Savoring The Last Week of Oktoberfest

For those of us who don’t get the chance to attend the Munich-based festival in Germany, Oktoberfest is still a great excuse to drink beer, wrap bacon around other types of meats and partake in all kinds of sometimes-unusual, probably-not-very-authentic activities. By the way, did you know that wiener dog racing was a thing? Well, it is and it’s awesome. Oktoberfest traditionally starts the third weekend of September and ends the first Sunday in October. We Googled it. The first ever Oktoberfest happened October 12, 1810 when the citizens of Munich were invited to attend festivities in celebration of the marriage between Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The tradition continued each year with horse races that marked the end of the original festival. Horse races aren’t a part of the official festival anymore – that is where wiener dogs come in. This year, the 182^nd Oktoberfest spanning from September 19 – October 4, marks the 205^th anniversary of the festival. Only wars and cholera epidemics have briefly interrupted the annual celebration.  Badass. Ok, that’s enough history for now. If you haven’t had the chance to partake in any Oktoberfest-related festivities, don’t panic. There is still time. You can still show off your Bavarian costume and stein-holding or yodeling skills at the Rocky Mountain Oktoberfest at Pepsi Center October 2-4. If you prefer a more low-key celebration, we recommend kicking back with your favorite hefeweizen or crisp lager and these Oktoberfest-style bacon butter potatoes, AKA Speck Butterkartoffeln. Kick it up a notch with our Tender Belly Habañero Bacon. We also recommend bypassing those boring soft pretzels and wrapping those suckers in, you guessed it, bacon. Glückliches Oktoberfest! Ja!