Black Forest Inn, Minneapolis MN

WELCOME TO OKTOBERFEST 2019!

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 over 200 years!

Oktoberfest 2019 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!
Keep an eye on our facebook page to see what we'll be up to this year!

View the 2018 slideshow!→

View the 2017 slideshow →

View the 2016 slideshow →

View the 2015 slideshow →

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 →

Oktoberfest 2019 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!)

» See the winning entry from this year's Oktoberfest menu cover contest!

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 foods 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!

Don't forget to enter our Grand Prize Drawing! This year we're giving away a fire pit from Paulaner. Free to enter. Enter in the restaurant. Entries taken throughout Oktoberfest. Winner will be drawn on October 7. Maybe it will be you! (Need not be present to win.)

 

2019 Schedule of events!
 
September 27 – October 7

Day One: Toast Night!
Friday September 27, 2019
Prost! The best way to start Oktoberfest is with a toast! Celebrate fall, beer and each other with a toast. 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 plays in the beer garden
7:30 pm Ceremonial keg tapping & restaurant-wide toast in the beer garden
7:30 – 9:45 pm Live music!Jim Strehlke on horn and Eric Ray on accordion
Toast specials!

Hacker-Pschorr Night!Buy any Hacker Pschorr beer and get a logo stein for $1! (while supplies last; one per customer)

 

Oktoberfest 2008

Day Two: Grimm Night
Saturday, September 28, 2019
In our Forest, we have good food and beer. In other forests, magic and mystery lurk…

6:30 – 9:00 pm Live music!Andy McCormick on accordion
Costumes! Come dressed as your favorite Grimm character!
Get your face painted as a Grimm character!

Ayinger Night!Buy an Ayinger Oktoberfest and get a glass stein for $1!

 

Day Three: Sturm und Drang Night
Sunday, September 29, 2019
It’s the night of beautiful suffering. Join us in celebrating one of the most prolifically creative periods in German cultural history, bad moods and all.

6:00 – 8:30 pm Live music!Dan Turpening on accordion!

We're giving away copies of The Sorrows of Young Werther. You win one if you think that's funny.
*Sturm und Drang literally translates to Storm and Stress. They didn't invent angst then, but they elevated it to an art form.

Andechs night! Buy any size Andechs Fest and get a logo ½ liter glass for $1!

 

Day Four: The Wurst Night of Oktoberfest
Monday, September 30, 2019
We'll celebrate sausages with sausages! The Brat Bar will be open so you can 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 buffet includes: Handmade bratwurst, handmade chicken curry sausage, handmade weisswurst, Polish sausage, fried peppers, fried onions, sauerkraut, homemade Bavarian Sweet-style mustard, homemade celery relish, homemade horsey sauce, homemade curry ketchup, our famous potato salad, house made sweet and sour red cabbage, homemade dill pickles, and our signature deli rye bread. All that sausage-y goodness for $17.75.
Also included: Unterberg! (because you might need a digestive after all that sausage-y goodness!)

5:00 pm – 10:00 pm The Brat Bar Is open!
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Live Music! Mark Stillman on accordion!
Indeed Night!Win Indeed prizes! Sample Indeed beers!
Tuba Night!Bring your tuba and get a free beer! You may be asked to play your tuba.
Win tickets to Twin Cities Oktoberfest!

 

Day Five: Dumpling Night
Tuesday, October 1, 2019

The universe of dumplings is vast, one night won’t do it justice. So forget justice! Let’s eat dumplings! We’ve got floaters and sinkers, meaty and meatless, saucy and dry. In other words, we’ve got the stuff.
Beer and dumplings, a timeless combination.

6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Live Music! Andy McCormick on accordion
Dumpling sampler special!
Dumplin’ chunkin’!

Utepils Night! Utepils samples! Utepils prizes! Buy any size Utepils Receptional and get a logo 1L glass stein for $1.

 

Day Six: Schnapps Night
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Schnapps as aperitif, or as dessert. Schnapps to settle your stomach or schnapps to make your eyes water. Pick your poison. Who's your meister?

6:00 – 8:00 Try samples of several different kinds of schnapps!
6:30 – 9:00 Live music! Mark Stillman on accordion
Schnapps tongue twisters! Master them and win schnapps swag! Try saying that ten times fast.
Schnapps samplers you can buy: Fruity ones, Bracing ones, Medicinal? schnapps, and Wait, what kind of schnapps?

Hofbrauhaus Freising night! Buy any size Hofbrauhaus Freising and get a logo .5L stein for $1

 

Day Seven: Reunification Day
Thursday, October 3, 2019
This is a real German holiday – celebrating the return to one unified Germany. In honor of Reunification Day, we are helping to foster other, smaller reunifications. We'll have cards and envelopes for you to address to a long lost relative, an old friend, a seldom seem 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 reunification.
All day reunification cards available.

6:30 – 9:00 pm Live music! Jim ten Bensel on horns and Denny Malmberg on accordion
Prizes! Win a piece of the Berlin Wall!
We pushed the tables together. Get it? We re-unified them.

Win tickets to Elektra at the Minnesota Opera! Whoa!
For more information about the opera:
https://mnopera.org/

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

 

Day Eight: Eurotrash Night
Friday, October 4, 2019
Bust out the leather pants and wear your sunglasses at night. It's time for us to flaunt our bad haircuts and act way cooler than we are. Because that's Eurotrash. And this is the night for it.
What?! I'm sorry?! I can't hear you above the pounding techno music!

Summit Night! Summit samples! Summit prizes! Buy any size Summit Oktoberfest and get a logo glass for $1!

 

Day Nine: Tie the Knot Night
Saturday, October 5, 2019
As you know, originally Oktoberfest was a wedding celebration. So we're going back to its 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.***

6:30 – 9:00 pm Live music! Andy McCormick on accordion!
7:00 pm The wedding!
All day Vow renewals!
***Seriously, you could have your wedding here. Call us!

Weihenstephaner Night! Order any size Weihenstephaner Fest bier and get a logo stein for $1!

 

Day Ten: Drain the Keg Night
Sunday, October 6, 2019
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 25¢ per hour
6:00 pm – 8:30 pm Live music! Mark Stillman on accordion!
8:00 pm – 11:00 pm Price on ½ liters of beer drops 50¢ per hour
When the keg blows, the boot (or glass or t-shirt or mug) goes!

Prizes for the person who ordered the beer that blew the keg!! – any keg, all kegs! There’s 18 beers on tap, folks!

 

Congratulations to our 2018 Drawing winners!

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