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Munich, Germany: Beer-cellars, ale-houses, pubs, taverns and other watering-holes on Saturday kicked off the 171st Oktoberfest in Munich, southern Germany, with millions of visitors expected at this year's booze-fest. Festivities began on the stroke of midday as, to the cheers of several thousand watchers, Munich mayor Christian Ude swung a hammer to crack open the first beer barrel with the traditional cry of "O'zapft is'!" [the keg is tapped!], Business report poste on September 18.

Ale, bitter and lager, with a trademark head of fluffy white foam, hold a powerful appeal for the gang of merry revellers who converge on Munich.
"With a beer in my hand, I become a lion," roared Patrick, 31, although Ludwig, 54, said he drank simply to "quench his thirst", as he knocked back his second Mass, a one-litre beer glass, in three seconds flat.

A million visitors are expected this weekend alone, especially given the Indian summer weather. Organisers are hoping some six million people will visit the Wiesn, the huge 31-hectare fairground where the amber liquid will be served in a complex of massive tents. Some six million litres of beer are expected to be downed, accompanying 400 000 sausages to the pulsing oom-pah-pah of Bavarian musicians outfitted in traditional lederhosen, with the women sporting low-cut dirndl smocks.

A record-setting 591 breweries are present at this year's event, but as revellers put away huge quantities of the liquid, does quality really matter? "No need to keep beer in your glass for long before tasting it," chuckled Hans, in his thirties, who recommends imbibing in "a continuous stream" to truly capture the essence of the drink.

"It takes years of experience to choose the right beer for each moment, based on its colour and taste," said his wife, Isabel, before launching into a hearty chorus of traditional Bavarian song.

But despite the variety the festival offers - light or dark, spicy or acidic, containing more or less alcohol, from 2.9 to 5.7 percent - beer remains more of a social lubricant than a delicacy. Here in Munich, drinkers huddle companionably together at a "Stammtisch" - a table kept aside for regulars - on a park bench or under the shadow of a chestnut tree. Beer also acts as a great social leveler in Bavaria, where young and old, rich and poor rub shoulders around a Mass of the golden liquid.

Festival-goers can rest assured that very little has changed this year. Pressed by reporters to say whether there would be any new attractions, Mayor Ude replied: "Nothing spectacular. ... The Wiesn has to remain exactly as everybody expects it to be." The main changes are in the area of security, which was stepped up following the September 11 attacks in 2001, with video surveillance helping to halve crime - notably sexual assaults - by 2003.

The first Oktoberfest was held in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of the prince of Bavaria, the future King Ludwig I, to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. As hardy as some of its most ardent visitors, the beer festival has only been cancelled 24 times in its history, during wars and a cholera epidemic. Traditionally home-brewed beer held a prominent place for the people of ancient Germany, who used the drink in religious ceremonies and as an offering to the gods. Throughout the Middle Ages, new techniques saw hops replace spices such as ginger, aniseed or cumin in the brewing process. Brewers would cover the kegs of beer with crosses, scissors and salt to ward off evil spirits. In 1516, William IV of Bavaria decreed that all beer should be made from barley, hops and water alone - creating the drink as we know it. - AFP


22 September, 2004