Some great insight

barbus... Say it isn't so

Stabbing at Amsterdam Centraal

This is rough duty. :-)

Trip planning session with spouse . Hazy Blond Ale..Thorn Brewery

Following up with Barley Man.  Hitting stride tonight.  Only one more Hofbrauhaus in America to hit and I have been to all of them!  Pittsburgh is in my sights to finish the mission.  In Saint Louis, Missouri and is this place gigantic!

In case you do not know this is my lovely youngest daughter debating weather she should drink my beer while I was not looking.  In addition, Patti added a video for your listening pleasure.  Not certain it will play so here goes!  PROST!

Practice makes perfect.  Starting to hit stride.

An evening out recommendation.

Ok, I'll be the one to bring it up, and face the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune.

During our Oktoberfest training session last Saturday, we discussed various options for the tent visits. Obviously we have our reservations on Saturday afternoon, but what about other visits? We talked about the need for an evening visit during the heightened fun and debauchery. Unfortunately, 10 people trying to get a table at night is problematic. How could we mitigate this problem? Well, we could just split into groups and go for it. Probably works, but how would we split?

One option discussed was to split into a tent and non-tent group. Some people think there are more important things than the tents at night, and that is fine. We could have a group that does the tents, and another group that goes for a nice dinner, explores other Munich venues, or maybe goes shopping. No judgement.

Comments? Thoughts? Who would like a tent night? Who would like something else? Which night would work best?

Prost!

Beer to the Next Level

It had to come sooner or later. Sleep with your beer.

"Woody Trip" Trademark Infringement

The owner, Tony of "Big Wood" should have been on the "Woody Trip"  I am certain he would have contributed to the conversations:

Munich Dunkel in San Diego

Still training. This time a Munich Dunkel from Mason Ale Works.

We got our trachen wear from dirndl.com. Nice quality and fit well. And believe it or not I ordered it from Germany on 8/17 and got it today!  No VAT no customs charges like last time. So there is still time to buy yourself something new to wear to the weis'n

Oktoberfest 2016 Wies'n Kok

From my archives of 2016...

The Aftermath of Wiesn Kok

or is this just Einfahrt after a few?

Our First Beer

Keith ...

Sent from my iPhone

__________________

Mecklenburg

Oktoberfest Training Event

The Dayton Oktoberfest contingent is heading to Mecklenburg Gardens in Cincinnati for dinner and brews. Also, I'm watching the Better Late Than Ever episode where the guys go to Munich. If you have never seen the show, it's great. Terry Bradshaw, Henry Winkler, George Foreman and William Shatner travel the wold.

Photographic evidence to follow.

OKTOBERFEST COKE

Holy shit .......    white stuff you’ll see being sold at Oktoberfest. And not just by some guy behind the beer garden; I mean by tent servers. Crazy world!

Cha Ching Cha Ching (Part II)

I tried posting this last night, but my iPad was having brain farts. The point being, with the new exchange rates, they may well be paying us to drink beer.

Possible Day Trips

Jane is raising the following options for day trips. Please opine.

Regensburg: meet your guide at Munich Central Station and board your train to Regensburg. Your journey takes roughly 1.5 hours, and as you travel, your guide will talk to you about Regensburg and its history. Standing on the Danube River and once a Roman settlement, Regensburg was the first capital of Bavaria, and flourished between the 11th and 13th centuries with trading links that reached as far as Venice and Kiev. $53

Munich Old Town tour with a pickup from your central hotel or alternatively, meet your private guide near Munich Central Station. Then, set off to explore the medieval streets while learning about the city's fascinating history and culture. If there's something you want to know more about,
simply let your guide know; your tour is private so your itinerary can be tailored to your interests. $300

Third Reich tour: Munich was the birthplace of the Nazi Party and the homof its headquarters. The voice of Adolf Hitler resounded around the public squares and streets of Munich before being heard anywhere else in Germany. As the stage upon which some of the Nazis' most notorious crimes, from Hitler's failed Putsch to the horrific Kristallnacht, the largest anti-Semitic progrom seen in Europe for centuries and a dismal milestone on the road to the Holocaust were launched, Munich was the nursery of a movement that would shake humanity with some of the most infamous and terrible events in history.$25

Brewery tour: Meet your guide in central Munich and then head by coach to the Spaten brewery. When you arrive, meet experienced brewmasters who will tell you all about the brewery's history and Germany's beer culture.Learn how the beer is brewed according to the original Bavarian 'Order of Purity,' which follows the Bavarian Purity Law enacted in 1516 by Duke Wilhelm IV of
Bavaria $35

Central Munich and Third Reich: Experience a walking tour through central Munich focusing on the City's association with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. The tour draws together modern day Munich with it's more sinister past which is not obvious to the casual visitor. Your highly experienced native English speaking guide will lead you through this beautiful city, pointing out structures pertaining to the period whilst interweaving the story with a biography of Adolf Hitler and his relationship with the city.$22

Chugger 2016. Great trip enjoyed by all. I wish you all a great trip sorry I will miss it this year.

Ein prosit von Oktoberfestband die Kirchdorfer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUvOh_XzF8Y
Only 38 days from now!

NEW! 

MAGA Caps and Shirts. For sure you will be popular in Munich at Oktoberfest.

We take pre-orders.
Post your size and numbers.
BTW: this is NOT political this is LOL! 😀

Amazing meals...

This is what we have to look forward to.  Schnitzel, spatzle, potato pancake, beer, goulash.  I can't move!

Training on the West Coast

In training at the Kaiserhof in Ocean Beach.  Very authentic. Beer garden is a but small, but they have huge pretzels and Hofbrau. 

I am providing this link as a public service.  You now can calculate your daily consumption rate and multiply by the pricing the link provides.  I am a bit curious, I never knew you could get lemonade?

The link has detail pricing per tent.


https://www.oktoberfest.de/en/article/Oktoberfest+2018/About+the+Oktoberfest/The+Official+2018+Beer+Prices/5086/

The Official 2018 Beer Prices

And there goes the 11€ mark.

The good news: Several lemonades didn't only stay at last year's price, but got even cheaper.
The bad news: In several beer tents, one liter of beer now costs you more than 11€.

The Mass (1 liter of beer) will cost you something between 10.70€ and 11.50€ this year. That is an average increase of 3.57% compared to last year’s beer prices. The cheapest beer can be found at the Museum Tent at the Old Wiesn and at the Ammer tent.

Whereas it is quite common that beer prices go up significantly each year, a novelty is prices of lemoades and Spezi going down in some tents.  
The tent proprietors explain this year's raise in prices because of the higher contingent rent for their tents. Because of increased security measures, the city of Munich had increased those rents last year.

Inaccurate Roster Entry

Barley Man,

I believe your web site entry for the 1997 roster is incorrect. I find no photographic evidence of Little John attending. In his place, you should have Herr Rang's brother in-law, Jim. The bank man.

Dan, please confirm.

Two group photos showing Jim and Not Little John.

Looking forward to tomorrow (4 August)

Why?

Well, exactly 8 weeks from tomorrow (4 August) we will be sitting at our reserved table in the Hacker Tent.

Pissort of the century.

It will be tough to beat this one in Augsburg.

Where are the blog posts?

Pretty sparse for an event that is less than 60 days away. Get posting you lazy Oktoberfestians.

Posts since January

At the Old Schnitzelhaus on Anna Marie Island Florida.  Getting ready to eat mass quantities of pork!  Just getting body accustomed to such fine food and beer!  A nice Hacker Pschoor Oktoberfest brew, pork schnitzel along with some nice spaetzle. 

New Rides This Year...

Which one will entice Barley Man after 6 Maß, a half hendl, and 2 brats?

• The "Chaos Pendel" („Pendulum of Chaos“) resembles a combination of a swing and a slingshot and has 2 cabins with 8 passengers each going into all possible directions.

• Named after the Hollywood classic, the “Predator” takes no prisoners: The gondolas flip and tumble on two hydraulic poles. 

Just wondering.

Which of our Oktoberfest Fraus will this be?

Shamelessly stolen from our buddies at http://brosoktoberfest.blogspot.com/
Thank you Alkoholische !

New Beer Drinker's Guide Web Site

Our icon of all things bier has updated the Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich web site. It looks nice and fresh. I don't believe it has changed since we first discovered it. He did remove the discussion about the Field Researchers. Argh!  We have lost our notoriety. I have emailed Larry and expressed our concerns, and asked if he will be in München this year.

Prost!

Trying to get Patti in shape for Oktobfest.  PS that is my AndechsVollbier!  She is drinking water.  This is going to be hard on my liver to get her in shape!

Let's revisit day trips

Barbus has previously suggested this...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benediktbeuern_Abbey
(fixed for English link)

and Barley Man incrementally added...
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g657281-Kochel_am_See_Upper_Bavaria_Bavaria-Vacations.html

Both of these are on the same train route about 1 hr from Munchen.

Start another post for other suggestions, or comment here for this one.

Exchange Rate

$1.17 to the Euro!

Excellent.. Beers are getting cheaper.

A Wonderful Sight...

The transformation of the Wies'n has begun. It won't be long before the bier starts flowing. Keep your eye on the construction via the Web Cam above.

This one's for Chugger....

Sorry girls, but this was too good to ignore...

Ahem...  an English Lesson....

The teacher asked the class to use the word “fascinate” in a sentence.

Einfahrt put up his hand and said, “My family went to my granddad's farm,  and we all saw his pet sheep. It was fascinating."

The teacher said, “That was good, but I wanted you to use the word ‘fascinate,’ not 'fascinating'.”

Chugger raised his hand.  He said, “My family went to see Rock City and  I was fascinated.”

The teacher said, “Well, that was good Chugger, but I wanted you to use the word ‘fascinate’.”

Little Dan raised his hand, but the teacher hesitated because she had been burned by Little Dan before. She finally decided there was no way he could damage the word “fascinate,” so she called on him.

Dan said, “My aunt Carolyn has a sweater with ten buttons, but her tits are so big she can only fasten eight!”

Friendly Reminder for the Oktoberfestians...

We are all well aware of the preparation required for the 'fest.  After all we have been going for 25 years.  However,  our preparations tend to focus on the beer aspect.  It is also important to prep your intestinal tract for the onslaught of pork products.  Specifically sausages.  We wouldn't want anyone to have a violent explosive event at the 'fest.  Certainly it should be washed down with beer,  preferably something with active/live yeast.

My dinner last night…  ahhh

dirndl news

He Joyce this is my dirndl. The one I ordered. I hope it fits. There by goes a white blouse.

We had a Chamber of Commerce day in Southwest Ohio last weekend, I drove the Porsche to Mecklenburg Gardens in Cincinnati.  Established in 1865.  Nice German restaurant with a very nice bier garten.  Couple of shots to get in the mood for Oktoberfest.  The big bier is Andechs Vollbier and I did not have to watch Keith huff and puff up that hill to get one of these bad boys. Prost!

MAGA

I warned Keith, but he threw caution to the wind and is allowing me to post to this blog.  

After a few weeks of discussion, I am accepting Orders for the MAGA caps.  I think you should get rid of the little green felt hat with the little robin feather and get a hat that will allow you to stand out in the crowd.  The great advantage if we get separated we will be able to find one another.  Of course, the angry mob might have already put you under the table.  PS I have plenty of large Goose feathers that I can pick up next to the Goose crap and bring in case you miss your little robin feather.

I’m still dirndl shopping. And thinking about German beer. Schlumberger Lady what does your dirndl look like?

An oldie, but still a goodie...

After work, all the brew masters from the Munich breweries sit together in a pub. Needless to say, each brewer orders beer from his own brand, i.e. the Löwenbräu guy orders Löwenbräu, the Hacker-Pschorr guy orders Hacker-Pschorr, and so on. Last one to go is the Augustiner guy. He orders a Coke. Everybody is stunned, asking - "Why?" - "Well", he finally says with a wide grin, "if you are not ordering any beers, then I won't either."

Time Lapse Video...

of Paulaner Girl's namesake tent...

I Think I Found It !!!

I think it was the year 2007. Dan Rang took us on a tram trip to find a great little Bier Garten. The travel time seemed forever, and Dan looked like he was really in a panic. But then, all of a sudden, there it was. A nice little bier garten snuggled within some tress, right on the main street.

I think this is it, Wintergarten...

Ours is a bit more complicated....

Very tight layovers in AMS... 90 minutes.

Chugger and Designated Walker Itinerary

Here's ours, let's see yours...

Guess the Oktoberfester... Archive

This appears to be from Shipol airport in the mid oughts..

A new milestone this year...

This is the first year we will not have any virgins. Virgin Oktoberstestians that is.

All attendees have at least one Oktoberfest under their belt.

Discuss....

Beer prices announced

 Check out all the details here.

I hope the exchange rate keeps improving for the dollar.  Bottom line, most prices above 11€.

Only 90 days to go....

Until the start of Oktoberfest. Let's start cranking up the posts. Show some interest Oktoberfestians.

Barbus... Please explain...

Paulaner Girl filled up our beer fridge last week.  Yay.  Have some good San Diego beer. However, for my friend's who don't like hops, she bought some Newcastle Brown Ale.

Newcastle Brown Ale is NOT from England.  It is brewed in a country called Holland.  Really?  WTF???

Starting Prep for the big event

OK,  Wedding done..  ready to focus on Oktoberfest...

Step 1:  Buy some shoes..

And no,  these aren't the $300 puke proof ones.  But I haven't puked at O'fest in a long time.  If ever.

A New Sport?

A Big Get Well to.....

Barbus.

Hope you are doing well and will be fully recovered by September.

Munich's Finest Wait Staff

Paging Paulaner Girl

Back in 2013 you were querying about where to buy your Dirndl. Since we all know that the one you have is wonderful, where did you eventually get it? I looking for something for Designated Walker.

An Epic Fail

Just a little aside...

Will the trend continue?

The Euro to Dollar exchange rate is improving for us. Will this trend continue, and how low will it go?

And now a word from our spiritual sponsor

How to use your beer coupons

A very recent (May 2017) video from Larry Hawthorne.

A new Era....

The Oktoberfesters History Page has been upgraded for this year's trip!  With new photos, and exciting new look and feel.

Oktoberfest History Page 

Comments cheerfully accepted.  Team Oktoberfestvisits will be adding more in the near future.  

Day trip????

Wiener Dog Museum in Passau

Who doesn't like Wiener dogs???

We have a new attendee!

But before I reveal the name, can anyone identify the Oktoberfestian?

First clue... It is not a virgin.

Frohe Ostern

Frohe Ostern Everyone!

Let's talk about Nuremburg

http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/nuremberg-d-ba-nr.htm

Day trip talk

We already have some good ideas...  I saw an advert for Regensburg,  and thought... what a great idea.  Not so.  Takes way too long to get there.  The bus is the quickest way... 

7 Years Ago Today

http://oktoberfestvisits.blogspot.com/2011/03/runner-up.html

There might be...

... another attendee.

Stay tuned.

Flight Itineraries

Ok fellow Oktoberfestians, have you made your flight reservations? If so, post them up here. I know Barbus and Schlumberger Lady are probably driving. The Vozel itinerary is in a previous post.

Beer Futures

Upon noticing that the exchange rate is moving against us,  I started thinking about Beer Futures.

I don't have time to set one up,  nor do i think Hacker Pschorr will accept payment now for Beer in September. What to do....

I guess I can buy Euros now,    to spend on beer in September.   So if the exchange rate worsens to $1.35,  and I invest $1,000 now... I get an extra 65 euros to spend on beers,  @10.75 per beer...That means I have 6 extra beers in Munich. 

           Exchange rate Euros    Mass

Now                1.24 $1,000 € 806.45

September        1.35 $1,000 € 740.74     10.75

                                   € 65.71       6.11 

Flight Reservation Have Been Made!

It took some effort to save money, but the Vozels are booked:

Hotel Alfa Rooms Finalized

2 double rooms for Vozel and Finlay
1 single room for Rang

Linza is still pending.


I will let you know the actual cost when the exchange rate hits my card.

Prost

I've been asked....

Hey Chugger, is there a schedule for this trip?

The answer is 'not really'. We typically decide one day what we will do the next. There are some things scheduled in advance, though. On arrival day (Thursday) it is customary to meet at the Hofbrauhaus to get our juices flowing and just kick back after our travels. The only other item specifically scheduled is our tent reservation Saturday afternoon.

Everything else happens as it happens.

2018 Logo

Our Latest Oktoberfestian is...

Jane Lynch.

Welcome Jane to the party. She is a veteran Oktoberfestian having attend three previous Fests.

We now have eight confirmed and two pending.

Prost!

Holy Guacamole Batman!!!

Just had a precipitous drop in airfare..  We can now go  LAX-MUC and BOD-LAX for $750 on pretty decent flights,  AirFrance and Delta..  I may jump at this..  Need to discuss with Paulaner Girl...

Our fearless leader

Here's wishing a speedy recovery to Chugger.  In preparation for Oktoberfest this year,  he decided to have some bionic parts inserted to increase his drinking efficiency.  Here's to you, Chugger!! Prost!

Room and Tent Reservations

I have secured the following room reservations at our favorite family run hotel, the Hotel Alfa:

3 Double Rooms (Vozel, Finlay, Linza-Pending Decision?)
2 Single Rooms (Rang, Extra just in case)

These are for arrival on 27 September and departure on 1 October. I will need to confirm, make any changes, and provide payment the first week of March.

In addition, we have a full table reservation for Saturday, 29 September, from 13:00 - 17:15 at the Hacker tent. We have been there before and a good time should be had by all.


NOTE: barbus and Schlumberger Lady are staying at a different hotel.

Can I get a big Prost ?

Our First Day Trip Decided

Thanks to barbus, with an assist to Barley Man, it looks like we have a new day trip identified for this year. This is actually a two part visit, starting at Kloster Benediktbeuern,and then heading to the village of Kochel. This is only about an hour train ride from Munich, so we have plenty of flexibility.

Check out the genesis of this trip in this discussion.

Prost!

Day Trip Discussion...

Should we think about one of the following repeat visits, or is there something new that we haven't done? Remember the guidelines, the journey should not be any longer than 2.5 hours each way. We want to spend a good amount of time there, but also not be traveling all day.

So...

1. Rothenburg ob der Tauber
2. Bamberg
3. Kloster Weltenburg

Let's hear thoughts or alternatives. Of course Kloster Andechs is on the agenda.

Time to start following Airfare trends

They are still a bit high, but should be falling soon.

Keep your eyes open and your apps watching for deals and pounce when you are happy with a price.

Soon to be Merry Christmas

As you enjoy any and all festivities, please remember that it is time to start thinking more seriously about next year's travel plans.

The dates in Munchen have been established, so it is now your turn to start thinking about travel plans. Currently only six Oktoberfestians have committed, but maybe as plans begin to be made, others will see the light. If you know of anyone "on the fence", please give them a shout. I have stopped hassling potential attendees a long time ago. They should be self motivated.

I would like to give Anton at the Hotel Alfa our first "heads-up" on room requirements in mid-January. Right now that would be only two rooms; assuming barbus and Schlumberger Lady do their own again.

Have a Fröhliche Weihnachten and a Glückliches Neu Yahr, and remember my second hip replacement surgery will be January 2nd. Oktoberfest 2018 will be the first time in many years I should be able to walk and party without any physical issues. Now, mental issues are another story.

Who the F@ck is Alice

A video sung by the original group...

Say 'Hi' to my cousin Susan!

Hopefully she's joining us next year.

Take me home... to where I belong...Munich!

Was in Santa Monica yesterday and heard the dulcet tones of a song that took me back to the tents!!

The dates are decided...

Ignore all the previous posts. The Oktoberfest 2018 dates have been decided. We will do our traditional 4-day visit, but will shift it a day earlier. Arrivals will occur on Thursday, 27 September with departures on Monday, 1 October. See the calendar below.

There may be other pre-trips arranged, but the time in Munich is established. Go forth and drink.

The High Finances of Oktoberfest

Please correct me where I am wrong, but by my estimation, we are no better or worse off from an exchange rate perspective from our original trip.

Here are some data points:

In 1993, the exchange rate was $1.00 = 1.637 DM (Deutsche Marks)

The official exchange rate for the Euro when introduced was 1€  =  1.95583DM

Today, $1.00  =  .85€

So, $1.00 in 1993  =  .83€ today.

High finance for sure. Are my calculations correct?

Paging Alkoholische

What are your thoughts about next year's fest?

It appears that our traditional four day visit will be shifted one day; arrive on Thursday depart on Monday. It also appears we have pretty much settled on the second weekend; 27 Sept to 01 Oct. Pretty interesting how plans can quickly evolve almost a year in advance. Only four more months and we'll be thinking about plane reservations.

Sure would like to have you and/or betrunken join us for the 25th Anniversary celebration. There is a rumor that some bier will be consumed.

What will be the dates of the 2018 visit?

Barbus has asked...

"When will it be? 1st, 2nd week? Mid-week? Weekend?"

Obviously nothing has been determined yet, but Chugger, the all knowing all magnificent Grand Pubah would recommend something like this:

Isn't this depressing?

 The tear down has begun.

Oktoberfest 2017 in Review

6.2 million visitors and 7.5 million liters of beer served

Top 10 countries:the USA, Great Britain, Austria, France, Switzerland, Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Denmark

Tent security confiscated roughly 120.000 mugs

Only One More Day

Tomorrow, October 3 is the last day of Oktoberfest 2017. I know we were all there in spirit, and looking forward to next year's 25th Anniversary Visit.

Next year's sojourn could be the Uber Trip II. The number of people expressing interest keeps growing. Maybe we should pick a date, and then tell everyone else a different date.

Potential attendees already include:

Chugger and Designated Walker
Barley Man and Paulaner Girl
Barbus and Schlumberger Lady
Alcoholische
Einfahrt (not confirmed)
Bob and Terry
Psycho (not confirmed)

That's 11, beyond our previously, but not enforced, limit. Oh well.


Prost to another successful Oktoberfest.

The celebration has begun.