In Case You Forgot...Bob Enjoys His Rauchbier

American Way Magazine

I just got off a flight to San Jose, and had a great time reading American way magazine. There were two articles of note for the Oktoberfester's. Or is it -festians? I like fester. Such a pleasant word.

First, a $20,000 suitcase invented by none other than Henk himself! www.henk.com. Check it out. I will be interested in seeing one in Munich when henk and Gemma arrive. ;-)

Second, a good beer article on Bamberg. We may have to have a return visit. http://americanwaymag.com/aw/travel/feature.asp?archive_date=4/1/2005

Funny, I don't remember the look of pleasure on Roalef's face when he sipped his first rauschbier!

Our Thoughts and Prayers for Pappa Lynch

One of our own, and a beloved alum of the 1997 trip, Jeremiah Lynch (aka Pappa Lynch) passed away last week after a long but closely held illness. He will certainly be missed by those of us that only briefly knew him, and we can only imagine the sorrow of his immediate family, including his son John, daughter Jane, and John's wife Candy, daughter Michele, and son "Little John".

My memories of Pappa Lynch are his leadership in the love of beer. One of the first encounters we had was during our (myself, BarleyMan, Einfahrt) initial attempt at home brewing from scratch; actually grinding the grain and all that entails. Pappa Lynch arrived with samples in hand, and proceeded to show us not only how to do it, but also brought a recipe for his version of the Ipswitch Pale Ale. I still have the gallon jug.

The best we can do to remember him is to raise a Maß high above our heads and sing "Alice, Alice, Who the Fuck is Alice"

To Herr Pappa Lynch.... Ein Prosit, ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit !

Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door... why not "The Gang Visits the Beer Gardens"?

If Rick Steves can do a booming business offering guided trips to Europe, why can't we do the same thing for beer halls and biergardens? Well, once again, someone has taken our idea and capitalized on it... Beer Trips

I wonder if they are actually making money? Are they at least paying their expenses for personal drinking? Do they need subject matter experts for their tours?

Should we propose to Mr. Hawthorne a partnership that expands his book empire into travel services? If we (humm, humm, loud throat clearing sound) can organize group trips like Oktoberfest, we can certainly leverage the BDG2M and organize trips to the various establishments immortalized by Larry.

Should we proceed with a business proposal?

When Does This Year's Fest Actually End?

The tradition for Oktoberfest is to end on the first Sunday of October. However, the published dates for this year are September 17 - October 3. In case you are calendarickly challenged, October 3 is a Monday.

So, is the Wies'n open on Monday, or does it close on Sunday? Does the Wiesn' close on Sunday, but Oktoberfest the festival continues? I am so confused, guess I need a beer.

Where o where should we go?

A few of us are arriving early (i.e. on Thursday) and we need to figure out where this entreped band of men and woman want to go/do.

I am of the opinion that we set out , with the BDGTM as our guide, and visit some of the more eclectic beer halls. Since we will all be meeting up the next day at HBH, this would a good time to go out on a limb and try some new places and venues. I hear the beer is still cold and served in large mugs.

Chugger got a nice email from LH and if spells out some new places we could try....

"We've got Braustuberl Tegernsee, Bruckenwirt, and Menterschwaige on board this time, with free-beer coupons. Wa-Wi, Sankt Emmerams Muhle, Seehaus are also on the freebie list. More beer gardens than ever before. Hope you guys get a chance to try out a couple of great new beerhalls, Augustiner Braustuben and Paulaner Brauhaus"

I, for one, am buying a copy of the book as soon as it becomes availble, if only for the free beer coupons. Eternal guidance is a nice bonus. ;-)