Oktoberfest Party Ideas: Food and Beer Brews to Serve!

Imagine, 16 days of revelry all revolving around beer! Yes, that’s what Germany’s annual Oktoberfest is all about, beginning in late September and lasting till the first Sunday of October and centered in the Bavarian city of Munich. Luckily, we don’t all have to fly off to Munich to get in on the fun. You can host an Oktoberfest party right at home, and give family and friends a taste (literally) of hearty German dishes and of course a selection of authentic German brews!

And to help you out, we asked friends and did research on delicious recipes you can serve and special beer brands you can source to make your gathering as close to ‘being there’ as possible. We even offered decorating suggestions in an earlier post. So you’re all set!

Favorite German Dishes to Choose From

You can plan a complete Oktoberfest party menu around these choices we found—with a recipe for each one in the links below. And what a scrumptious array it is!

For a main dish, you must have some traditional German sausages. So why not try beer bratwurst and onions (1)? For appetizers, serve laugenbrezel, authentic German pretzels (4). These would make great take-home favors, too, don’t you think?

For equally savory side dishes, treat guests to sausage and sauerkraut fritters (2), German potato salad (3), and potato pancakes (6). Then, just fitting for the theme, delight them with mini Black Forest cakes (5) for dessert!

Now, we come to the highlight of the occasion…the beer!

DON’T MISS: Oktoberfest Rehearsal Dinner Ideas with Costume and Favors and More!

German Beer Brands to Serve

Not too familiar with non-American beer brands? Now’s your perfect excuse to stretch your ‘beer borders,’ so to speak, and try some authentic brews from Germany. Four of them are shown in the photos above: Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb, Ludwig Weissbier, Weihenstephan, and Bitburger.

In addition, there are 5 Oktoberfest beers that are available in the U.S. precisely for this celebration: Spaten Oktoberfest beer, Brooklyn Brewery Oktoberfest beer, Flying Dog Brewery Dogtoberfest beer, Bell’s Brewery Oktoberfest beer, Summit Brewing Company Oktoberfest beer; plus a sixth, Samuel Adams seasonal beer. And of course, there are other popular brands like Amstel, Lowenbrau, Beck’s, and Erdinger.

Quite a selection right there! But even serving your guests just three or four beer choices would be pretty impressive. So check out which of these brews are carried by your nearby wine depot or even the beverage section of your supermarket. Or you can search online for specialty suppliers or outlets right in your area. Have a wonderful Oktoberfest bash!

Food images/recipes
1 – beer bratwurst and onions, from Foodie Crush
2 – sausage and sauerkraut fritters, from Food Republic
3 – German potato salad, from Recipe 4 Living
4 – laugenbrezel (pretzels), from Saveur
5 – mini Black Forest cakes, from Sugar Thumb
6 – potato pancakes, from Food Network

Beer images
1 – Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier Naturtrüb, 2 – Ludwig Weissbier, 3 – Weihenstephan (courtesy of S. Hoshi)
4 – Bitburger, image via Bitburger International