Oktoberfest!

By: Stephanie on 7:51 PM

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I did it! After approximately six months of anxious anticipation, I made it to Tulsa's celebrated Oktoberfest.

As anyone who has been acquainted with me for any length of time can tell you, I love beer. Admittedly, I am have something of a discerning palate; you will never catch me drinking PBR, Natty Ice, anything with "Lite/Light" in its name, or any sort of Budweiser. My beer of choice is usually Blue Moon- delicious, widely available, and relatively affordable. Sure, it's brewed by Coors, but it's not like it has those awful commercials.

Anyway, I have been psyched for Oktoberfest since I found out Tulsa held one. I managed to get the day off work and around 7 PM, Johnny and I headed down to the banks of the Arkansas River to indulge in some of my favorite vices- eating and drinking!

We decided to split pitchers. Commemorative glasses/mugs were nowhere to be found and although it's impossible to see in this light, the pitcher has the Tulsa Oktoberfest logo on it. (Johnny is really into souvenir cups. One day I'll take a picture of the collection of Cubs, Pudge Rodriguez, Tulsa Drillers, and Memphis Grizzlies cups we own.) The pitchers were a decent value at $19 ($18 for refills) since we got around 4-5 cups out of them. Our first pitcher was Warsteiner Oktoberfest. I thought long and hard about just getting a pitcher of Blue Moon (<3) but decided it against it because it was Oktoberfest and I ought to drink a German beer. I really liked this- it was smooth and tangy with a slightly bitter aftertaste. It wasn't heavy at all. 

With our pitcher, we had the most delicious Reuben sandwiches imaginable. Johnny and I are something like Reuben connoisseurs- we've had them at a variety of places. Some are good (like the turkey Reuben at that brunch place in South Tulsa- ask Johnny for the name) and some are merely okay (ahem, McAlister's) but this one was amazing. I have no words to describe its perfection or how well it went down with the beer. 

Here, dear friends, is where the photos stop. My phone's camera is woefully inadequate, and I forgot to make Johnny take pictures with his Blackberry's super-fancy-includes-a-flash-and-auto-focus camera. So use your imaginations! 

We wandered around the festival- it's set up very well. There are lots of different tents to explore (Das Sports Cafe, Das Bier Garten) and each features different beers. Food vendors are everywhere, selling everything from schnitzel to chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick. 

I lied, there was another picture. This is Johnny, not me.

A variety of merchandise was also for sale. There were Oktoberfest t-shirts, chicken hats, lederhosen, and so, so many beer steins. There was a carnival with rides and games (complete with giant Ferris wheel) that didn't appear to have carnies nearly as terrifying as the state fair's. The crowd was large and good-natured (due to all the beer, I think). The staff was full of pleasant volunteers. We even ran into someone Johnny went to college with (Scott? Hi, Scott!). 

I was determined to try some local brew, so I ventured into Das Sports Cafe to get a pitcher of Marshall's Oktoberfest. The Marshall Brewing Company is based in Tulsa and I've always wanted to try their beer. This Oktoberfest beer was somewhat dark and moderately bitter. It tasted nice and was 6.0% alcohol by volume, so this is where the recap gets hazy. Johnny and I had bratwursts (amazing) and then he tried the cheesecake pictured above and brought me some sort of bizarre block of French fries. They were disappointing- too greasy and not nearly crispy enough. We listened to a band play for a bit (until Johnny was well enough to drive) and then headed out. Originally, we'd planned to catch Inception at the dollar theater, but I didn't feel up to sitting through a convoluted movie. After a stop at Wal Mart to pick up chicken for the week (I gallantly staggered around carrying some Quaker oats), we headed home. I'm pretty sure I passed out by 10 PM.

All in all, Oktoberfest was fantastic. The beers were excellent, the food was good (disappointing French fry cake aside), and the atmosphere couldn't be better. No wonder Tulsa's Oktoberfest is rated among the best in the nation! I can't wait til next year.