How did Oktoberfest begin, and what is it celebrating?
Oktoberfest is a well known holiday around the world, especially for its liberal beer consumption and celebration.
In 1810, the Germanic kingdom of Bavaria was in its infancy as its young future leader, Prince Ludwig, was to wed Princess Therese of Saxon-Hildburghausen. The celebration of the wedding lasted for many days with plenty of beer, food, music, dancing and even a horse race.
Always looking for a good celebration, the people of Munich held the festival on the same grounds the following year with a horse race and the usual trimmings of beer, food and music yet decided to add an agricultural show, fitting as it was harvest season.
The center of the official Oktoberfest today takes place at its original location of Theresienwiese, or Theresa's meadow, named in honor of the bride.
It is hardly a meadow these days, consisting of a bit over 100 acres at the center of Munich covered in mostly concrete. Every Oktoberfest it hosts many millions for the annual event, proclaimed as the World's Largest People's Fair.
Although centered in Munich, Oktoberfest is celebrated far and wide in a number of different styles.
The "official" Oktoberfest celebration primarily takes place in September, for better weather, as it commences the third weekend of September.
The ceremony begins, as all good parties should, at noon with a twelve-gun salute and the Munich mayor tapping the first keg, proclaiming "O'zapft is!" (The keg is tapped!).
The festivities come to a close the first weekend of October but will last at least until German Unity Day, celebrated on the 3rd of October, regardless.
Today the festival boasts its own beer style, called Oktoberfest of course.
It is a golden yet slightly amber lager, similar to a reddish Marzen which was the primary style served at the original wedding.
True to the American desire to do everything bigger and better, Cincinnati is now in close competition with Munich for the title of the largest traditional Oktoberfest celebration.
I've been looking into brewing my own beer to save some money. What is the best place to start?
Home brewing is an interesting hobby that has grown immensely in popularity. While it does provide some very enjoyable rewards, it certainly won't save you money after considering the time that goes into brewing, and of course there are some capital expenses associated with home brewing.
Becoming an "assistant" home-brewer is probably the best way to get off the ground before making informed purchases of your own equipment and ingredients.
There are numerous home-brewing organizations and finding one or even perusing their Web sites, which deal with home brewing, would certainly be of great assistance.
Chris Straub is a senior majoring chemical engineering and a Collegian columnist. He is also the great-great grandson of Straub beer's founder. His e-mail is cts150@psu.edu.
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During the Revolutionary War, Gen. George Washington demanded that each of his soldiers be rationed one quart of beer per day.
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A Mayflower passenger's diary states that they made a late November landfall in Massachusetts rather than Virginia due to lack of beer.
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An 18-year study by the National Institute on Aging found that 50-plus men who consumed a drink a day during middle age scored significantly better on cognitive tests later in life than did non-drinkers.
