Say “Guten Tag” to Oktoberfest!
If you, like us, are feeling those post-Summer blues then we have the perfect way to fix it. We’ve got another event to add to your social calendar so you don’t have to wait until Halloween. So, get your Lederhosen on, pour yourself a Stein, and say Guten tag to Oktoberfest!
Germany has a reputation for having some of the world’s best carnivals and festivals, but Oktoberfest tops the lot! The Munich-based beer festival and traveling funfair is the world’s largest beer festival, serving up a massive eight million liters of beer over the 15-day period. Nowadays the festival is replicated in countries around the world with millions of people celebrating their love of all things German!
Some Oktoberfacts
When Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1820, thousands of citizens of Munich visited the festivities. The day was such a spectacle, that the tradition of celebrating every year soon followed, and the fields where the spectacle took place were named Theresienwiese (Theresa’s Meadow). Horse racing, tree climbing, and swings were the main attractions, with roasted meats, potato dumplings, and pancakes the main foods of the day. Oh yes, and of course there was beer… lots and lots of beer!
Nowadays the festival is celebrated in conjunction with the day of German unity, which falls on the first Monday of October and celebrates German unification in the 19th century. In Munich, this public holiday is extended to allow people more time to enjoy the festivities, and presumably to recover from them too!
Bringing Oktoberfest Home
At Netcost Market we don’t think that the Germans should be having all the fun, which is why we stock a great selection of traditional German food and drinks so you can celebrate this wonderful tradition right here in the US!
Food is an important factor in creating your own Oktoberfest-ivities at home! To begin try out a delicious thick cut Karl Ehmer German Salami, this works perfectly with some beautifully smooth German cheeses such as Gouda or Emmental and of course, a door stop size of crusty fresh bread. Don’t forget our traditional Sauerkraut, it’s bursting with flavor! If you feel like going the whole hog, you can visit our fresh meat section to get some lovely veal for making succulent Wiener Schnitzel, or pick up a ham joint to make Schweinebraten (roast pork). We have a range of German sausages such as Weisswurst, Bockwurst, and Bratwurst which grilled and served with Sauerkraut, potato salad, and pickles make the perfect Oktoberfest dinner! It wouldn’t be complete without adding a little something sweet… treat yourself to some world class German chocolate.
Ok, so now onto the serious stuff… the beer! At Netcost Market we stock a huge range of traditional German beers such as Bitburger, Spaten Oktoberfest lager, Becks, Weihenstephan and Franziskaner Weissbier. For those that don’t drink alcohol, or are on driving duty, we stock a massive collection of alcoholic free German beer and other soft drinks. You have no excuse not to celebrate the world’s biggest beer festival! With such a well-stocked beer fridge, there’s no need to feel left out of Oktoberfest this year!