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Wurstfest Texas

Wurstfest in Texas

On it’s 49th year, Wurstfest in New Braunfels, Texas is an amazing celebration of German culture. The size of the fest is second only to Milwaukee’s German Fest in the USA. New Braunfels sports at least 3 stages of non stop live entertainment and a huge hall full of food vendors offers an eclectic mix of food, drink, trinkets, and souvenirs. Spanning 10 days, Wurstfest will host over 165,000 visitors.

We had the fortune of meeting up with all our Texas friends: Pete & Karen

BayernTrips Texas Reunion

from our first trip, Michael & Mary, Larry & Bonnie, and Jerry & Bernie and their family. And, Jersey Bill and buddy Dave also flew in from the East Coast.

We flew from Rhinelander Wisconsin and were to make 1 stop in Eau Claire on our way into Minneapolis. High winds and runway construction grounded our plane in Eau Claire. We grabbed the last rental car for the remaining 75 miles. Seeing that our San Antonio plane started in Minot, ND, the report was that we would have a 3 hour delay. On our way, we realized we passed through Hudson, Wisconsin – home of the Winzer Stube with some great German food and drink. We pulled off the interstate and parked ourselves at the bar for about 75 minutes. Upon paying the bill, I checked the flight status. Minot still showed a long day, but MSP to San Antonio showed it was on-time. It suddenly occurred to us that it was a different aircraft at Minneapolis. With Vonia driving, we raced against the clock. We dropped the car at Hertz, ran through the terminal, and made our plane with 5 minutes to spare.

Arriving on time, our driver from New Braunfels picked us up and got us to our house at the Schlitterbahn Resort. Shortly after getting into our house, Larry and Bonnie appeared with German beer and Jersey and Dave weren’t far behind. We had a great time reconnecting and found our way to bed at 2am.

Saturday morning we donned our Lederhosen and enjoyed breakfast at the oldest bakery in Texas, Naegelin’s. The pasty and coffee was great. We met up with Pete & Karen and Michael and Mary at the gate. I was amazed to see the big tent with music already underway and carnival rides already quite full at noon. We proceeded to the Wursthalle and secured a table near the stage for our growing party. Jerry and Bernie showed up with their daughter and son with their respective spouses.

Our first mission was the beer supply. We each bought tickets and proceed to the import beer stand. They offered Paulaner Hefe-weizen, lager/helles, and Oktoberfest. Also on draft was Warsteiner dunkles and Spaten dunkles and Helles. For the non-beer drinker, Budweiser products were broadly available. Beer prices were high: $6.00 for a 16 ounce cup and $25 for a 2 liter pitcher.

The booths in the hall were a great attraction. Bonnie had some freshly made potato chips – the potato is peeled, sliced and fried before your eyes. I had the schnitzel sandwich and shrimp on a stick. Vonia had potato soup, chicken fajita taco and a carmeled apple. The was all kinds of sausages, but no Weisswurst!

The souvenir stands were very cool – one had a great selection of German beer steins – the commemorative .5 liter stein with lid was $119! Other booths offered German pins, trinkets and T-shirts.

Muenchener Kindl with Veronika Lenz

The best entertainment was at the outdoor tents. Several of us watch Veronika Lenz sing and yodel. She has a great voice and was backed up by 4 beautiful girls in black and yellow mini-Dirndls.

Bill and Vroni

They called themselves the Muenchener Kindl show. Though the sang to a recorded track, they sang, twirled, danced and played the bells. Afterward, Jersey met the girls, got autographs, and bought their CD.

Catie Offerman & Terry Cavanagh

The next act featured an accordionist, Terry Cavanagh, and a 15 year old girl, Catie Offerman,  on the fiddle. They were supported by a family of dancers and the crowd was quite entertained. Then the female fiddler subdued the crowd with Brahms and then let loose a firey rendition of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The young lady is quite a prodigy.

We gathered up the gang for 1 mile hike to downtown New Braunfels. We secured a table of 15 at the Friesenhaus. They offed great food and even had some entertainment – which our group helped out by turning the evening into a sing-a-long.

After dinner, we said our good-byes and went our separate ways. But 6 of us (why is it always 6?) went back to Wurstfest. Das grosse Zelt had the Alex Meixner band jamming like there was no tomorrow. A young man, he played

As published in the Herald-Zeitung

the accordion like it was lead guitar. Accompanied by yet another accordion, drums, and a horn player who kept changing instruments, these guys rocked the place! We were actually on our way out of the fest when we heard these boys playing. Agreeing to listen to just one song, we stood in the tent for 20 minutes of sustained, full-tilt jamming. Bonnie and I were swept into a conga line and, worn out completely, we reluctantly resolved to call it a night.

Next year we plan to be back to Wurstfest and hope to entice some of our non-Texan BayernTrips friends to join us in the Lone Star State for a Texas-styled Oktoberfest celebration!

Bill and Vroni

Muenchener Kindl with Veronika Lenz

Catie Offerman & Terry Cavanagh

BayernTrips Texas Reunion

As published in the Herald-Zeitung

Wurstfest in Texas

Special thanks to Michael B for the photos!

Weihenstephan – World’s Oldest Brewery

Sam Adams made a big announcement today about a collaboraztion with the world’s oldest brewery: Weihenstephan.

Over the years, BayernTrips has made several visits to the world’s oldest brewery, Weihenstephan. Weihenstephan has been operating since 1040. Yes, a few years before the Norman Invasion of England and some 450 years before Columbus set foot on American soil.

Weihenstephan actually has decent name recognition in the United States and Canada. Perhaps you have seen their Weissbier or maybe even their Helles beer for sale in your local beer store.  They do produce the entire pallet of Bavarian beers, but the  Weissbier makes up almost 75% of their production.

What many don’t realize is that the brewery is part of the campus of the Technical University of Munich. In fact, Weihenstephan is also famous as an agricultural university and makes commercial products like butter and milk that is often see on German tables.

But we love it for the beer. If you are flying to Munich, the brewery is less than 10 miles from Munich airport. Simply grab a cab or, if you’re a bit more adventurous, how on the public bus to Freising Bahnhof and connect to another bus that will take you to the foot of the hill where the brewery is perched.

Weihenstephan in Freising

Freising itself is worthy of a little visit, especially if you want to experience a typical Bavarian town that isn’t a huge tourist destination. We often stay at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof right downtown and within walking distance of the train station (a 40 minute ride away from downtown Munich).

Although you won’t be able to tour the brewery unless you come with a group and have registered well in advance, a visit is still worthwhile. The brewery runs a nice little gift shop with lots of neat knick-knacks and all of the bottled beer offered at the brewery.

But next door in a non-descript little building is the Bräustüberl. Upon entering, you’ll immediately see that thnis little pub has a ton of rooms and can house bunches of beer drinkers. They also have a great beergarden out front under the chestnut trees overlooking the city of Freising.

The restaurant has excellent food at reasonable prices. Since they are locate3d on the campus, they try to keep the prices lower so the students will come in. However, I typically see a lot more non-students here. Food-wise they are most famous for their Obazde - a sort of cheese spread that you eat with bread and raw onions. It’s really delicious. I usually order the Weisswurst since I’m often here earlier in the day and am enjoying a Weissbier.

We’ve started to use Weihenstephan as the ‘first stop” for many of our tour groups. This year we had a bunch of our guests arrive early in the day at Munich airport. I grabbed them and we all took the public bus to the brewery and were at the Bräustüberl when they opened at 10:00 AM. Vonia stayed at the airport and rounded up the rest of our guests as they arrived. This worked out extremely well – the early arrivals definitely liked waiting at the brewery better than waiting at the airport.

Enjoy the following pictures showing various scenes from the brewery…

Weihenstephan in Freising

Just outside the brewery

The Beer-go-Round

In addition to the many beer tents at Oktoberfest there are a lot of amusement park rides and activities. You can ride a Ferris wheel, roller coaster, water rides, swings, etc. I did this once with my son, Spenser, and vowed never to do it again.

However, there is one ride that I truly enjoy. I have introduced it to many of my guests and friends and I they all agree it is definitely the single best ride at Oktoberfest. It’s subtle, it’s understated, and yet it’s a delight: The Weissbier Karussell.

The Boys on the Beer go Round

So, how does one ride the Weissbier Karussell? As you approach the attraction, you’ll see that it is already spinning counterclockwise. Looking for an opening on the 360 degree bar, time your jump from the asphalt on to the moving Carousel. It is important to get both feet onto the ride at approximately the same time. There are, however, many handrails to ensure your safety. Once on board, I recommend that you first acclimate to the speed before proceeding to step two: Ordering.

Once you are ready to order, you must make eye contact with one of the three or four bartenders on board. Simply hold up your finger indicating how many Weissbiers you require. For one, raise your thumb – just like the American thumbs’up signal. For two, it’s the thumb plus the index finger; for three, the thumb, the index finger and the middle finger, and so on.

The bartender will tap you a fresh one in a real Weissbier glass and then set it in front of you. At this point you need to fork over the dough – the going price is something like 3 Euros, plus a 3 Euro deposit on the glass.

More Fun on the Karussell!

Once everyone in your party has been served, it’s time to look your buddies in the eye and say “Prost”. Gently clink the bottoms of the glasses together with each member of your party and then take your first sip. Ahhh, that first Weissbier of the morning is a special feeling, isn’t it?

Enjoy your beer without rushing. You’re in Germany. In Munich. At Oktoberfest! Enjoy the beer and savor the freshness. Take note of the decor of the Karussell, the ladies in Dirndls (or the lads in Lederhosen, whatever does it for you) . You have the best perch for people watching.

Jersey Bill and Lola

One the Karussell that I frequent, the ride is decorated with the images of women from Ludwig I’s Schönheitsgalerie. In the days before Playboy Magazin, Ludwig I had portraits of the most beautiful women in Munich painted for him. These portraits were all placed in one room inside of Nymphenburg Castle on the outskirts of Munich. In fact, even Lola Montez is here – the hussy that almost brought down the Bavarian king.

Unfortunately everything has an end (only the sausage has two). When you are ready to dismount carefully take your glass in one hand, grab a handrail with the other and ever so carefully dismount the apparatus.  You should have noticed that there is a station set-up next to the ride to take back the glasses and return your deposit. Make your way to the person there with your glass and chit and you’ll get your 3 Euros back.

The Boys on the Beer go Round

More Fun on the Karussell!

Jersey Bill and Lola

Hüttengaudi in Kohlerhof – Great night in Bavaria

Hüttengaudi = Fun in the hut

If you want to experience Bavaria unchained, you need to find a “Huettengaudi” – this is a fun-filled evening of drinking, playing music, singing and dancing where everyone really lets loose.

I’ve known the Kohler twins for years and they’ve often asked me to visit them at their small restaurant on the north side of the Forgensee, near Füssen. This year I promised to bring my group by for dinner. As it turned out, everyone agreed this was the highlight of the trip!

After a full day of touring the country-side – Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein, Zugspitze and Kloster Ettal we arrived at the Kohlerhof a bit before 7:00 PM.  We filed of the bus and into the small restaurant. We had the distinct feeling that everyone was waiting for us.

Michael fills glasses from the wood keg

Michael, Georg, and Karin all welcomed us and explained how the evening would proceed. It was all very serious as he explained they had arranged for a wood keg of beer, his mom had set-up a buffet of Bavarian favorites and about the two musicians. With that, I was asked to come forward and tap the keg of beer. It was set up in the middle of the room. Michael handed me the wooden mallet and told me to whack the tap handle hard and fast. It was my first time and I did it in 4 whacks, though the beer sprayed the poor fellow at a nearby table.  He was a little miffed, but happy when I said I gladly buy him a beer for his troubles. Georg, Michael and I quickly filled glasses for everyone – the first Paulaner Oktoberfest beer of the trip and, boy, was it tasty!

Tom digs into the Bavarian Specialties

We then proceed to the buffet. Karin had soup, Weisswurst, several stypes of pork, sausages, and Cheese Spätzle – the Käsespätzle in particular was awesome! While we ate, Franz, a young accordionist, played some calm dinner music.  Michael and Georg were excellent hosts and kept everyone’s beer glass filled and Karin made sure no one went hungry!

Washboard Lenny

After dinner, a Baritone joined the accordion and the music got a bit louder and cheery. Next came out the Teufelsgeige, washboard and spoons. Michael distributed the handmade instruments around the room and we all joined in with the music. When the Bavarians discovered that Christina spoke some German, she was plucked from us and absorbed by the Bavarians. Several of the locals polled us as to the german songs we knew and we had a great time singing the Cincinnati special, “Ja, wir wollen noch eins heben.”

Schnapps Ski

While all this was going on, Michael was behind the bar filling up schnapps glasses. He presented them on a long ski and we all had to take one. It was Karin’s birthday and we all drank a toast to her and sang Happy Birthday.

At this point, all order had been lost. People were jumping from table to table, some were singing and others were dancing with complete strangers. Michael and Georg had a few more surprises up their sleeves -

Lederhosen Flap signing!

Michael first made the rounds and got all the ladies to sign the inner flap of his Lederhosen. He followed up on this by making a round with the Schnupftabak Machine

Schnupftabak Machine

this crazy machine is supposed to quickly inject a does of finely ground tobacco quickly into both nostrils. Amazingly, all of our guests gave this a go!

Countering all this German fun, one of our guests gave a demonstration of the “Fire dance” with lighted poi. Given the low ceiling, it was hard for her to really get spinning, but everyone was enthralled with the beautiful demonstration.

A little more beer went around, a little more singing, and a lot more dancing ensued and all were in good spirits.  Around 11:00 PM, we had emptied the keg and reluctantly decided it was time to head back to Hotel Ruchti in Bad Faulenbach. Everyone followed us out to our bus and Danielle gave us one more demonstration of her poi spinning as the two musicians serenaded us with Bavarian music . We said our good-byes and there were many hugs and even a tear or two – none us us were quite ready to leave. ..

Danielle spins in Bavaria

Danielle spins in Bavaria

Tom digs into the Bavarian Specialties

Lederhosen Flap signing!

Michael fills glasses from the wood keg

Washboard Lenny

Washboard Lenny

Schnupftabak Machine

Schnapps Ski

Great Days in Bavaria

Thursday moring we tourd the catles of Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. We got a friend of Bruno’s to take us though Hohenschwangau – he does the best tour in Schwangau. Afterwards we drove to the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. Although the weather was cloudy, we had a fun trip on the gondola and ate lunch at the top. We stopped thwe bus at Kloster Ettal and our little group enjoyed 22 half-liters of Ettaller dark beer, by far their best beer. Then, we went to Kohlerh The twins and their mom took great care of us. First, we tapped a wooden barrell of Paulaner Oktoberfest beer – it took me four hits with the hammer. The foos was outstanding – lots of pork, sausages, spaetzle and much more. After dinner we had accordian music with tuba accompanyment – then the spoons and washboard. We danced and sang with the other guests and did several shots of schnapps. Meeting these guys through Planet Hockey was truly a blessing. Then Danielle spun her poi outside – the firedcance done to oompah music. No one wanted to leave, but we had to give the bus driver home. Against our better judgement, we stopped off at the Moskito and polished off 1 3 liter glass of Geiselmass

More later!

German Breakfast

I always look forward to my first German breakfast. It’s special for its simplicity and quality. The coffee is strong, just the thing to wake you up in the morning. It comes with “Sahne” – real cream, of course. The core of the brekfast is the bread – different sorts of fresh baked rolls. In Bavaria, it’s called “Semmel,” otherwise “Broetchen.” What you put on your “Semmel” is the big thing. Most everyone starts with a generous layer of real butter. I then usually go for Marmalade – often homemade. But most people opt for the fresh cheese and meat coldcuts. Most Germans also have some juice – Orange, of course, but other sorts like apricot are popular. Curiously, most germans also have a “breakfast egg” alway a soft-boiled egg. Carefuly working from the top, the salt shaker stays nearby for frequent use.

Rarely seen are scrambled or sunny-side up eggs – french toast almost never. But many opt for jougurt mixed with Muesli or fruit, or even cornflakes. Kids often have hot chocolate.

As I left my hotel in Freising this morning at 7:30, the streets were full of people. Lots of kids headed to school. It is about 45 degrees and a bit wet, but bicycles far outnumbered cars. Many were driven by men and women in full business suits and overcoats, presumably on the way to work.

Getting there is NOT half the fun

We spent a beautiful Saturday working on the last minute details of our Oktoberfest tours, calling friends, and packing clothes. Sounds like lots of fun, no?

Vonia made us our last american dinner for awhile – Hamburgers on the grill and corn on the cob. Sunday morning, I went for a short jog and then had to pack my clothes. Even with a ton of stuff stored at Hotel Ruchti, I have too much stuff to bring – though a lot of it is presents. As usual, the last hour was a chinese fire drill, but we got on the road to Wausau in enough time to stop for lunch at the Red Eye Brewery.  We stayed a bit too long and had to rush to the airport, but it was nice not having to wait too long to board. The flight to O’Hare went without a hitch and now we’re sitting in a pub at the airport trying to choke down a$10  Goose Island 312 – yuck! I shoulda stayed with the Honker’s a Ale – that one wasn’t too bad.

Our Lufthansa flight leaves at 20:45 and we land in Munich at 12:25. We are staying in Friesing. Then we need to high tail it to the Theresienwiese to pickup our Oktoberfest tickets at Augustichsenbraterei – then over to the Loewenbraeukeller and we’ll be all set. Bill and Chuck arrive on Tuesday, so I’ll be back at the airport to pick up Jersey Bill and then we’ll meet Chuck and the Frey’s at Weihenstephan – the world’s oldest brewery.

I’m hoping to get better internet service this year and will try to keep you updated on our exploits. Stay tuned!

Prosit!

Schwabenhof Oktoberfest

Saturday evening at the Schwabenhof in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomenee Falls, Wisconsin was a low-keyed family affair.

Held at the Donauschwaben clubhouse, a large pavilion and sprawling beer garden offers a pleasant way to spend a few hours dreaming of Deutschland. Lots of families were present and most everyone brought their own tablecloths and beer glasses. Music was provided by the “Austrian Express” and they played all the favorites.

There were two large bars with a great beer selection – outstanding for the size of this event. Hobraeu Original, Sommer, and Oktoberfest plus Oktoberfest and Weissbier from Hacker-Pschorr. Hardly worth mentioning, there was also Miller Lite and several alco-pop selections.

The food was good – we had the Schnitzel and Rollbraten. We were disappointed that the Brathendl (roasted chicken) wasn’t available – apparently the chicken guy wasn’t available.

The whole thing wrapped up at 10:00 pm. The crowd was definitely older, despite a handful of 20 some things running around with a beer bong!

With a table full of friends, good beer, and my favorite music, I enjoyed myself. But, this event could be so much more if they invested in some advertising. The place was only 1/3 full – with their immense facilities, a crowd of thousands would be possible!

Now, it’s on to the main event for me: Munich’s Oktoberfest! 6 days and counting down!

Rhinelander Oktoberfest Update

It appears Rhinelander didn’t do too well with their Oktoberfest at the end of August. According to an article in the local paper, The Rhinelander Daily News, “…between 1,100 and 1,200 people came to the city’s south parking lot between Friday and Saturday, and while the event had good energy, the numbers were not adding up. “I know we didn’t make money,” Swisher said. “I don’t know yet how much we lost.” Swisher said the chamber shelled out over $7,000 for entertainment and almost $20,000 total to operate the event. (full text here) Another great article from News of the North also was recently posted here - you can even see a photo of us if you look really closely!

Lots of people think they need to get away from just German Oompah music and go more modern. My feeling is that they need to go the other direction and stay more traditional. But, that also means the “fun” music in the evening – the pop music at the real Oktoberfest is so great because everyone knows the words, gets up in the benches, and sings their heart out.

Thoughts?