Oktoberfest is just one of many ways to celebrate the autumn season. A beer-lover’s favorite festival, Oktoberfest originated in Munich, Germany; it was first celebrated in 1810 to mark the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria. Over the years, the festival evolved into the annual party that it remains today. Many US cities hold their own Oktoberfest celebrations that you can join in various ways, from donning your lederhosen or dirndl to attending traditional parades and performances. Below, we’ll share five ways to take your Oktoberfest to the next level.
Create Your Own Beer Garden
Traditional German beer gardens, or biergartens, are made up long, rectangular tables and benches. The picnic-table style tables are ideal for large groups, and for encouraging strangers to share tables and strike up conversations. You can recreate the community atmosphere of a beer garden by setting up long tables and benches in your backyard and inviting the neighbors in. Decorate with a blue-and-white checkered tablecloths and napkins, and use mugs or steins to serve brewskis.
Drink Weed Beer
There are many reasons to replace traditional beer with a cannabis-infused option. Maybe you aren’t drinking alcohol or you’re gluten-free, or maybe you just want to try something different this year. Most cannabis-infused beers are non-alcoholic and low-dosed so the effects are akin to drinking one beer. Hi-Fi Hops by Lagunitas brewery is a non-alcoholic sparkling hop-water infused with an easy 5 mg of THC and CBD per can for a fun and chill Oktoberfest experience.
Feast on Bavarian Food
Eating German food is the perfect way to soak up all the beer and keep the party going. Fire up the grill for Bavarian sausages, or try your hand at making homemade pretzels. Don’t forget the spicy mustard! Other traditional recipes include bratwurst with apples and sauerkraut, breaded schnitzel, spaetzle noodles and potato pancakes. For something sweet, indulge in Black Forest cake or German apple pie.
Smoke Hoppy Strains of Cannabis
Cannabis and hops are related, so it makes sense to that Oktoberfest can be enhanced by smoking some hop-forward strains of weed. Beer gets its flavor from humulene, the main terpene found in both cannabis and hops. Humulene has a host of benefits; it’s antifungal, inflammatory and disease-fighting. Some humulene-heavy strains you could try are Headband and Death Star.
Play German Games and Music
Brass band “oompah” music and drinking games will really make an Oktoberfest party feel authentic. Some traditional games you could try include the following:
- Masskrugstemmen: Have guests hold a one-liter stein of liquid straight out in front of them to see who lasts the longest.
- Yodeling contest: Give a go at the rural tradition of yodeling, a form of singing with repeated and rapid changes of pitch between high and low falsettos. Even amateurs will have fun singing their heart out after a few beers.
- Sausage toss: Don’t drop your wurst! That’s the main rule in the sausage toss. Teams of two compete to see who can throw and catch a bratwurst at the farthest distance.
