World of Beer Kicks Off October With German Traditions and Beers

Marc Betourney, a local University of South Florida student, loves any opportunity to eat great food and drink good German beer.

And for Betourney, the closest thing to Munich is Oktoberfest at in New Tampa. Girls in lederhosen were touting beers from Germany and around the world Friday, Sept. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 1.

With October come thoughts of fall, and of course beer. That is why Tampa and the U.S. love the German tradition of Oktoberfest, which is the largest Volkvest, or folk festival, in the world.

Oktoberfest originated in Munich, Germany in the early 1800s. It began as a wedding celebration for King Ludwig I and has continued in Germany as a toast to fall, friends and family. Oktoberfest now actually begins in September and culminates the first week of October due to the frigid winter in Germany.

In classic Oktoberfest style, friends gathered around, steins in the air, singing beer jingles and other well-known songs like Journey’s, “Don’t Stop Believing.” Later the band came on and really brought out the crowds.

"I haven't stopped laughing since I have gotten here,” said Bryan Rose, an Ohio native who had never been to the festival before. “I had a great time listening to the band and learning about new beers,” said the USF student.

The festival at World of Beer in Tampa Palms served up a variety of German craft beers, wiener schnitzel, German sausages and other treats.

Lindsay Fitzgerald, manager of the World of Beer Tampa Palms, said the event is something they have looked forward to all year.

“We had a pretty good crowd on both days this weekend. We were here since 10 a.m., so we did really well,” she says.

Fitzgerald says that Saturday night was the best night, and the band drew a large crowd of college students and regulars.

Not only did people have a fun time listening to tunes but also playing cornhole, a popular game where you try to throw a sandbag and make it into the hole, trying to get points each round.

Some guests like Joan Taylor were mixing Marzen, a strong lager, with a Pear Woodchuck cider beer to make a Snakebite.

Taylor says that it is a classic for fall.

“I really love how you can mix different beers with each other, like a lager and cider, making this great combo,” says Taylor. Taylor is visiting from Chicago with her sister Katherine, who has never tried any type of craft beers before.

“I really love the Hefeweisen, the German type of beer,” Katherine says. Others were going for the new fall Woodchuck Cider and the Blue Point lager.

For more Oktoberfest events around the Tampa Bay area, stay tuned to NewTampaPatch.com for a schedule of other festivals later this month.