SIP & SAVOR
RAISE A STEIN to
Oktoberfest on
THE
RIVER WALK! by Kimberly A. Suta
Did you know that Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany is the biggest festival in the world with six million participants annually? It might come as no surprise that because of the German settlements in towns like New Braunfels, South Texas is rich in German culture and history. Therefore, we love to go all out for Oktoberfest, although who needs an excuse to drink beer and eat sausages? I certainly don’t! This year, the River Walk will definitely be the place to be to celebrate Oktoberfest with decorated bridges, floating bands and River Walk bars and restaurants featuring special happy hours with discounts on your favorite German beers and everyone’s favorite light American lager, Bud Light. In particular, several of the venues that make up the Mad Dogs Restaurant Group should top the list for premier Oktoberfest celebrations as they’re known for their excellent pub grub and wide array of German libations. BIER GARTEN If you want to do it right, grab your friends and turn it into a bar crawl, starting with Bier Garten. Located on the River Walk between the Hyatt Regency and the Alamo, Bier Garten has been celebrating Oktoberfest going on nearly a decade now. They’re a wonderful choice for a little taste of Bavaria with authentic fare, great German beer, pretty barmaids and live entertainment, which can be enjoyed five days during the week. There’s no struggle to find something good to drink and eat here with 26 beers on draft as well as juicy brats and six other kinds of German sausages. Oktoberfest kicks off on September 24th with the annual “tapping of the keg” and family-friendly festivities taking place September 24-25 and October 1-2. The ceremonial tapping of the keg is performed by a local celebrity who is delivered to the keg by a roving band of minstrels, but beware, those
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close to the keg will get sprayed, but that’s kind of the point. Afterwards, guests all enjoy a free beer from the newly tapped keg. It’s the perfect time to sit outside and enjoy a nice, cold beer and dip those giant pretzels in some tangy mustard with your best buds. Folks also love sharing the Sausage Tower, which includes bratwurst, knockwurst, Texas sausage, Polish sausage, chicken sausage and a variety of accoutrements, including their popular Krautwurst Balls of pork sausage, cream cheese and sauerkraut that are rolled in panko breadcrumbs and deep fried to yummy perfection. As for the entertainment, expect polka bands, emcees and crowd-pleasing sing-a-long’s where everyone’s swinging a stein along with tunes like “Sweet Caroline” and “Brown Eyed Girl”. LITTLE RHEIN PROST HAUS Mad Dogs Restaurant Group’s newest venue at La Villita, Little Rhein Prost Haus, will be another hot spot this season. Situated in a stunning 200-year-old German-built rock building with a gorgeous tiered outdoor patio and bar right along the River, it’s simply the place to celebrate an authentic Oktoberfest. Prost Haus sports a wide variety of imported German bears like Hofbrau and Warsteiner, as well as local brews, such as Fredericksburg’s Alstadt Lager and Alamo Beer Company’s Alamo Golden Ale. As for German eats, they also feature a tower of different sausages, along with sausage paddles topped with Bratwurst, Knockwurst, Polish and Nuremberg Sausages, warm Bavarian pretzels, potato salad, bacon cabbage, pickled vegetables and Dusseldorf mustard. Enjoy more German-centric entertainment four days a week here, including the famous Stein Hoisting competitions where beer-filled steins are held by straight, strong and firm arms for the win. This unique competition is a well-known Oktoberfest event. The local winner will even go on to
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