Oktoberfest at St Benedicts in RVA- Were you there?

Last weekend, St Benedict Catholic Church once again held their annual Oktoberfest. This 3-day event was filled with classic Oktoberfest foods, music, dance, games, and of course beers. Friday was a bit overcast but nice, Saturday the weather cleared up a bit and the sun shone down on the festival periodically, and Sunday it rained. Not a hard rain, more of a light drizzle, but it could not put a damper on the Oktoberfest spirit at St Benedicts. Besides, with the huge “Bierhalle” tents there was also plenty of shelter.

There were Stein Holding Contests, Hirschjager Bavarian Dancers, lots of music, the ever-popular Chicken Dance, and more.

Food menus included a Wurst Platter with Bratwurst, Knockwurst, Weisswurst, Sauerkraut, and German Potato Salad and a Wiener Schnitzel Platter with Wiener Schnitzel, Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, and German Potato Salad.

If you didn’t want a platter, (or if you wanted more than a platter) there were also individual items for sale such as Bratwurst on a Brat roll, Kinderdog on a Hot Dog roll, Sauerkraut, German Potato Salad, Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage, Sauerkraut Balls (sauerkraut, sausage crumbles, onion, egg batter, cream cheese rolled into balls and deep fried and served with cocktail sauce), Potato Pancakes with applesauce, and of course no Oktoberfest celebration could be complete without the Bavarian Jumbo Pretzel. And for desert? How about Black Forest Cake, Apple Strudel, and German Chocolate Cake.

Of course, what kind of Oktoberfest celebration would it be without bier! At any given time, there were up to 47 local and regional craft beers and 4 beers from Munich, Germany on tap. No matter what you were in the mood for; a Doppel Bock, Ocktoberfest, Kolsch, Wit, Lager, IPA, Stout, Saison, a Cider, or even a Bourbon Barrel Ale, it was on tap and available in tasters and full pours.

And for those who prefer grapes over grains, there were a wide selection of red, white, and rose wines available from Germany and Austria.

There were also a number of vendors and crafters selling some amazing wood crafts, jewelry, Christmas ornaments, toys, and more.

I love this festival, and do my best to swing by every year so I can channel my inner Deutscher for a day.

Prost!