OnTap Magazine

LESOTHO ESWATINI NORTHERN CAPE WESTERN CAPE EASTERN CAPE KWAZULU-NATAL FREE STATE NORTH WEST LIMPOPO MPUMALANGA GAUTENG Sabie Dullstroom Cape Town Bloemfontein Kimberley Pretoria Johannesburg Polokwane Gqeberha Jeffreys Bay East London Plettenberg Bay Mossel Bay Hermanus Durban Clarens Mbombela Makhanda Franschhoek Stellenbosch OKTOBERFEST AND BEYOND ALE TRAIL CRAIG CLAASSEN Y ou certainly don’t have to be a self-confessed beer geek to have heard of Oktoberfest. It is instantly and quite vividly associated with stacked beer glasses, German foods, lederhosen and dirndl. It also happens to be the biggest beer festival in the world, held in Munich in the northern hemisphere autumn. Despite its name, the bulk of the fest actually falls within September. It kicks off mid- September when the mayor of Munich taps the first barrel, and runs until the first Sunday in October. The very first festival was held in celebration of the marriage between the crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on 12 October 1810. The stony patch of land where the modern festival takes place is fondly named Theresienwiese, though locals usually simply call it Wiesn (meadow) - a name that’s also used to refer to the fest itself. In 1811, the festival was combined with a state agricultural fair and in 1818 food and drink vendors were introduced. Fast forward to the present day andOktoberfest is definitely the most iconic beer festival in the world, with around seven million litres of beer consumed during the festivities. 50 | Spring 2022 | ontapmag.co.za