Oktoberfest began in Munich Oct. 12, 1810, as a wedding celebration for the then-Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Over 200 years later, that reception has become an approximately 16-day folk festival, during which millions of attendees drink about 2 million gallons of alcohol, according to Britannica.<\/p>\n
Why is Oktoberfest held in September? Organizers eventually decided to move the beer fest up a month to compensate for Germany\u2019s unpredictable October weather, according to the Hofbr\u00e4uhaus Newport<\/a> website<\/a>.<\/p>\n From sausage to spaetzle, we\u2019re looking at spots around the county where diners can grab some Bavarian dishes and \u201cProst\u201d with the best of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Also, forgive me if I sound like your mom, but please bring a designated driver if you\u2019re planning to party hard. It\u2019s dangerous and I have better things to spend my money on than bailing you out.<\/p>\n German-style autumn beers on tap at Hop and Sting Brewing Company<\/p>\n Foodies aged 21 and older can sip some lager and see how things work behind the scenes at Hop and Sting Brewing Co. in Grapevine Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until Oct. 26.\u00a0<\/p>\n The beer garden and brewery is among the stops on the Oktoberfest Beer & Bites Tour<\/a> by Grapevine Food Tours. Among their limited-time, autumnal German-style pours are the Rheinhart festbier and the Local 3113 Oktoberfest m\u00e4rzenbier.\u00a0<\/p>\n They had 17 full kegs of Rheinhart left as of Oct. 10, which staff said should yield 16-ounce drafts until later this month, while the Local 3113 Oktoberfest should be available until the first week of November.<\/p>\n Festbier is an Oktoberfest staple in Germany, according to Hofbr\u00e4uhaus Newport, and is lighter in both color and flavor than m\u00e4rzen. M\u00e4rzenbier, they write, translates to \u201cMarch beer\u201d and is an amber-colored, medium-bodied beer brewed in March and served in the fall.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Beer & Bites Tour requires a ticket, which goes for $114 and is available on the Grapevine Food Tours website<\/a>. The tour includes a barbecue stop at AJ\u2019s on Main and sweets at Chocolate Hangover. Diners looking to purchase Sunday tickets are requested to contact the organizer<\/a> via email, over the phone or text.<\/p>\n 906 Jean St., Grapevine; 817-488-2337<\/strong><\/p>\n Vegan bratwurst at Spiral Diner<\/p>\n Those looking for pub dining vibes will find an Oktoberfest Blue Plate Special at Spiral Diner on West Magnolia Avenue.\u00a0<\/p>\n The vegan restaurant\u2019s Pub Pretzel Burger features an Impossible burger patty with vegan bacon, grilled sauerkraut, onions and Dijon mustard on a pretzel bun, according to their online menu<\/a>. There\u2019s also the Brat & Brew Sandwich with Beyond Meat bratwurst which comes with sauerkraut, onions and Dijon.\u00a0<\/p>\n To round out the tavern vibes, they\u2019re pouring Rahr & Sons\u2019 Oktoberfest lager<\/a>, which the brewing company\u2019s website describes as a \u201cfull-bodied\u201d m\u00e4rzen lager with \u201cmalty sweetness.\u201d Spiral\u2019s serving it for $5.59. The pretzel burger is $18.99 and the bratwurst sandwich is $17.99.\u00a0<\/p>\n 1314 W. Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth; 817-332-8834<\/strong><\/p>\n Little Germany celebrates all month long<\/p>\n The German eatery on Camp Bowie is keeping the decorations up and celebrating all month long, according to waitress Ingrid Adcock.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe decided, it\u2019s October, what the heck,\u201d she said, \u201cso we\u2019re still celebrating Oktoberfest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Their menu<\/a> shows appetizers of German potato pancakes, fried mushrooms, sausage and sauerkraut, rouladen and a knockwurst sandwich. Lunch entrees include Vienna schnitzel, jaegerschnitzel and sauerbraten, and dinner options include rib eye, tenderloin and chicken fried steaks.<\/p>\n Sides range from sauerkraut and potato dumplings to spaetzle and creamed spinach.\u00a0<\/p>\n For dessert, obviously German chocolate cake is on the table, as are Black Forest cake and apple strudel.\u00a0<\/p>\n Diners can choose from German wines and beers like hefeweizen, Hofbr\u00e4u and Schmidt-S\u00f6hne liebfraumilch.<\/p>\n Adcock said diners can always expect to find the simple pleasures at Little Germany, namely German beer, sausages and polka music, adding \u201cand what else do you need?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n 6737 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth; 682-224-2601<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019d love to hear from you! Send your restaurant tips and hot takes to erin.ratigan@fortworthreport.org.\u00a0<\/p>\n Erin Ratigan is a freelance journalist and writer specializing in narrative news features. You can find her on X @erinratigan<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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