Karin Wolfe for The Associated Press said:
If you think your travel guidebook's phonetic tips for ordering a liter of beer are enough to get you through Oktoberfest without being labeled a Saupreusse (for genteel readers, a dumb tourist), maybe you should stay home.
That's because mastering a little Oktoberfest etiquette — such as learning where, when and how to eat and drink what — is key to experiencing Munich's two-week celebration of beer and Bavarian culture.
Consider wheat beers, for example. Clink the wrong end of the tall, fluted half-liter glasses they are served in and you may end up with a lap full of glass shards and beer. (Hint — toast with the bottom of the glass, which is thicker.)
Or the beer halls (Festhallen) themselves, each of which has its own vibe. If it's omp-pah you're after, you may want to skip the youthful crowd at the Schottenhamel tent (remember, beer is on tap at age 16 in Germany).
As a Munich native and veteran of numerous Oktoberfests, I've had plenty of opportunities to witness Americans' cultural stumblings (and plenty of them just stumbling drunk). So here's my survival guide to keep you from looking like a tourist.
