Golden German beer flowed generously at the Scottish Rite Cathedral Friday, Oct. 22 during the kickoff of the first inaugural Long Beach Oktoberfest.
This weekend is the first of a two-weekend celebration previously held at Alpine Village in Torrance.
Dressed in lederhosen, attendees munched on bratwurst and pretzels to the sounds of polka music by Die Sauerkrauts—who later led the crowd in an impassioned rendition of the chicken dance.
“I like to drink German beer and crazy or not, I like the music,” said Bodo Lill, who lived in Germany before he moved to Long Beach seven years ago.
After the Munich Oktoberfest was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, Lill attended several Oktoberfests in neighboring counties to make up for the loss.
“The music is very authentic, the tent is very authentic, the beer is authentic,” Lill said. “The setup is a little different because in Germany you wouldn’t make it on a parking lot. If authentic is 10, I would give it a seven.”
The “fest bier” menu includes authentic beers shipped from Germany to Long Beach, including Hofbrau Dunkel Bier and the Paulaner Golden Oktoberfest—representing two of the six official breweries of Oktoberfest.
“We pour this golden Oktoberfest beer once a year. Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” said Ray Reynoso representing the Paulaner Brewery, who supplied 120 kegs to the Scottish Rite for the event. “This is going to be the biggest Oktoberfest celebration in Southern California.”
The fest beer is lighter than a traditional Oktoberfest amber beer (it’s meant to be drunk plentifully) but still contains a hoppy punch.
“When people find out that this is from Munich, that it’s the actual beer they serve there, they’re more inclined to try it, and they’re happy they made that decision,” Reynoso said.
In addition to traditional Oktoberfest beers, the event offers a hazy IPA, hard kombucha and a variety of wines. Eats include traditional bratwurst (vegan option available), polish sausage, German potato salad and pretzels with the Bavarian beer cheese.
“Our biggest goal is to make it authentic,” organizer Jim Ritson said. “We don’t want it to be washed down or commercialized, we really want to do our best to make it feel authentic.”
The Long Beach Oktoberfest will continue today, Saturday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and again Sunday, Oct. 24 at noon for a family-friendly celebration, as well as Friday through Sunday next week.
General admission tickets ($25) for this and next weekend are available online. VIP tickets ($125) come with guaranteed seating near entertainment, an official Long Beach Oktoberfest stein, one plate of food and hosted beer and wine.
