Hardened Wies’n-goers share their tips for a hangover-free fest
As an Australian, I am a disgrace to my family, friends and country—at least when it comes to drinking. As a nation, Australians have, quite rightly, earned a ferocious reputation for downing beer. But, the reputation helps me not one jot when it comes down to an extended session. Of course, I can hold my own when it comes to the occasional night on the booze. It is, however, during those long benders traditionally associated with sheep shearers, cane cutters and marauding soccer teams that I get found out. “Do the crime, serve the time” is the best way of describing the symptoms of headaches, nausea and tremors that hit after an extreme night on the turps. As I lay there suffering in the revelry aftermath with a packet of frozen peas on my sconce, there is no power on earth that can convince me to back it up with a liquid breakfast or a successive outing. So, imagine my problem this year when, because of business and social commitments, I find myself booked at the Oktoberfest for five nights in succession. As a rule, I enjoy the occasional visit. There is, however, a risk that this year’s social calendar could see me as yet another casualty on the hill behind the Hofbräu Festzelt where, like a Napoleonic battlefield, the dead and wounded of many nations lay sprawled across the grass.
To avoid this, some advice from Oktoberfest veterans was clearly needed. First stop were my fellow compatriots at the Munich Kangaroos Australian Rules Football Club. Nils Lodes, a reedy, 37-year-old software engineer and half-back flanker with the Roos, has been attending the Oktoberfest since he first arrived, in 1997. In 2000, he achieved the ultimate Oktoberfest experience by attending the festival every day. “It was hard work, but you know you don’t have to drink every time you go,” said Nils, whose personal best at the Oktoberfest is eight Mass. “Water. That’s the trick. Drink a lot of it before, during and afterwards.”
As alcohol has a diuretic effect, a full-on booze assault leads to dehydration. So Lodes’ advice to drink nonalcoholic beverages regularly makes sense—especially in case of a hot Indian summer day. “Food is another good idea. After knocking off work, before hitting the fest, I line my gut with fat. A big lardy cheeseburger is the best, in my experience, because the alcohol has a hard time filtering though it.” Nils, whose favorite tent is the Schottenhammel, also strongly urges pacing. “A beer an hour. That’s a reasonable pace, but really the Oktoberfest isn’t as bad as the Starkbierfest—now that’s a killer. It’s like drinking bottles of fortified wine.”
Eric McInerney, a player and former trainer with the München Colmcilles Gaelic Football Club, has been visiting the Oktoberfest since 1979. A sports obsessed 48-year-old, Eric takes superb care of his body and still runs many younger opponents into the ground. “The thing about the Oktoberfest is that the beer is so much stronger than normal beer so it affects you differently. It’s a high energy buzz, and you have to be careful or you go mad,” explains McInerney. While never actually planning to head down to the Oktoberfest, McInerney, originally from Dublin, often finds himself fronting up to a few of the beer tents during the two weeks of festivities. “They’re all good, but the best is the Armbrustschützenzelt. It’s the one where I am less likely to end up with a hangover the next day, probably because it is well ventilated.” McInerney’s other tip is a good feed. “We all know that the price of (Oktoberfest) food is a rip off, but eating something can make all the difference between staying on your feet and falling face down in the mud.”
Rory Donoghue, the trainer of the Munich Rugby Football Club (MRFC), admits he isn’t as hard playing or as hard drinking as he was when he arrived 17 years ago, but he still heads down to the Oktoberfest regularly. “It’s lost its novelty, but it’s still the biggest beer party in the world and not to be missed. Certainly the rugby lads believe that, because attendance at training falls pretty dramatically during those two weeks.” Living around the corner doesn’t help Donoghue’s cause either. That, and the fact that his wife (Maki, a Japanese citizen) loves the excitement and vibrancy of the festival. “If I want to see her, I usually have to head down there for an evening, but I never go without stopping in for a chicken from the Lindwurmstubl. It’s famed for the best chicken in town and you need a base layer on which to settle the beer.”
The MRFC stages an annual international tournament during the Oktoberfest, which lures many European teams to Munich. “My advice to them [visiting teams] is much the same as to you,” says Donoghue. “Watch the beer, because it’s strong and there ain’t no cure for hangovers except paracetamol, water and a stay in bed. That’s it.”
