Okay, I went to Oktoberfest! Happy, now?

     For most of the 18 or so years I've thus far been writing about beer, people have assumed that the single, most important event in my yearly schedule is Munich's Oktoberfest. Whereas, in truth, I've actually spent 18 years avoiding going to the famous beer bash, confident as I was that Oktoberfest is less about beer and more about drinking.

     Turns out, I was right. And I was also very, very wrong.

     Oktoberfest is indeed about drinking and especially about drinking beer, litre after litre after litre of it. But it's also a celebration of one of the world's most vibrant and euphoric beer cultures, and it is this aspect that I was missing before I first planted my feet on the Theresienwiese. Unless you've been fortunate enough to attend yourself, I'll be that it's something you, too, have been missing.

     So, yes, I now fully recommend Oktoberfest as a necessary addition to any beer aficionado's long-term beer event agenda, and to show why, I present my list of . . .

Ten Things I Learned About Oktoberfest

1. Oktoberfest may be one of Germany's most popular tourist attractions - not only Munich hotels, but lodgings in the entire area sell out months before it starts - but the event is first and foremost a celebration put on by Münchners for Münchners. Just check out the names on the table reservations (more about those later) to see how highly the fest is regarded by Munich businesses.

2. There is considerably more to Oktoberfest than I imagined, like a full-sized midway packed with rides and games. And yes, for those who would separate at all costs children from any occasion where beer might be consumed, it is very family-friendly.

3. Arriving at Oktoberfest after 8:00 in the evening is a bit like showing up at a party and finding yourself several drinks behind everyone else, except in this case the "drinks" are one-lire steins of lager.

4. There really is logic to lederhosen. Because when malty märzen is both flying out of enthusiastically clinked steins and being rather liberally spilled, leather pants suddenly make a whole lot of sense.

5. If you are part of a group of more than two people and it's raining, forget finding a seat in the big tents without a reservation. The absence of outdoor seating really puts a strain on the tables indoors.

6. About those reservations, they are a very good idea. Mostly, they're made by local businesses for company outings or promotions, but they can also be booked by individual groups so long as you plan well in advance. See oktoberfest.de for details.

7. Putting on a big beer party doesn't mean you have to serve crappy food. (Are you listening beer fest planners?) I had meals at Oktoberfest that would rival the best of the Munich beer hall kitchens. That said, vegetarians should plan to bring their own or eat beforehand.

8. To make your way quickly through the crowds in the big tents, pick a server and follow them. Because when you're carrying six litres of beer and yelling in German, people get out of your way!

9. It may be Oktoberfest to you and me, but for Münchners it's the Wies'n, a reference to the park on which it is held, the Theresienwiese. Get to know that word; you'll be seeing it everywhere.

10. I very much doubt there are many, possibly any, places elsewhere in the world where the beer drinking is so joyfully exuberant. Bavarians, let it be know, really understand the pleasures of celebrating the occasion, any occasion, with family, friends, and plentiful amounts of beer. And they are experts at infecting all those around them with the same love of life.

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