Why Is Beer the World's Favorite Drink?
There are a few things you can count on if you go to Munich's yearly Oktoberfest. Sausages, baked pretzels, zesty sauerkraut, and buttered noodles will be plenty. Guests will be dressed in lederhosen for men and dirndls (bodiced Bavarian dresses) for women at the crowd-puller. Music and parades will keep you entertained at all times. And, above all, there will be beer. The harvest celebration began in 1810 to commemorate Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese's wedding. In March, vast quantities of the traditional beer, known as Marzen, were made and enjoyed throughout the summer. At Oktoberfest, revelers finished the brew. The two-week festival now draws around 6 million guests each year, who consume over 7 million liters of an icy beverage . Only six local brewers are permitted to sell beer at Munich's Oktoberfest: Hacker-Pschorr, Paulaner, Löwenbräu, Hofbräu, Spaten, and Augustiner. When New York Times reviewer Eric Asimov visited the festival in 2008, he said, ...