Oktoberfest, Not Just A German Sausage Fest

Nebraska is made up of a large percentage of German descendants.  Oktoberfests here are not taken lightly. I planned my trip home bearing this in mind.  The door to get into the Crescent Moon ale house in Omaha this weekend is going to be almost as tough as making it passed Naeem at the Eldridge. This means that we will need to stake out our territory tomorrow well before 4pm.  I am excited and anxious for the festivities to begin at the Moon, the bar that has a digital countdown to Oktoberfest hanging on the wall all year long.  And, this being the 175th landmark of the festival in Munich, there is sure to be a decent amount of debauchery.  For all of you stuck in NYC.  Shecky's has done a fine job of putting together a list of the best places to enjoy a good old sausage fest:

Loreley. 7 Rivington St. (Chrystie & Bowery) German immigrants helped shape the LES so it's fitting that Loreley exists there.  More fitting, during Oktoberfest they bring in seasonal brews for the beer conossiours.  Also, it's by Bowery, so you're guaranteed the "cool" star.

Lederhosen. 39 Grove St (Bedford & Bleecker) "Go for the boot, which measures a full two liters and costs $22 to fill up—just keep a good grip, or risk paying the $40 “breakage fee.”

Heidelberg. 1648 2nd Ave. (85th & 86th Streets) "Boots of beer will be filled and carefully consumed (observe someone who’s done it before to avoid the embarrassing splashback caused by the boot’s unusual shape), and a good time will be had by all who can manage to stay conscious."

Schnitzel Haus. 7319 5th Ave (@73rd) Bayridge. "Schnitzel Haus offers the authentic German experience without the Manhattan prices. You can spend Oktoberfest sampling from their 10 drafts ($5-$6) and 33 bottled beers ($4-$12), all excellent and most of them German, like Weihenstephan."

Bohemian Beer Hall & Garden. 29-19 24th ave (nr 29th) Astoria. "An Oktoberfest bar tour without a stop at the Bohemian Beer Hall & Garden would be like a ditschi (funny-shaped hat) without a gamsbart (traditional hat adornment)—improper and unfortunate."

Radegast Hall & Biergarten. 113 N. #rd St. (Berry St. & Wythe Ave). "If you plan on extending your own personal beerfest into the wee hours, you might want to make Williamsburg’s Radegast Hall & Biergarten your final destination since it’s open later than most other bierhauses (until 4am every night). True, it is technically an Austro-Hungarian beer hall, but that doesn’t stop their trendy clientele from partying like it’s Munich when late September rolls around."

Go HERE for full article.