Black Forest Inn, Minneapolis MN

OKTOBERFEST 2014!

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 2014 is here!
Join in the fun! See your friends, neighbors - maybe even you!

See some of the fun we've had during Oktoberfest over the past few years!
Watch this space - new photos will be added throughout during Oktoberfest 2014!

View the 2014 slideshow →

View the 2013 slideshow →

View the 2012 slideshow →

View the 2011 slideshow →

View the 2010 slideshow →

View the 2009 slideshow →

View the 2008 slideshow →

2014 Oktoberfest Events!

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!

The foods that you will see on every corner at Oktoberfest include Roast or Rotisserie Chicken, Pretzels and, of course, sausages. We've got all those food and great German beer too!

» Take a look at this year's Oktoberfest food specials menu!

So join in the fun this fall at the Black Forest Inn! Festivities include: Grimm Night! Silent movies! Krautrock! Wagner Night! Celebrity keg tapper! Tubas! Deep fried stuff! Prizes!

Enter our Grand Prize drawing for a bike from Sunrise Cyclery! Runner up wins a 5L bottle of wine! Wow!

» 2014 Schedule of events!

Day One: Prost! Night
Friday September 26, 2014
The best way to start Oktoberfest is with a toast! Celebrate fall, beer, and each other with a toast. We'll have some for you to read, or make up your own. Standing up to toast is encouraged. Speaking from the heart is essential. Rhyming is optional. Prizes will be awarded for exceptional toasts.

6:00 – 7:30 pm Live music!Alphorns! The Matterhorn Trio will play outside in our beer garden
7:30 pm Ceremonial Keg Tapping & restaurant-wide toast
7:30 – 9:30 pm Toasting!
7:30 – 9:30 pm Live music!Jim ten Bensel on horns and Denny Malmberg on accordion

Paulaner Night!
Buy any Paulaner beer and get a logo glass for $1!

Oktoberfest 2008

Day Two: Eurotrash Night
Saturday September 27, 2014
Bust out the leather pants because you don’t just think you're cool, you know you're cool. And you've got the repetitive dance moves to prove it!

6:30 – 8:00 pm Try a sample of Berentzen Icemint!

Summit Night!
Buy any Summit and get a logo stein for $1! Meet the brewer! The head brewer from Summit - Damian McConn - will be here to share samples and talk beer and trash with anyone who will listen.

Day Three: Dumpling Day
Sunday, September 28, 2014
We're not taking any sides in any ongoing dumpling wars. There're all delicious to us! We'll have the best and the biggest, the fluffiest and the heartiest, a-meal-in-itself-ers, and the dessert type dumplings. The Dumpling Appreciation Society meets here today!

6:30 – 9:00 pm Live music!Dreamland Faces, an accordion and saw duo

Millstream Night!
Buy any Millstream and get a logo pint glass for $1. Also, win Millstream prizes!

Day Four: The Wurst Night of Oktoberfest
Monday September 29, 2014
We'll celebrate sausages with sausage specials, mustards galore and fantastic sausage-enhancing condiments. Order the "brat bar" and choose your sausages and sides. Swim in sauerkraut. Pile your plate with pickles. Relish some relish. You deserve our best. We'll give you our wurst.

Brat bar includes: Handmade bratwurst, Handmade chicken curry sausage, Weisswurst, 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 PLUS a Kümmerling digestiv for $16.00

5:00 pm – 10:00 pm The Brat Bar Is open!

6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Live Music!Mark Stillman on accordion

Grain Belt Night!
Win Grain Belt Prizes!
Bring in your tuba for a free beer!

Day Five: Kino Abend (Movie Night)
Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Silent movies. Live music. Beer.

6:00 pm The movies silently begin.

Franziskaner Night!
Buy any Franziskaner and get a logo tall pilsner glass for $1!

Day Six: Faust Night
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Faust Night, where everything comes at a terrible price.

6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Faustian Bargains offered to the brave (or foolish)*

Spaten Night!
Buy any Spaten beer and get a logo glass for $1

Dry ice in the fountain!

*(No one will actually be damned tonight.)

Day Seven: Herman the German Night
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Get in the way back machine: Arminius! Germanicus! Folk heroes from a time when there weren't that many folks. Fight the Romans! Fight each other! The Germans were the original pagans, the original barbarians and they were so not unified.

Schells Night!

6:30 – 9:00 pm Live music!Happy Wanderers, an accordion and tuba duo.

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!

Day Eight: Angela Merkel Night / Reunification Day
Friday, October 3, 2014
Austerity is the new black! Join us in celebrating Germany's answer to the Iron Lady. She may not be able to keep a coalition government together, but she has such a practical haircut. Wear your best tweed suit! Bonus! This is a real German holiday! It was 25 years ago that the wall came down and not long after that Germany became one country again.

All day! Reunification cards available
6:30 – 9:00 pm Live music!Jim ten Bensel on horns & Dee Langley on accordion

In honor of Reunification Day, we are helping foster other, smaller reunifications. We'll have cards and envelopes for you to address to a long lost relative, an old friend, a seldom seen neighbor or anyone else. The card says "Let's Reunify!", and enclosed is a five dollar gift certificate to the Black Forest Inn, good for one year. Plenty of time to plan your own reunification! Handy tips for celebrating Angela Merkel Picture captioning!

We pushed the tables together. Get it? We re-unified them.

612Brew Night!
Buy any 612Brew beer and get a logo pint glass for $1!

Day Nine: Tie the Knot Night
Saturday October 4, 2014
As you know, originally, Oktoberfest was a wedding celebration. So we're going back to it's roots, and honoring the original Oktoberfest tonight. Get married! Renew your vows! Celebrate your anniversary! We have all the fixin's: ministers, flowers, bridesmaids, wedding cake, and an atmosphere of love.**

7:00 pm – 9:30 pm Live music!Jim ten Bensel on horns & Skeets Langley on accordion
All day weddings & vow renewals

Hacker-Pschorr Night!
Buy any Hacker-Pschorr and get a logo glass for $1!

**Seriously, you could have your wedding here. Call us. And don’t forget to get your marriage license seven days in advance.

Day Ten: Drain the Keg Night
Sunday October 5, 2014
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 2 pm 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

6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Live music!Mark Stillman on accordion

8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Price on ½ liters of beer drops $0.50 per hour

Congratulations to our 2013 Drawing winners!

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