CENTURIES old tradition that's what the Oktoberfest is all about. Many a time ago peasant farmers celebrated for a bountiful harvest. A feast was prepared for God to bless them with a bounty of wheat, malt, oats, barley and hops. All this was made to produce, to me, the best beers ever concocted in the world.
I'm a SanMig guy and don't get me wrong here but after my parents brought me to Europe and Germany as our headquarters (6 months my first then 3 months the last) there is nothing like Germany and German beer. Oh I would like to be more specific, the beers from the Bavarian Region, specifically Munich.
I always pictured the Germans to be strong and brutal, it must have been all the war movies I may have watched that made me think and categorize them to be such. But believe me when I say, they are the softest, kindest, gentle and Catholic. Juan would notice a church in almost every block in the town center. In fact the most beautiful churches I ever saw are all found in Germany. It beats any Italian or Spanish church anytime. We always checked the schedule for the sung-mass as the music makes Juan think he is already in heaven, no kidding. The acoustics and architecture is really breathtaking. I was so impressed and I never expected it to be such.
As we landed in Stuttgart (shtut-gard) we went underneath the airport to a subway and waited for the ICE (Germany's fastest train) that would bring us to Munchen (Munich) fast, really fast! This trains will travel at speeds of 300+ at certain straights. It had chairs like that of race cars (Porsches, Mercedes Benz, BMW) in fact. It was so space age when it docked, it was white in color and ICE written on its sides in red. It did look like the space shuttle all white and a nose that probably was used for the space shuttle. The wide windows for me will make train rides the thing instead of any plane ride. There were monitors and speedometers everywhere to boast of what it can do and that impressed every Juan. Oh and this was in 1991.
What is beer to the Germans? Not only does it make Friars and Priests (fathers) of the church healthy, yes healthy, remember fasting for forty days and nights will surely kill every Juan but not them as it was beer that kept them going and alive. The ingredients of beer make for a healthy body, although it's just too much for some Juan like me.
What is found in beer and whiskey are the very same that makes for my joints to ache and pain. I also learned that for the Germans beer is served even for the young, as in kids! Yes beer is given to kids for various reasons related to health, yes again. Other than the nutrients that make kids healthy it does make them belch easier and also sleep better. That makes for good logic. I did make my kids drink some small amounts when they were young at one time. For the Priests that's all they would take when fasting instead of water, when water too is more expensive than beer.
My favorite was the weisse beer, it had wheat. It was very filling as it was full bodied, literally. Beer to me in Germany was more of a meal than it was for every Juan. Here, we wish to get enough to get drunk. I also noticed that when Juan asks for pulutan, you will be served bread or a pretzel plainly salted. Although during the celebration of Oktoberfest these Germans also will offer sausages like pinuneg plus every Juan's fave and that is crispy pata and lechon manok, I'm not kidding. What every Juan loves about beer the Germans will double or triple it.
I did witness the Mayer of Munchen punch a hole in the inaugural keg to kick-off the Oktoberfest celebrations and start the drinking frenzy of what we all know to be the Oktoberfest. Large horses as big as elephants carry the beer kegs/barrels and parade it in the streets for all to see. When I say all, I mean, all. Did you know that while we may have our beer gardens here, theirs is a real garden, a park and their gardens are as big as Burnham Park. In fact Melvin Jones Football Grounds is only appropriated for one tent, yes a tent, a tent that houses 10,000 people! Then imagine 20 to 30 tents in one large vacant field. That is the Oktoberfest. Millions of people will gather in Munich in this field to drink beer. Oh and a drink to them is a stein, to every Juan that is a pitcher and that is just their mug. A regular waitress can carry at least 8-10 steins that's pitchers to us. I would have some difficulty carrying 4 steins. Not for these ladies. The record is 18.
In 1810 Prince Ludvig, who eventually became King Ludvig I, wed Therese in October 12 with all the fanfare for all of Bavaria to celebrate. The next year the farmers decided to continue on with the celebrations that is the Oktoberfest today. The October Festival today is the Largest and most attended festival in the world with at least 6 million attending and having a taste of their agricultural bounty that is found in beer. We lived a few blocks from Theresienwiese, the giant beer garden that housed all the tents. We would just walk to where it was held. 7 million liters of beer is consumed in the festival!
While I share this story and if Juan will read it, it is already November and how time flies, but who cares. If you just wish to know the Oktoberfest is on September. Yes you read it right. Officially since 1811 the Oktoberfest always begins the last Saturday of September which is the high of the festival being the opening and the beginning. It however does end on October, always on the first Sunday. The Germans however call it today as the Weis'n. Now every Juan is wiser knowing that the Oktoberfest is in September, I am weiser too to avoid beer for unhealthy reasons except of course if it is freshly brewed like Craft here in Baguio and with wood fired oven pizzas from Amare then it is always Oktoberfest and Weis'n heaven, burp.