Around Town With Northern Virginia Magazine: 7 Fall Beers to Enjoy During Oktoberfest

10.05.2012 / Blog Posts Local Lifestyle

What does Oktoberfest have to do with a wedding? Everything. History buff, beer aficionado and Munich Oktoberfest survivor (and my friend) Hope Flanagan laymanizes the origins of the holiday.

“For one thing, it actually mostly takes place in September despite the name.” This year’s Oktoberfest runs from September 22-October 7. Annually, millions of people descend upon Munich for Oktoberfest, making it the one of the largest festival in the world.

Oktoberfest origins were cultivated from more than drunken merriment. Before there was the celebration of beer and bratwurst, there was the celebration of love. “Back in 1810, Prince Ludwig—sweet name—was getting married to this chick named Therese…the first Oktoberfest was basically a community celebration of their holy matrimony. Horse races used to be a part of the celebrations. Between the beer, food and horses people deemed the wedding a success and wanted the festivities to come around annually.”

To read more on "7 Fall Beers to Enjoy During Oktoberfest", visit www.NorthernVirginiaMag.com.