Beards, Booze, and Bacon: The Oktoberfest Episode

What new bourbon are we pumped about? Which hiking trail are we exploring? Why is the next supercar so cool? The Manual is dedicated to helping men live a more engaged life. Each week, our editors and guests get together for a round-table discussion about what’s new, exciting, and unique in the men’s lifestyle world. So pop open your favorite brew, step into your man cave, and start streaming.

For this week’s episode of Beards, Booze, and Bacon: The Manual Podcast, the round-table — Food and Drink Editor Sam Slaughter, Managing Editor Nicole Raney, and host Greg Nibler — grab some steins, drink a ton of beer, and forget to record a podcast.

Just kidding. We wish we were drinking beer for this episode, but we chose to remain sober and discuss one of the best festivals in the entire world: Oktoberfest. First, the German-speaking Sam schools Nicole and Greg on the pronunciations of essential Oktoberfest terms (Reinheitsgebot, märzenbier, etc.) and walks us through a brief history of the volksfest (“people’s festival”). Why do Germans celebrate Oktoberfest in September with March beers? How old is this festival, really? Why did it start in Munich? What the hell is a Reinheitsgebot?

All of your questions are answered by Sam and horrible mispronounced by the other two. After chatting about some of the best places to celebrate Oktoberfest outside of Munich — the festival has truly become a global phenomenon — Nicole hits the boys with some Oktoberfest facts and forces them to compete in a short round of trivia. Who won? (Hint: It was the only person who can say Reinheitsgebot correctly.)

The Manual crew has also decided that we should probably host our own Oktoberfest. While it most certainly will not happen, if it did, our festival would have weiner dogs racing on horses. If you’re confused, you’ll have to tune in to figure out what we’re talking about.

And if you have a question for The Manual podcast folks, or if you’d like to share how you’re celebrating Oktoberfest, give us a shout at podcast@themanual.com — we’re always around! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter and keep an eye out for our weekly podcast polls so you can join the discussion.

Further Reading

• A Brief History of Oktoberfest and Why You Should Celebrate
• 5 Best Cities to Celebrate Oktoberfest Outside of Germany
• Our 5 Favorite Märzenbiers
• Oktoberfest Lager Stew — Need We Say More?