Black Forest Inn, Minneapolis MN

OKTOBERFEST!

Oktoberfest began as a wedding celebration. In the fall of 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria was married. The celebration continued for two weeks and the idea of it has lasted for almost 200 years!

Oktoberfest is happening right now!
Join in the fun! See your friends, neighbors - maybe even you!

If you don't see our slideshow,
you may need to update your Flash player.

Get Adobe Flash player

See some of the fun we're already during Oktoberfest 2010. Watch this space, as new pictures are being added every day!

View the 2009 slideshow →

View the 2008 slideshow →

2010 Oktoberfest Events
(as of 9/21/10)

While most people associate Oktoberfest with lots of beer drinking, it's always been a carnival-like celebration in Germany.

There are rides and games, and Munich holds the annual poster contest (an idea we've borrowed!)

Oktoberfest menu cover contest
» view contest guidelines

» see the previous winners!

Le Cirque Rouge
Special Oktoberfest Kabaret
Three Nights!
Thursday - Friday - Saturday
September 23 - 24 - 25
10 pm
Only 80 seats! First come first serve!
Friday & Saturday Tickets $10.00
Special Thursday! Only $5.00
Music! Dancing! Sequins! Feathers!

Great Brats and Beer Steins!
(Nope – that's not an expression!)

We're giving all you Facebook-ers, Twitter-ers, and Foursquare-ers a chance to win 25 brats (that's 5 lbs worth) and a pair of our finest beer steins!

Come to the Black Forest Inn during our 10-day Oktoberfest celebration and use any of these social platforms to let people know that you're having a goll-darn good time!

If you fancy…

facebook Facebook
• Like Black Forest Inn on Facebook (if you haven't already)
• Upload photos to the "10 Days of Oktoberfest"photo album
• Or use the Facebook Places app to tag you and maybe some friends, then show it to your waiter/waitress

Twitter logo Twitter
• Share photos, videos, or tweets with hashtag #blackforest

Foursquare logo Foursquare
• Check in to the Black Forest Inn as many times as you're there! – again, show it to your waiter/waitress!
• If you tweet about it, include Twitter hashtag #blackforest

We'll make a running tally of all the posts and announce two winners – one for the 25 brats and one for the pair of beer steins – on "Drain the Keg"night, the last night of Oktoberfest. Fans must be present to win. (C'mon now – who wants to miss out on all that beer?!)

Good luck!

Day ONe: Prost! Night
Friday, September 24, 2010
The best way to start Oktoberfest is with a toast! Celebrate fall, beer, and each other with a toast.
Alphorns, celebrity keg tapper, and Burlesque round out the opening night fun.
6:30 – 7:30 pm Live music!Alphorns with the Matterhorn Trio
7:30 pm Ceremonial Keg Tapping & restaurant-wide toast: will Sven be our celebrity keg tapper again this year?
7:30 – 9:30 pm Live accordion music!Nancy Lovegrin & co. on accordion
10:00 pm Kabarett in banquet space by Le Cirque Rouge

Oktoberfest 2008

Day Two: Decadent Weimar Republic Kabarett Night
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The Weimar Republic was home to the artistic avant garde of Europe. They lit up the night with cabarets, concerts, performances and parties.
6:30 – 9:30 pm Live Music!Dreamland Faces (an accordion and saw duo)
10:00 pm Kabarett in banquet space by Le Cirque Rouge

Buy any mug of Köstritzer beer and get a logo glass for $1.00!

Day Three: German Chocolate Night
Sunday, September 26, 2010
We're not talking about some gooey cake invented by a guy in St. Louis – this is the real stuff. Rich, creamy, sweet German candy. Try a beer & chocolate combo! Have a kaffeeklatch with cake & coffee! Win German candy prizes!

Get a free hand made chocolate with any Paulaner order
Special price for a slice of cake with coffee $7.50 (regularly $8.95)

Buy any size mug of Paulaner and get a logo glass for $1.00!

Day Four: The Wurst Night of Oktoberfest
(or The Offal Night of Oktoberfest)

Monday, September 27, 2010
We'll celebrate sausages with a twist! The Brat Bar returns and this year we've added some offal new items. Have a heart, or sample some sweetbreads. Try the tongue, or nibble some kidneys. Have some pickled tongue or marinated heart. The Germans love it all, from the nose to the tail. Prizes for the most adventurous eater!

Brat bar includes: Handmade bratwurst, Handmade chicken curry sausage, Polish sausage, celery relish, fried peppers, fried onions, sauerkraut, homemade Bavarian Sweet mustard, Maple mustard, Horseradish sauerkraut sauce, Curry ketchup, rye bread, potato salad, red cabbage and pickles. All that sausage goodness for $14.00

Side of pan fried Sweetbreads $6.00
Side of pickled tongue $6.00
Side of heart Bordelaise $6.00
Side of veal liver $6.00
Side of sweet & sour veal kidneys $6.00
The works and/or to share $22.00

5:00 pm – 10:00 pm Brat bar opens

Buy any mug of Grain Belt Premium and get a logo pint glass for $1.00!

Day Five: Home Brew Night
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Five accomplished brewers pit their best beers against each other. And you are going to decide whose brew rules Oktoberfest! Free to all dining customers, the sampler comes with descriptions and a ballot.
6:30 – 9:00 pm Live music!Skeets Langley on accordion
6:30 – 9:00 pm Beer sampling and voting
9:00 pm Best Home Brew Prize awarded

Win home brew supply store and other type prizes!
The Minnesota Home Brewers Association will be on hand to answer all your beer making questions.

Day Six: Grimm Night
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
In our Forest, we've got food & beer. In other forests, magic and mystery lurk. Join us for a celebration of creatures and cures, of witches to watch out for and the monster within us. Don't forget to leave a trail of breadcrumbs so you can find your way home again…

7:00 – 9:00 pm Schells beer samples & prizes
9:00 pm Schells prize drawing – enter to win a free brewery tour, gas card and one night's stay at the Holiday Inn New Ulm!

Buy any mug of Schells and get a logo pint glass for $1.00
Dry ice in the fountain!
Win prizes!

Day Seven: Schlager Night
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Schlager is German for "hits" and we have them for you. Uh-oh, der Kommisar's in town! German music went top 40 in the '80s and we are totally going to release 99 Red Balloons.
7:45 pm Balloon release (don't worry, we're releasing 99 biodegradable red balloons)
8:00 – 11:00 pm DJ Lübbert Kruizenga spins the Schlager

Buy any Stiegl beer and get a mug for $1.00!

Day Eight: David Hasselhoff Night
Friday, October 1, 2010
We honor Mr. Hoff-tastic himself tonight (He's big in Germany!) We will have his face all over the restaurant! The main event is the giveaway of an array of excellent un-Hoffingly-believable prizes.
6:30 – 9:00 pm Live music!Skeets Langley on accordion
7:30 – 10:00 pm Malibu girl giving away samples. Try a sample of Malibu! (this is in reference to Baywatch. Get it?)
8:00 – 11:00 pm Prize giveaways!

Buy any mug of Spaten and get a logo glass for $1.00!

Day Nine: Desperate Hausfrau Night
Saturday, October 2, 2010
What makes a Desperate Hausfrau? Come to the restaurant tonight to find out! Three salons (Fox Den Salon, Moxie and Head to Toe) will be showing off the work of their stylists. See how each one interprets Desperate Hausfrau and vote for your favorite. We will have a panel of celebrity judges, too!
5:00 – 9:30 pm Customer voting for best Desperate Hausfrau
6:30 – 9:30 pm Live music!Dreamland Faces (an accordion and saw duo)
9:00 pm Ballots counted and People's Choice winner announced
9:15 pm Best Desperate Hausfrau awards (Celebrity judge and People's Choice) granted to stylist(s)

Buy a Summit beer and get a logo pint glass for $1.00!

Day Ten: Drain the Keg Night
Sunday, October 3, 2010
We don't want to lug any barrels home with us after the party so we're going to start dropping the price of beer at 2pm and keep dropping it until the beer is gone. Seriously.
2:00 pm – 8:00 pm Price on ½ liters of beer drops $0.25 per hour
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Price on ½ liters of beer drops $0.50 per hour
9:00 pm "Great Brats and Beer Steins" prizes awarded* (click here for more information)
9:00 pm Grand Prize drawing**

*Must be present to win
**Need not be present to win

Congratulations to our 2010 Drawing winners!

Grand Prize
Summit Neon Sign: Anna Brelje

Grand Prize
Language class at the GAI: Rose Allen

Great Brats & Beer Steins
5 lb brawurst: Steve Payne

Great Brats & Beer Steins
2 one liter 200th Anniversary of Oktoberfest ceramic mugs: Paul Allen(of no relation to Rose Allen!)

Desperate Hausfrau People's Choice
Everything's Perfect Hausfrau: Stylist AmberLee at Moxie

Desperate Hausfrau Judge's Choice
Better off a Hausfrau: stylists Team Head to Toe

Best Home Brew People's Choice
"Golden Hoard" Belgian Amber: brewer Kurt Smelser

Schells Brewery Tour & trip to New Ulm:
Andrew Shimota

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's Oktoberfest!
See you again next year!