Oktoberfest: getting your weißbier on
You may have heard that you need to be sitting inside (or on the terrace of) a tent to be served beer at Oktoberfest. This is mostly true. Indeed, it is the only way you’ll be able to get your hands on a big old maß (liter) of special Oktoberfest brew. But if you don’t mind drinking weißbier (wheat beer) in small vessels (only half liter), head for one of the many outdoor stands that serve it up. You’ll need to drink your weißbier in the general vicinity of where you bought it, but these little areas are often quite pleasant places to hang out. I tend to prefer them to the hot, loud, sweaty insides of a tent, especially on a beautiful sunny day.
There’s a Paulaner beer garden (called Kübler’s Bierstüberl) on the left just inside Oktoberfest’s main entrance which makes for a great place to meet up with friends before wandering the wiesn together.
There are also a couple of beery-go-rounds (note: they’re not really called that) where you can sip your adult beverage while rotating ever so slowly. It’s a bar and a ride all in one!
My personal favorite of the weißbier stands is the one close to the Mozartstraße entrance, the Weißbier Alm. It offers up the best entertainment, as it is situated directly across from the Toboggan:
At first this old-timey giant slide ride doesn’t sound like it’d be particularly interesting, but the dangerously high-speed uphill conveyor belt that people ride to get up to the slide is mighty fun to watch. One can ride up holding hands with a stability carnie, or give it a go alone. Here’s a taste of the action: a guy riding up the way you’re supposed to do it (boring) followed by one of the more creative riders.
