It is the largest folk event in the world, visited by beer lovers from all over the world. The Oktoberfest is now 174 years old, having begun in the 1800’s to honour Bavaria and its royal family. Nowadays, many tourists, even those who have experienced the Oktoberfest at first hand, are still in the dark about many typical amateur mistakes made by the average tourist.
The Germans use the word ‘Saupreusse’ for a dumb tourist, many of which occur at the lager feast mainly because they believe some of the myths associated with the event and make typical mistakes which make their life difficult. Let’s take a look at some of the myths associated with the Oktoberfest:
Firstly, the event does not begin in October; instead it runs from the 22nd of September. Many are confused by the name, sometimes even arriving late! Secondly, the Oktoberfest is not exclusively for old people. Beer is served to youths of 16 in Germany and young beer lovers are regulars at the yearly feast of their favourite beverage. Thirdly, despite the stereotypical foreigner’s image of the germans munching a huge sausage doused in fat whilst holding their beer, sausages are not the main food at the event. Although they do play their part in the gastronomic scene of the Oktoberfest, chicken is actually the main meat and a cheese spread called Obatzda, made from Camembert, is actually the beer’s most popular accompaniment.
At the two-week celebration itself, it is strongly advised, in order to avoid the title of Saupreusse, to chink glasses at the thicker bottom of the glass. Many amateurs end up covered in Bavarian hops due to forgetting that the top of the giant glasses are extremely breakable. The seemingly extortionate prices of the beer are not as bad as they first seem: let’s not forget that a deposit is paid on each glass, mainly so that they don’t get broken. The third, perhaps most common mistake, is thinking that the Oktoberfest is visited by those who only drink two or three beers. Drunkenness and extravagant behaviour are to be expected!