Oktoberfest in August
That doesn't make the Beijing party quite as Bavarian as pope emeritus Benedict XVI: some of the beer - and the bright-red frankfurter on my sausage plate - seem to have, um, Chinese characteristics. And after a long set that has the Westerners in the crowd recalling wedding receptions from home, the merry musicians from Munich yield the stage to a Chinese band, and the booming baritones belting out Der Mai Ist Gekommen give way to a crowd-pleasing Chinese singalong.
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The menu has something for everyone as well. The roast chicken was crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside on our first visit, although a bit dry on our second.
The Munich-style white sausages were terrific, sharing the plate with a nicely tart sauerkraut and a savory bread dumpling.
Other entree options include grilled fish, fried pork steak and an Oktoberfest classic: fried pork knuckle. Also available: roast lamb - 1,600 yuan ($260) for a whole lamb - grilled squid, cold black fungus and other Chinese-style fare. Dessert was a choice of fruit plate or toasted bread squares with fruit. (Memo to organizers: think apple strudel.)
As we ruminated over the draft beer selection (dark, light, lighter), our server volunteered the info that the dark beer was German but the lighter options were Chinese. Fair enough, perhaps - you can't fill a 13,000-square-meter tent with happy drinkers without embracing local sponsors and local taste.
As a fan of the blackest possible beer, I was happy as a schwein in slop with my 1-liter glass mug of rich, dark draft (100 yuan), or you could pay 60 yuan for a liter of Yanjing.
Beijing's two-week-long Oktoberfest at the Olympic Park ends Aug 30, but don't fret if you've missed that fun.
German restaurants and hotels are just gearing up for their own celebrations, including the Kempinski Beijing, where fresh Paulaner beer and servers in traditional dirndl dresses and leather lederhosen will kick off that annual party on Oct 10.
Last year we saw a server carry 16 mugs of beer at one time - we can only hope she's back this year!
Prost!
