Das Weisn

We are off to Munich for Das Weisn! Our plans include shopping for der Tracht (aka Lederhosen and Dirndl) at Angermaier and staying within walking distance of Oktoberfest. We secured reserved seats in the Hofbrau Festhalle on Sunday via Radius Tours and while we know there is a lot more to see in Munich and Bavaria, we want to immerse ourselves in the Oktoberfest activities for this trip. The only non-beer activity we’re planning is to go into town to see the Glockenspiel. We have been learning basic German numbers and greetings using Berlitz’s Rush Hour German. It’s a cute CD of catchy songs to help you remember the words. We won’t be conversational, but we are all set to order two beers and a half a chicken.

Label for our home brew

When we return, we are hosting a party to tell tales of our trip and tap the Marzen keg. We brewed a fairly traditional Marzen back in March and lagered it through the summer (keeping our fingers crossed that there won’t be a hurricane that knocks out power in Houston for the next two weeks). Grains included equal parts Vienna Malt and Pilsner (2 Row) Ger with just a half pound each of Caramel/Crystal and Special B Malts. For hops, we went with Hallertauer Hersbrucker, Tettnang and Saaz. Yeast was Octoberfest/Marzen Lager from White Labs, of course. Final gravity came in at 1.019. Special thanks to Alan Ward at Brigadoon Brewery for walking us through the process. I highly recommend that first-time brewers find a mentor to minimize frustration at all the moving parts and benefit from the use of some of their equipment and all of their expertise.

We look forward to sharing the beer with friends and are encouraging others to come in costume and bring German food to the festivities. I don’t think we’ve ever done so much preparation for a party before!

Tags: Dracht, Lederhosen, Marzen, Munich, Oktoberfest