Munich in September

What's the point of going if nothing is open?

 

Mountains?

 

This thread has me bummed out a bit so I thought I'd break out an older mass from Munich's favorite child/brewery and toast to better times ahead.




I also collect antique glasskrugs with pewter lids (mostly of Munich breweries) and this was a recent acquisition:

 

I actually read good news today. BioNTech, the German developer of the mRNA vaccine from Mainz, who then teamed up to produce it with Pfizer, announced that their new production facility in Marburg, which is about 100 km north of FfM, and will produce 1 billion doses a year, has received the European Medical Agency approval to begin production. This facility was only planned in January, so this lightning speed for Europe. This is terrific news, because everyone here wants the BioNTech (funny, no one calls it Pfizer in Germany, and no one calls it BioNTech in USA, right?) and no one wants the AstraZeneca vaccine. This might mean that if German leaders learn to be flexible in administrating it, we all in Europe could be fully vaccinated by September. So… fingers crossed.
@grantcty if you feel depressed by all this, imagine how people here feel. Many are scared shitless because the British variant has become the majority, everything is shut down, and feels like the political class is flailing around.

 

Yes, you must show a negative test before you enter the airplane, then upon arrival, if the immigration authorities deem you have a sufficient reason from traveling (guess what, tourist isn’t one of them) and allow you through passport control, then you’ll sit in quarantine for 5 or 10 days. (I had to check this for my mother, who had wanted to come in April and after finding all about these restrictions, decided to come in the fall.) You can shorten this by testing negative twice. No visiting mountains if you’re a prisoner in your hotel room. Stay away, don’t think about coming. Hopefully, the BioNTech vaccine will get everyone vaccinated by September.

 

Depressed at this thread. Great to read what the reality is however!

I’ve been checking flight prices constantly for the last few weeks and had hoped to go late August to spend time in St Johann then Berchtesgaden with the family however that appears like it might be a dream to far.

I also go away yearly with a group of mates for a beer trip which hasn’t happened since October 19, we are currently thinking making 2022 a longer multi city trip with train journeys between them and have a right good yeeeeehhhh haaaaaaahhhh of a trip!

 

I could stand in front of my favorite brewery (breweries) and make sad eyes

Think positively -- I am still hopeful there will be places for us to drink beer in December.

 

I'm still thinking positively, just less so!

 

Confirming what others have said, it's quite possible the Oktoberfest will be cancelled and all the beergardens and restaurants will still be closed as they are now. However they are catching up with vaccinations quickly. As up til now they have done that extremely badly.

If it isn't cancelled, your weekday plan to the Oktoberfest is the only sensible way without reservations. The ideal experience is finding non-reserved table spaces, inside, in one of the large tents, not the chicken or wine tent, within sight of the band, and spend the evening there. Next best is a balcony or box table. It's ok sitting outside or staying only for the lunch period. But you are really missing the main event.

In Munich's pubs, Helles, Weissbier and Dunkles are the main beers. Pils is not typical and quite unusual. In beergardens, beerfests and beer halls Helles is the main beer served, that most people love, and just drink the whole time. Munich is not about beer variety.

Aside from the Oktoberfest, the huge beergardens are the real unique Munich experience. Family places with simple but tasty food, you can mellow in the shade with an easy drinking pace and not guzzling like some tourist stag groups. Read up on, and visit several of the biggest beergardens. Somehow the large ones have an amazing atmosphere. Wine is often not great in Munich beergardens.

The surrounding towns, villages and suburban areas have smaller beerfests with tents and bands during spring and summer. Which is worth a trip out to see the traditional and non touristy side and smaller breweries. Aying, Freising, Erding, Augsburg... (LIST) Anyway good luck in these bad times.

 

Very descriptive and informative narrative. Maybe some day I'll get over there and follow your guidance.

 

"Wine is often not great in Munich beergardens"

This made me laugh.

 

Pilsner is the dominant style pretty much everywhere in Germany except where you’re going! If you want to drink pilsner, choose a different city. Having said that, Augustiner’s pilsner is said to be very good (can’t give my own opinion because I think it’s the only one of their beers I’ve never tried). In Munich you will get Helles and Hefeweizen everywhere. You will be able to get a pilsner at a lot of bars but it will probably come from a bottle.

This is absolutely not how beer drinking works in Germany. You will not see 20 different styles on tap except in the trendiest places that ape American craft beer bars. The vast majority of places will have only one or two draft beers and maybe another four or five in bottles. Typically they will all be from the same brewery too. Germans have a different concept of “variety”.

Go to Tegernsee. The brewery there is beautiful, the scenery surrounding it even more so, and IMHO their beer is better than anything made in Munich.

 

As feared the Oktoberfest 2021 has ben cancelled they announced a few minutes ago.

"Germany's Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival held every year in Munich, will not take place in 2021 due to the coronavirus crisis."
https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-oktoberfest-canceled-again-in-2021-due-to-coronavirus/a-57413659

 

Just saw this too and was about to post the info. Sorry about the bad news, but thanks for the update.

 

Yep, Oktoberfest 2021 is cancelled. It doesn't look good that the hotels and restaurants will be open anyway at least the hotels for tourists. King Söder, the Minister President of Bayern, is real good with closing everything down, but he has said that those who have been vaccinated might get a few more freedoms. Right now very few Germans have been vaccinated. The German Government screwed up big time.

Oktoberfest 2021: Reaktionen auf die Absage - München - SZ.de (sueddeutsche.de)

 

@Beach I'm not super privy to the vaccination process in Germany, but I think the EU bungled this more than "the Germans" or any other single country. Case in point: the UK's resounding success with their efforts. I'm not a pro-Brexit person, but seems like their NHS did excellent work.

 

Yes, the EU bungled procuring the vaccine, but German governments have heaped on the misery with a unique German approach involving lots of bureaucracy, inflexibility and an aversion for risk-taking. I just pray I'll have the opportunity to get vaccinated by or after July, and I'm nearing 60. Then there's the younger folk who'll be waiting even longer. I actually think by October we'll have herd immunity in Germany, but that won't count the visitors to Oktoberfest from abroad, so Germany would rather stay on side of absolute safety and cancel everything instead of being practical and finding targeted solutions.