It’s Oktoberfest! You know what that means…

Lots of Beer! Beer! Beer!… 

Often called in laymen terms “the German St. Patrick’s day”, Oktoberfest has long beer halls that are set at the fairgrounds in Munich, Germany running from late September and ending the first weekend in October.

But wait… shouldn’t all this talk of drinking raise the usual cautionary tales of dangerous underage drinking and drinking on campuses?

American culture tells a polar opposite story, glorifying the day-to-day binge drinking of college students, especially that of Fraternity and Sorority “formals”.

Classic movies like Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds come to mind and in more recent cinema; American Pie, Van Wilder, and The Neighbors all have a positive depiction of the barely sober youth lifestyle.

In the words of rapper J-Kwon, who strangely puts this discrepancy between American culture and policy toward underage drinking rather eloquently in his #2 billboard song Tipsy,

Teen drinking is very bad. Yo I got a fake ID though!

So what’s a millennial to do if you want to responsibly avoid the sauce until you come of age (while grappling with an embarrassing teetotaler social stigma)?

We all know the reality of college drinking; students are going to get their hands on some form of alcoholic beverage whether we like it or not and yes some will abuse it.

But maybe Oktoberfest could help temper the temptation to binge.

 The festival of Beer might provide an ample opportunity to teach a more “sober” way to

talk about the beverage.

Oktoberfest is not just about getting drunk but it’s about the beautiful taste of beer itself! The autumn season introduces a wide assortment of ales such as Märzen, Oktoberfest, Festbier, Pumpkin Ales, Imperial Pumpkin Ales, Pumpkin Spice Ale, Oktoberweissebier, and many more.

We’d like to see the American culture celebrate less binge drinking instead try a taste of the German culture of beer/ale.