Wegstein from Fremont, California, visiting Germany on biotech business.

The logistics of Oktoberfest are impressive, and large festival or event planners might consider studying their methods. The beer logistics alone are amazing. For instance…

  • The Paulaner Brewery, the largest in Munich begins making Oktoberfest beer in late July and delivers about 3,000,000 liters during Oktoberfest. That’s a lot of beer, consumed one liter a time. And Paulaner is just one brewery out of 12 functioning at the annual event.
  • Paulaner brings its beer from the brewery to its Oktoberfest tent in huge tanker trucks able to transport 270 hectoliters at a time from midnight until right before the tents open in the morning.
  • The brew is connected directly from the tankers to the beer taps using a sophisticated, patented system.
  • Munich-area breweries, hospitality vendors and politicians all vie for tent space, which is highly coveted and incredibly lucrative. A tent owner or brewery can be kicked out of Oktoberfest if there are problems — and they’ll never be allowed to return.

Particularly now — the last few days of Oktoberfest — the brewery tents are usually entirely packed with attendees who’ve reserved tables months in advance.

%Gallery-7107%The Spaten tent was packed, the doors shut tight, and only those with a wristband or VIP access were allowed to enter. There are also biergartens outside, but alas, also full. I ambled over to the nearby Paulaner tent and was fortunately able to jostle and push my way in, but every seat or bench was taken. Still, I was inside and able to watch the action. However, the servers were only serving within reserved designated areas.

Eventually I started chatting with a nice young guy wearing a traditional red and white checked shirt, and he invited me over to meet his little group. Instantly I was “in,” and one of the family. Very friendly, the people at this table included his mother Monica and her husband Mark, plus a few friends and relatives. Her friend Sandy said she was with, “My man, my ex-man, my son and his girlfriend, and my sister.”

Another couple, Rolf and wife Shannina, originally from Romania, rounded out the group. These folks were accommodating and friendly and of course, everyone was enjoying the fresh Paulaner Oktoberfest brew. Dressed in traditional Oktoberfest garb, Rolf was very proud of his custom-made lederhosen, which cost 600 Euro and took six months to deliver. “They are from Stangassinger,” he said proudly. “The best.”

Yes, his lederhosen looked very nice, not that I am up on the nuances of this product. Apparently, every Bavarian man should buy a good pair, which may last a lifetime though fitting into them years from now may be another story. At one point, everyone stood and sang out as the band played a rousing rendition of “New York.” I found out that Monica’s son Danny, who brought me to the table, was only 14 years old. He looked much older. His mother said that he’d been very good this year and thought it best that he would drink under her supervision. She allowed him to drink one big beer. I saw him drink at least two.

Previously:
Arriving at Munich’s Oktoberfest
Munich, Germany’s 200th Anniversary of Oktoberfest

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Bob Ecker is a Napa, California based travel writer/photographer providing worldwide magazines and newspapers with compelling travel, hospitality, wine, culinary, skiing, film and innovative feature content. He is constantly on the go, traveling the world, unearthing new stories and uncorking emerging regions. He is current Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) member and former President of the Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW).

Munich, Germany’s 200th Anniversay of Oktoberfest

by Gadling Staff on

Ten thousand people, all enjoying liter mugs flowing with fresh Paulaner beer, swayed and clapped, hooted and hollered and joined together to sing that traditional German song, “Sweet Home Alabama.” The lively Oom Pa Pa band churned it out in a way that Lynyrd Skynyrd would appreciate. Packed to the rafters, I spied an empty seat and grabbed it. Ah, now seated, I ordered a beer (there is only one kind – Oktoberfest) and watched the action.

Munich’s Oktoberfest is celebrating its 200th Anniversary as throngs keep piling into the Munich’s Theresienwiese, or festival grounds. Originally a wedding celebration for Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, nearly 7.5 million people will visit the sixteen-day festival this year. Of the crowds, about 50% are locals, from Munich and Bavaria, but the rest come from elsewhere around Germany, Europe, the UK, USA and beyond. “This is something special,” said Thomas Klug, a Munich local, sitting with a few friends. “Oh yes, I come every year.” Klug will ride his bicycle home after his third liter and plans on being at work at 7:30 the next morning.

I wouldn’t bet on it; lots of habitually punctual Germans call in sick during Oktoberfest.

%Gallery-7107%Open from 11 AM to 11 PM, the festival ground is a blast, like a Beer Disneyland (… or “Beers-ny-land”) full of carnival attractions, thrill rides like a fair sized coaster and 13-story drop zone, food stalls, kiddie attraction and other sorts of family fun. The various beer halls line the sides, all representing a Munich brewery. (There are 13.) Everyone has a favorite for various reasons. Some attract a younger crowd, some older and less frenetic, while still others may offer different culinary specialties. Oh yeah, they serve food too! Fresh and hot Hendl or roasted chicken is very popular — and tasty. The service can vary from crisp at the Hacker-Pschorr brewery to very slow at Augustina.

“It’s amazing how good a tuba can sound after a few beers.”

Standing on benches, sometimes for long periods, most of the patrons are friendly and — despite the beer and crowds — it is a very peaceful scene. People come to drink fresh beer and have fun. “It’s amazing how good a tuba can sound after a few beers,” said Tom Carroll visiting from Maryland. He’s right, and in fact this is when the dorky tuba player from the high school marching band finally gets some respect. At a break, the tuba player pulled out a fifteen foot long Alpine horn and played it jauntily. It sounded like an immense trombone. His short-brimmed, country hat sported a fluffy feather in the side, rising about ten inches into the air. The crowd roared, he smiled and bowed slightly after his short performance. He then picked up his beer.

Many women – of all ages wear the traditional dirndl dresses (think Swiss Miss) with frilly white blouses blue or red skirts. Revealing and busty they usually look lovely in these outfits, with the exception of the ugly “Mary Jane” type shoes. Men on the other hand wear lederhosen – brown leather pants with suspenders. The most common type ties off at the knee – supposedly to keep the critters out. There is also a cross-section belt connecting the suspenders in the front that often sports a family crest or city logo. Underneath they wear a two colored checked flannel shirt, most often red and white or blue and white. Some wear vests, usually green, and white or cream colored socks pulled up high. Suede loafers or short work boots complete the ensemble. Small shops as well as large department stores in Munich sell proper Oktoberfest gear running anywhere from $100 – $300 for an entire outfit. (Makes a great Halloween costume back home!) There are also some used clothing stores around town.

Still many Oktoberfest participants wear otherwise normal clothing without a problem. “This is fantastic, there’s nothing like this in England,” said Tony visiting from Ipswich England. Now they are singing “Sweet Caroline,” Ha, time for another beer…

Previously: Arriving at Munich’s Oktoberfest

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Bob Ecker is a Napa, California based travel writer/photographer providing worldwide magazines and newspapers with compelling travel, hospitality, wine, culinary, skiing, film and innovative feature content. He is constantly on the go, traveling the world, unearthing new stories and uncorking emerging regions. He is current Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) member and former President of the Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW).

Arriving at Munich’s Oktoberfest 2010

by Gadling Staff on

Direct, no muss no fuss and much simpler than flying, I arrived into Munich, the capital of Bavaria, on the evening train from Budapest. It was easy — buy a first class ticket, get on the train a couple of minutes before embarkation, stow your bags, and away we go. I traveled through eastern Hungary, bucolic and somewhat scenic, then the entirety of Austria. The train passed green hamletted hills, little towns, tall steeples, the occasional factory, windmill farms and fleeting glimpses of the Austrian Alps thrown in for postcard measure. I ate from the dining car, bought a beer, read, played games and slept in comfort. After a 7.5 hr. journey, the train reached Bavaria and soon stopped at the Munich Hauptbahnhof or main train station.

I came to Munich primarily to experience Oktoberfest in this, its 200th anniversary. The historic festival originally began as a celebration of the marriage between Crown Prince Ludwig and Therese, Princess of Saxony back in 1810. Parades, games, music and (of course!) beer flowed at the huge wedding party. In 1818, Oktoberfest became an official beer festival and has been going strong ever since. Today approximately 1.5 million people show up to Oktoberfest each year in the capital of Bavaria.

I started out from the hotel, took the U Bahn’ (the efficient subway system) to the Theresienwiese — named after Princess Therese — the Oktoberfest area. Walking two blocks, I encountered a rocking’ carnival. Brilliant lights, screaming rides for kids and adults, food stalls, games of skill (in one you had to kick a soccer ball past a live goalie and hit a bull’s-eye), and everything else you’d expect at first rate amusement park. Thousands enjoyed the fun.

Then I saw the beer gardens…

%Gallery-7103%… which are mainly massive tents sponsored by different breweries. Open from 11 AM to 11 PM, the 13 beer tents can hold around 10,000 people each — all eating, drinking, talking and singing. I chose one, the Pschorr Brewery and walked in. Wow, what a raucous scene. Throngs of happy locals and tourists were enjoying the fresh Pschorr brew sold in big, heavy 1-liter glasses. It was a friendly though pushy crowd with virtually every seat taken. Numerous men were wearing traditional German lederhosen and women in sexy dirndl skirts. Many were not wearing the traditional outfit, which was no problem, but hey, if you can get your hands on the clothes you’ll feel right at home. I was lucky enough to find an empty seat and ordered a beer, a soft pretzel and some hensl — or rotisserie chicken. Typically German, the whole operation runs like clockwork — servers dash back and forth taking orders and returning in minutes. My beer and food quickly arrived (hot and delicious) as I conversed with some locals. “These 16 days are the best in Munich, it’s a time to see and be seen,” said local man Uvo Neigenfind.

A band at the front played all kinds of music inducing the crowd, many standing on benches, to sing along in unison. The tunes included “Sweet Caroline,” Take Me Home,” and a “traditional” old German disco classic, “I Will Survive.” Some thought this was an old German song but, ha, I recognized it immediately.

And the beer kept flowing…

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Bob Ecker is a Napa, California based travel writer/photographer providing worldwide magazines and newspapers with compelling travel, hospitality, wine, culinary, skiing, film and innovative feature content. He is constantly on the go, traveling the world, unearthing new stories and uncorking emerging regions. He is current Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) member and former President of the Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW).

Germany creates new passenger fee – ecological departure tax will cost up to $60

by Scott Carmichael on

When governments need new ways to create quick and easy cash, they’ll often invent new taxes and fees. Take for example the German government – when they needed a way to close some gaps in their budget, they invented the “Ecological air travel fee”.

Disguised as a “green fund” and taking effect on January 1, 2011, passengers departing Germany will be expected to pay €8, €25 or €40, depending on the length of their flight. This means that a family of four, flying from Germany to the United States, will be charged €160 ($208) in addition to all the normal departure taxes, security fees and fuel surcharges.

Add to this the recent U.S. Tourism Promotion Fee, and you are quickly looking at $260 in fees before you even board the plane.

Of course, German airlines are not thrilled – and are rightfully worried that passengers will stop using Germany as a transit country, opting for stops in neighboring countries instead. Some passengers may even fly to countries like Holland or France and take a train to Germany.

Naturally, the government does not expect that airlines will suffer from the new tax. The fee is expected to raise €1 billion ($1.3 billion) annually.

[Photo: AP]

Berlin city guide takes you on a tour of famous public toilets

by Scott Carmichael on

Visiting Berlin and fed up with seeing beautiful architecture and amazing historic landmarks?

How about a guided tour past some of the most famous public toilets the city has to offer?

The tour is the brainchild of city guide Anna Haase who wanted to take visitors “off the beaten path” while trying to draw attention to the lack of tour group toilet facilities in the city.

The tour takes visitors from some of the oldest in the city, to the newest and most advanced facilities. The tour starts at a 19th century toilet at the Gendarmenmarkt square, and ends at a restaurant called ‘The Loo”.

The official name of her tour is “Die Geschichte der Berliner Hygiene- und Toilettenkultur” – The history of Berliner hygiene and toilet culture. Her tour is in German, and a schedule of upcoming dates can be found on her web site.

In the comments, feel free to remark how this tour stinks, and that the idea is just full of crap.

[Photo from AFP/Getty]