Bayern Munchen takes on Chelsea for the Champions League final on Saturday at 1:45 pm CST. Oktoberfest Haus employees will be at The Local in Minneapolis for it. Bars around the country will be hosting events. Our good friends at Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas are having a big bash.

If you’re lucky enough, you’ll be in Munich for it. Writer Jeremy Armstrong puts together a pretty typical Munich tourism piece for the Mirror to coincide with the big game.

Here’s the beautiful Allianz Arena where the game will take place. Auf geht’s, Bayern!

1. Hair Accessories: While you can wear a dirndl with any hair color, you won’t be a true Oktoberfest Gretchen without a blonde wig.

2. Blouse: Dirndl blouses come in all shapes and sizes so make sure you pick the right one for your style. If you’re going to Oktoberfest to show the kids or grandkids all about German culture, then a high-cut, traditional blouse is probably the right one for you. If you’re going to Oktoberfest for the beer, you may want a more daring lower-cut blouse.

3. Bodice: A bodice can come in many colors and styles. It can attach to the blouse or come separately. It lets you stay classy while still getting the boys’ attentions.

4. Dirndl: While the blouse and bodice are equal parts of what makes up a dirndl, the most recognizable feature is the dress and accompanying apron. Traditional dirndls extend to a woman’s ankles are are the favored dress of rural German women. Nowadays you can find a dirndl, or dirndl-style dress in hundreds of varieties!

5. Stockings: They’re stockings. They’re white, they look like socks, and they’re purely a fashion accessory.

6. Shoes: If you’re planning on wearing a dirndl to Oktoberfest you need to make sure to wear comfy shoes. Nothing says sexy like a pair of heels, but Oktoberfest is a huge place. Go for flats, or low heels if you want to make some noise on the dance floor.

7. Beer Stein Handbag: It’s not Oktoberfest without beer! Make some new friends when they come ask you where you got such a cool handbag.

8. Beer Stein: The only way to drink beer in Munich is from a stein. But don’t call it a stein in Germany! The locals call it a Mass (Maß). Order one and see how much beer they give you.

9. Alpine Hat: Typically made from felt, an Alpine hat takes inspiration for its name and shape from the Tyrol region in the alps. It usually comes with a band wrapped around its base with a feather attached to the string. These hats look great on their own, and look even greater with each beer consumed.

10. Trachten Shirt: You can’t wear any ol’ shirt under a pair of lederhosen. An outfit so awesome requires an equally awesome shirt underneath. Traditional trachten shirts come in plain white or a checked pattern in a simple color.

11. Lederhosen: Lederhosen, not to be confused with its longer cousin bundhosen, is the traditional outfit for men at Oktoberfest.

12. Socks: They’re kind of like stockings, but for men.

13. Boots: You’ll see some people wearing them. You might think it looks cool. It’s not. Wear these instead.

If you are planning to dress as a German beer girl this Oktoberfest season, one name says it all. Gretchen is every German man’s dream and the below costumes are sure to tantalize the fantasies of every man wearing lederhosen at Oktoberfest,  a German theme party, or Halloween. There are plenty of beer girl or beer wench costumes out there, but nothing says sexy Fraulein like the following four options.

#1 – Leg Avenue Gretchen Costume

The Gretchen by Leg Avenue is the staple when it comes to sexy beer girl costumes. Many have tried, but no costume company has been able to design a women’s German costume with as much success as Leg Avenue’s Gretchen. Headed to a German bar or Oktoberfest event? You will likely see many of the female waitstaff in this sexy German outfit. The costume includes a sexy peasant dress top with a pink satin ribbon bodice. The matching stockings that come with the costume have bows that match the detail across the skirt and on each size of the pink lace across the stomach. You simply cannot go wrong with Leg Avenue.

Leg Avenue's Gretchen costume is the most popular beer girl costume every Oktoberfest season.

This is the same Gretchen costume shown on a different model.

Below is a video from Oktoberfest Zinzinnati featuring several women dressed in Gretchen outfits performing the chicken dance on stage. The women in this video are not wearing the optional chiffon puffy mini petticoat that is shown in the product photo. Many women use it to puff the skirt portion of the costume out and add a little extra color. Other customers have used the petticoat to add some length to the costume as it can run short, especially if you have long legs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG_jbcI6Aoc

#2 Gretchen Plus Size Costume

The plus size Gretchen costume by Leg Avenue is available in 1x/2x and 3x/4x and has the same peasant dress and pink lace bodice, however the fishnet stockings shown in the photo are not included with the costume and must be purchased separately.

This sexy Gretchen beer girl costume is available in 1X/2X and 3X/4X.

#3 – Gretchen Beer Girl Costume

This Gretchen beer girl is a newer version released by Mystery House costumes and has grown in popularity. It has many of the same elements of the Leg Avenue costume, with some noticeable differences. This version covers the shoulders, and the green and pink fabrics are different. This outfit also does not include the petticoat which many customers purchase separately to puff out the dress.

Pink and green Gretchen beer girl costume.

#4 – Gretchen Plus Size Costume

The plus size version by Mystery House has slightly different styling on the skirt. You will notice only one layer of trim detail along the skirt compared to the standard sized version. This costume is available in 1x, 2x and 3x so you can get the fit that best works for your body.

Gretchen Oktoberfest Plus Size Dirndl Costume

The one must have accessory that every German beer maiden needs is the Beer Stein Handbag. The beer stein handbag zippers at the top so you can store all of the belongings you need at Oktoberfest. Even if you plan on holding a Hofbrauhaus beer stein in the other hand, you need something to carry your id, phone, etc.

The must have accessory for German beer girl costumes.

Wow, warm enough for a Beer Bike in Minneapolis yet? When Pedal Pub had April 1 availability, I thought they were crazy. But, heck, we could have used a Twin Cities beer bike for St Patrick’s Day.

If you haven’t seen one of these beer bikes, here’s the deal: you get a group of friends together to drink beer and all pedal on what looks like a parade float. These are quite popular in Germany now, especially Berlin and Munich. Not sure if they run during Oktoberfest – any readers know?

You kind of have to see what one of these pedal pubs looks like. Our hometown guys Pedal Pub are expanding. Soon to be in a town near you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLsJAreExL4

2008 was a big year in America. Barack Obama was elected president, Michael Phelps won the most gold medals in Olympic history, and the Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas initiated a new tradition, one that has become its most popular feature. Spanking. Yes, if you buy a shot at their Vegas restaurant you have the option to let the pretty dirndl-clad waitress take a big windup and spank you as hard as she can with a 3-foot paddle. If you don’t believe me you can see for yourself in this video, or this one, or this one. There’s something about grown men bending over for a spanking—the type of macho bro that used to beat me up in high school—that brings, I’ll admit it, joy to my heart. I don’t understand what more you’re saying about your manliness when you let a petite girl take a paddle to your ass, but at least it’s fun to watch! They’re in on the joke, of course, bending over with a big smile as they ready themselves for ‘punishment.’ And the tradition has become so popular that you can even get a souvenir t-shirt from the experience.

We first heard about this tradition when OktoberfestHaus went to Las Vegas to check out their new merchandise. We’re already one of the leading providers of official Hofbrauhaus merchandise, and visits to their Las Vegas headquarters are one reason why. When we saw an entire bachelor party line up and get smacked one-by-one, we had to learn more about it. How did this start? Who’s idea was it? What kind of person asks a waitress to spank him in the middle of a crowded restaurant?

We asked Katharina Gastager of Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas to tell us a little more about the tradition. She first told us about the paddle, and how it’s a German custom to serve ‘schnapps’ on a wooden board one meter long. After many years of serving shots this way, one of the Hofbrauhaus waitress was asked one night by an American man if she would spank him with the paddle after he drank the shot. “She agreed, he enjoyed it, [and] customers around him who witnessed the paddling were immediately asking for the same treatment.”

Now over 150 customers are spanked on a typical weekend night. We asked Katharina who usually asks for a spanking, if it’s mainly bachelor partiers like in the YouTube videos we saw, and she said people of all ages ask for it. “Even seniors!”

While none of us wanted to get spanked during our most recent visit, Katharina did send us home with some “I Got Spanked at Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas!” t-shirts. When she got to the owner of OktoberfestHaus, Brendan McCarthy, we were all surprised to hear him decline a t-shirt. He already had one! None of us could believe it until he showed us the pictures, which you can see below. It turns out he did get spanked, and it looks like it hurt. A lot. Prost Brendan!

What do you think? Have you been spanked at the Hofbrauhaus? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Ouch!

Why are beer boots sometimes called “Das Boot”?

The term Das Boot refers to a 2 liter beer boot as was coined during the 2006 Warner Brother’s film Beerfest. Beerfest, by the broken lizard crew, is a beer-themed comedy revolving around a secret beer Olympics at Oktoberfest in Germany. After an embarrassing defeat, brothers Todd and Jan Wolfhouse assemble a ragtag dream team of beer drinkers and return the following year, beating the Germans in the 2 liter beer boot ‘das boot’ competition and clinching the title.
Beerfest generated awareness and popularized the 2 liter beer boot making ‘Das Boot’ a must have among consumers.

Isn’t Das Boot also an older movie about a submarine?

Yes, Das Boot which is German for  “the boat”  is also a 1981 feature film directed by Wolfgang Petersen about WWII, men at war, and German submarines. (If you haven’t seen this movie before, it’s definitely worth watching if you enjoy this type of film).

Why beer boots?

These glass drinking vessels embody the beer culture found in Germany. Beer boot drinking is the essence of camaraderie and in many circles, a game of sorts

Beer Boots are the perfect addition to any bar, make great gifts (graduation, holidays, birthdays, father’s day, wedding parties, etc.) and will always get the attention of your friends.

Custom engraved and personalized beer boots are extremely popular as groomsmen gifts

Breweries can add a custom color logo to boots for a great promotional and merchandising tool that will grab the attention of consumers.

Beer boot history

Beer boots are a German invention where they are called a “Bierstiefel”, however there are varying historical explanations. The history of beer boots is centered around the German military towards the beginning of the 20th century. As with many “traditional” and informal sources the veracity of such claims may be disputable but the tradition itself does have a cultural source.

One Tradition holds that a Prussian general swore to his troops that he would drink beer from his boot dependent on the successful outcome in a coming battle. When victorious, the general ordered a glass fashioned in the shape of a boot to fulfill his promise without “having to taste his own feet”.

Another tradition holds that the beer boot began during World War I when German soldiers, having nothing else to drink from, instead passed around an actual leather boot of beer before heading into battle. They would flick the boot before drinking from it for good luck and again after drinking to wish next soldier good luck.

Differences in beer boots:

Mouth Blown Beer Boots
The European made mouth blown beer boot is where it all began. Mouth blown beer boots are individually hand crafted by skilled artisan glass makers in the finest German, Austrian and Polish glass factories. Mouth blown boots are of heirloom quality although as with any hand made glass, it is perfectly normal to find slight abnormalities such as air bubbles and ridges in the glass. Mouth blown beer boots are very fragile and the utmost of care should be used during their use. Oktoberfest Haus carries the 2 liter mouth blown beer boot both blank and with a variety of Germany brewery logos.

Machine Pressed Beer Boots
Machine pressed beer boots can withstand more abuse than their mouth blown counterpart. Machine pressed beer boots are available in our store in the following sizes:

• 3 liter beer boots
• 2 liter machine pressed beer boot – Das Boot
• 1 liter and smaller machine pressed beer boots
• Shot glass size beer boot

How to drink from a beer boot

The movie Beerfest popularized the theory that “the secret” to drinking out of a beer boot is to point the toe sideways. As beer is consumed out of a beer boot, an air pocket forms in the toe. This air pocket needs to be carefully released to prevent spilling all over the drinker and the standard trick is to hold the boot so that the toe points to either side horizontally. While this certainly does help prevent beer spilling all over the drinker, we leave it up to you to decide how to drink your beer boot as some prefer the added challenge of “toe up” rules.

Oktoberfest Haus ‘Haus’ Game Rules – Beer Boot Drinking Game

1. The beer boot is passed around a group with individuals taking a sip and passing to the left (unless multiple boots are in use).

2. Once the boot is first picked up, it cannot touch the table or be set down until empty.

3. Each player must flick the beer boot prior to and after taking a sip.

4. If you get splashed in the face, you drink again

5. The beer boot’s toe is to remain pointed upward and no turning of the beer boot is allowed (Allowing the toe to face sideways is for amateurs only).

6. If you finish the beer boot, the person before you buys the next fill or is required to fill the next “Das Boot”.

If you play this game with alcohol, always remember to drink responsibly and NEVER drink and drive

It’s Mardi Gras and Carvanal season! If you’re off to New Orleans or throwing your own homegrown Mardi Gras bash, we have a wide selection of party beads and costumes to help you celebrate Bavarian-style. Order now from Oktoberfest Haus and get them in time for Mardi Gras, Tuesday, Feb 21st.

Party Beads

Party Glasses

Men’s Costumes

Women’s Costumes

Costume Wigs

Beer Boots with Lanyard

BlogCatalog

Looks like New York Giants (146 votes) edged out New England Patriots (124 votes). Entrants who correctly guess winning team and margin of victory win Stolzle 0.5 Liter Beer Boot. Good luck, entrants. Enjoy the Super Bowl.

Add blog to our directory.

What is Hugh Hefner’s former squeeze doing with a Hofbrau 1 liter beer mug? Follow this link to find out!

Oktoberfest is popular all over the world! Check out this fun story about Oktoberfest’s “Italian Weekend.” Every year over 200,000 Italians visit Oktoberfest, including 75,000 during just its second weekend. So many Italians come to the festival that the Munich police have taken to importing some Italian police officers for some extra help!

OktoberfestHaus doesn’t have any Italian items per se, but we do have a bunch of Alpine Hats – the Alps bordering both Germany and Italy – including this Alpine hat with the colors of the Italian flag.