Alcohol-free drinks at Oktoberfest

[Showem 868]

Travelling all the way to Munich to attend Oktoberfest and not drink also strikes me as silly, but to each their own. Another drink you can get in some, not all, tents is alcohol free beer. Then you at least get the big glass filled with liquid of the right colour, so you can play the part quite well. I'm afraid I don't know which tents carry a "bleifrei" version though.

[UrbanAngel 445]

I don't drink beer at Oktoberfest either and it's still fun to go. I believe there's some kind of wine tent if you don't want to drink beer.

[charmed 2]

I have done both and I always found staying sober is kinda scary and not a bit yucky at the end of the night..at least when Im drunk myself I don't see any of it :)

[Iain & Siobhan 691]

I have been invited to said O'fest, I do feel obliged to go, but on the otherhand I hate the event and am avoiding alcohol. What can one do if one doesnt want beer.. Is there anything to drink or do I just sit around like a lemon???

 

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[DDBug 1,665]

Spezi and water are, I think, served in most tents.

[Allershausen 6,414]

You can drink Alcohol frei bier, Spezi or water.

[Contender 11]

first slap your friend, then when your there and hes off his face from smirnoffs and archers aka puff drinks, introduce him to beer, then find him a FEmale hooker...you might save him from a change in lifestyle.

[mefoster 11]

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Hello all,

 

I moved away from Munich about a year and a half ago, but will be back in town in September to go to Oktoberfest. Unfortunately, I'll also be about 21 weeks pregnant by that time ...

 

Under normal circumstances, I'm more of a one-or-two-Radler girl at most anyway, so this shouldn't cramp my style too overly much, but I'd like to know what my drink options are. I've done a bit of looking around on the web, and I while I realise this is probably sacrilege even to ask, I can't find the answer: do any of the tents do an "Alkoholfrei" beer (I know it's really just "low-alcohol" in practice)? Or are my only practical options going to be lemonade/Spezi/water ...

 

Thanks for any advice,

 

MEF

[Krieg 14,917]

Why a 21 weeks pregnant woman wants to go to a place with thousands of drunks?

[Zefix 831]

Alcohol free beer is definitely available.

A few years back a friend was visibly pregnant and enjoyed the Wiesn just as well.

She couldn`t face toasting with Apfelschorle.

[Allershausen 6,414]

As far as I know all the tents sell Alkoholfrei beer. As you say, strictly speaking it is low alcohol, but I believe the alcohol content is somewhere in the region of 0,1% and therefore unlikely to harm your baby.

Edit: I just found this and apparently it is up to 0,625%. Still a pretty insignificant amount I would think. If in doubt ask your doctor.

[Guest]

my first sober Ofest: I was secretly 2 months pregnant during the Fest last year and we had a few tables reserved and paid for at the Hippodrome. we ummed and aahed about going but actually I had a really great time, I stuck to Apfelschoerle, as did my friend who I later found out was also 2 months pregnant!

 

the tables were for the lunchtime slot, not sure I would've wanted to be there during the evening when it gets more rowdy. and being the Hippodrome (the first tent when you enter the main entrance) meant we didn't get stuck in any crowds.

 

you'll be fine, have fun!

[iain 141]

It depends on the brand, but they claim anywhere from 0,0% (becks) to 0,5%. However one should keep in mind that this is about equivalent to the alcohol content of cola.

[michel78 58]

 

As far as I know all the tents sell Alkoholfrei beer.

Not overly sure about that. I had a look at the Hacker Tent's 2009 menu recently and at least it doesn't say they have that variety.. maybe they are ashamed of that. I must admit I never ordered one thou;). Schottenhamel seems to offer alkoholfrei.

[sarabyrd 18,767]

Depending on the tent you can get a liter of water or Spezi (cola/lemonade). Possibly you will have to pick up a cola at one of the food stands, not all tents provide non-alcoholic drinks or the means of procuring them.

 

 

Why a 21 weeks pregnant woman wants to go to a place with thousands of drunks?

 

 

Because even women 21 weeks pregnant can enjoy the atmosphere of the Oktoberfest without getting into a brawl. FFS, you make it sound irresponsible to even leave the house once you're "that way". Our office outing took place app. 6 weeks before my son was born, we had a ball (and a Radler) in the Hofbräu beergarden area.

 

EDIT: As to the castrated cyclist - ask them!

[Allershausen 6,414]

 

Not overly sure about that. I had a look at the Hacker Tent's 2009 menu recently and at least it doesn't say they have that variety.. maybe they are ashamed of that. I must admit I never ordered one thou;). Schottenhamel seems to offer alkoholfrei.

 

It used to be the case that you could only get Alcohol free beer in the biergardens outside the tents. I thought they'd stopped that now but maybe not. As you say it's not something I've ever ordered, except in the Hofbräu tent and they have it on their menu.

[michel78 58]

hmm the Hacker german FAQ is talking about "eine Maß alkoholfreies Bier". Well, I know nothing

 

PS: Personally I couldn't imagine being on the Oktoberfest sober. I just can't stand DJ Oetzi w/o a certain beer intake.

[Small Town Boy 6,672]

I'd be surprised if there were any tents that didn't serve alcohol-free beer – it's the sole style of beer whose sales are actually increasing. If someone doesn't set up the world's first alcohol-free-beer brewery soon then I'll have to do it myself. It's the future.

[Gen 2,454]

Hasn't that been done at Bionade? I haven't seen it at the Fest yet though.

[mefoster 11]

So, an update (recap: 21 weeks pregnant): I went to the Wiesn on Tuesday evening. We ended up at the outside tables at the Hacker-Pschorr tent -- not nearly as smoky as I'd feared, given the inside smoking ban! In total I had an Apfelschorle, a Spezi, and a Limonade.

 

It was actually quite fun observing everyone else around me get more and more drunk as the night progressed; I felt almost like an anthropologist or something. And I did enjoy not feeling any after-effects the next day too.

 

So, all in all, it was a good visit and I didn't really miss the beer among the other social aspects of a good night out.

 

MEF