Index – Culture – Great Bavarian beer test in the index

It was twenty-four sad years in the history of the Munich Oktoberfests like this year, when you couldn’t hear the mix of tangled liter beer mugs, marching bands and the song crowd on Theresienwiese.

Only wars, a cholera epidemic, inflation – and now Covid-19 – could quell and leave the Bavarian people’s feast without a “tension”. However, it has been visited by more and more foreigners in recent decades, and has been able to learn about the hundreds of years of beer drinking history that said goodbye to late summer jobs.

In the summer, beer lovers could store the brewed beer fresh for only a few days due to the cooling possibilities of the time (cellar, pile). Therefore, the brewers made stronger beers, with higher alcohol content and better preservation (Märzen Bier) even in the spring, of which it was always left for the post-harvest holidays. To make room for fresh cooking in warehouses, September essentially consisted of removing remaining stocks.

Marriage with rampant beer drinking

As was the case with the pagan omen of Christian holidays, Oktoberfest was based on this tradition on October 12, 1810, when Prince Louis (later King Louis I) married the Saxon princess Terézia Sarolta. The entire population of Munich in a wild beer-drinking party organized around a field next to the city wall.

Since then sports beer days have been celebrated every year in the area called Theresienwiese, but within a few decades the fathers of the city of Munich realized that

In the XIX. By the late 1800s, the ceremony had taken almost its current form: It spanned several weeks, beginning in September, with the appearance of rotisserie chicken vendors and the transfer of the public from the breweries to huge tents.

Today, Oktoberfest draws more than six million visitors a year from Germany to countries outside of Europe, including Japan, China, the United States, and Australia. The week-long ceremony will be opened by the mayor with a tap of a beer keg, then the beer taps will be turned on in the fourteen large tents and fifteen smaller ones, the waitresses dressed in traditional costumes will start with the huge krigliks and the bands will play. of music.

It might be possible to slide down the 115-year-old slide if we don’t prefer tumble towers or more modern roller coasters to churn the stomach contents. Folk costumes are also recommended for the public, which can be obtained locally or even from web stores.

Festival inside the walls

This year, however, the world-famous side dish of drinking beer from September to October has been left behind. Although fans could wear suede pants, they had to pick up jars at home instead of “Theresa Field.” In this way, however, they were able to enjoy greater freedom in the choice of beer, as they not only had to deal with the products of the six Munich breweries.

Of course, Augustinerbräu, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu not only offer more alcoholic dark amber Märzen-style beers for this occasion, but also an easier one to drink from the 1970s., even a malt, but also a light golden version, however, within the four walls of the house we can celebrate the memory of the 210 year wedding with any sparkling cereal. Casually …

The 5 best beers of Oktoberfest

Last weekend, we met in the garden of the Pasarét Bistro (food journalist, restaurant tester and beer expert) to taste all the Hungarian beers that have the word Oktoberfest on their label.

In addition to the six Munich classics (these names are subject to strict rules in Germany), a Bavarian wheat beer and a Hungarian artisan version were also included in the test.

Of the eight I tried, the following five we liked the most:

1. Augustinerbräu-Oktoberfest beer (H 6.3) Antique short-necked glass with a label reminiscent of the first half of the last century. The beer has a fairly light pale straw-colored fill. The aroma is dominated by a floral hop aroma, with some muscat hues in the flavor, complemented by elegant bitter flavors. It leaves a very long, dry and pleasant taste in the mouth.
2. Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen (h. 5.8) Shaped and fastened glass with a luxury gold label. Shows deep amber in the glass. Elegant caramel-malt tones appear in its sober aroma. It tastes like a “Christmas cake” atmosphere with a fresher orange note.
3. Paulaner Oktoberfest Beer (H 6.0) Classic bottle with a longer neck (NRW-Flasche) with a label reminiscent of the beginning of the last century. Filled with a strong straw-colored floral hop aroma defined in the glass. A beer with a complex and harmonious flavor with elegant bitter flavors, fruitiness, some “biscuit” tones and a long and charming aftertaste.
4. FIRST Oktoberfest beer (alc. 5.6) 0.33 kraft beer bottle with modern Bavarian label. Its color is deeper, honey yellow, its foam is low. It still lacks harmony in its flavor, but its spicy cinnamon and elegant hop notes are definitely evident. It closes with a sweet aftertaste. If they continue to “mature” it will be even better.
5. Erdinger Oktoberfest (alc. 5.5) The only wheat beer to taste. Light straw color, a defined foam with a characteristic citrus aroma. It is characterized by a sober malt cookie flavor and long-lasting creaminess in the mouth.

(Cover image: Bakcsy Árpád / Index)