October is generally one of the quieter months in the pub calendar so take a leaf out of the Germans' book by celebrating beer - and food. Albeit on a slightly smaller scale, perhaps, advises John Porter
OCTOBER IS not much of a month for celebrations, as far as pubs go. Apart from Hallowe'en at the end of the month, it's hard to find a special reason to get customers through the door to enjoy food, drink and generally have a good time.
Not so for our European colleagues in Germany. During October, they really go to town - the town in question being Munich, home of the Oktoberfest. Every year, around six million people descend to drink beer, eat food, dance to oompah bands and admire the impressive jugs of the serving girls.
Incidentally, the official name for those jugs is a stein, which can hold a litre of beer, or around a pint and three-quarters in old money. The traditional mug with a hinged lid has been largely replaced by branded glasses these days, but that doesn't seem to deter anyone from having a throrougly good time.Sales boost
Publicans looking for a sales boost during October could do a lot worse than to try and duplicate the festivities for their regulars. In Germany this year, it runs from September 22 to October 7. Now, our more sharp-eyed readers will be asking why a festival that mostly takes place in September is called Oktoberfest.
Apparently, it was first held in Munich in 1810 to celebrate the October wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildenburghausenle - crazy name, crazy girl. Over the years, the start date has crept back to get the best of the late summer weather.Get the basics right
For your own tribute to Oktoberfest, keep it authentic with genuine German food and drink. Bavarian cheeses, Black Forest hams and German breads, tangy mustards, pickles and sauerkraut are all great with German beers and wines.
Start with the basics. German beer is an essential part of any genuine Oktoberfest celebration and there are more than 50 genuine German brands available in the UK.
The brand is not as important as the authenticity, and different types including pils, wheat beer, helles, organic and even low-alcohol brews, you'll find something to suit every customer. Some brands available are: Bitburger, Warsteiner, König Ludwig, Holsten, Schneider and Pinkus.
Each brewery taking part in the Oktoberfest sets up a special tent to spotlight their beers - festival brews typically being a little stronger than the usual brewery output. A bite with your beer
To help soak up all that beer, one of the best known sights of Oktoberfest is pretzels in huge baskets being sold by the Brotfrauen, or bread ladies, who move from tent to tent selling their wares.
This speciality is another of Bavaria's claims to fame and soft pretzels make a fun and easy snack to serve with German beer.
Another simple snack idea is Germany's famous Currywurst. While this spicy snack originated in Berlin, it's a staple snack at the Oktoberfest in Munich. Make it by grilling and slicing Bratwurst sausage, then warm a little German curry ketchup and pour it over the sausage pieces. Sprinkle with curry powder and serve with a genuine German Brötchen (bread roll) or with a slice of wholegrain German bread.
Other simple snacks and appetizers you can offer your customers are beer-marinated Bratwurst sausages, hot and crusty frankfurter rolls, or sauerkraut and salami pizza. All these recipes are quick and simple to make, and can be found online at www.thepublican.com/food. A selection of German cheeses, whole grain breads, mustards and pickles, as well as bowls of pretzels, make a great buffet. For desserts a traditional applestrudel or cheesecake strudelwith vanilla sauce.
In addition to providing beer, serve cocktails made with German spirits such as Kirschwasser or brandy. A recipe leaflet 'Let's get mixing with spirits from Germany' is available free of charge from CMA, which promotes German food imports.
For a Bavarian feel to your party, decorate using traditional Oktoberfest colours. The official colours of the state of Bavaria are cobalt blue and white, and CMA can provide posters, flags, garlands and mobiles in the black/red/gold colours free of charge - order at www.foodsfromgermany.co.uk.
Create ambience with small candles on the table and decorative fairy lights in the window or hang them from the ceiling. You may even consider a tent in the pub garden with long tables and benches in true Oktoberfest style. If the budget and space allow, hire an Oompah band or an accordion player - an inexpensive alternative is CDs of traditional German music. Ideas for Oktoberfest pub games might include:
- A Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildenburghausenle lookalike parade
- A how-much-beer-froth-can-you-get-in-your-moustache challenge - with false moustaches allowed
- A traditional German slap dance contest - we found plenty of these online on YouTube, but you may need to make the rules very clear to your more enthusiastic regulars!
For a list of German food and drink suppliers, click on the related stories link on the right