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It’s nearly time for one of the highlights of the beer drinking year, Oktoberfest. Famous the world over for copious amounts of beer, Bavarian food and dirndl wearing women, Oktoberfest is a 16 day festival established in 1810 and this year will run from 20th September to 5th October.

Oktoberfest takes place in an area called Theresienwiese near Munich’s centre. Last year about 6.4 million people came to the festival and between them consumed 114 oxen, 58 calves and 6.7 million litres of beer!

While Oktoberfest is a wonderful exposition of Bavarian culture, for those reading this article I expect the main draw is the beer. There are actually very strict rules over which beers can be served at Oktoberfest; they must conform to the Reinheitsgebot, otherwise known as the “German Beer Purity Law” or the “Bavarian Purity Law” which states that only water, barley and hops may be used in brewing. Beers must also be a minimum of 13.5% Stammwürze; this is a measurement that is used to express the amount of extract in the pitched wort (the liquid extracted from the mashing process).

Furthermore, the beers must be brewed within the city limits of Munich. As such there are only six breweries that can produce Oktoberfest beer. They are: 

• Augustiner-Bräu

Autumn is here and once again Atlanta is the place to be for fun, parties and music! Fall heralds the infamous Oktoberfest - a salute to copious amounts Bavarian food and beer – followed by ghoulish parties as we celebrate Halloween – so get your costumes ready and head to Atlanta!

Atlanta’s festivities include first-class restaurants, clubs, bars and lounges just waiting for you to investigate and explore. So whatever you are looking for – fine food, dancing the night away or just relaxing with friends – Atlanta is a must see!

There is no better place to celebrate this time of the year – so let’s take a look at some of Atlanta’s fall festivities and get ready for some fun!

Oktoberfest Beer and Arts Festival

The official opening ceremony of the Oktoberfest is in the Schottenhamel beer tent where at noon the major will officially tap the first keg of the festival which lasts from September 21^st to October 13^th. Beer is served from 10am on weekdays and 9am on weekends, closing at 10.30pm. Once the tents are full – entry is stopped - so make sure you get there early and let the fun begin!

Stone Mountain Village

If you love to drink – then you need to grab a group of friends and head to Stone Mountain Village, 15 miles east of Atlanta on Saturday and Sunday, 12^th-13^th October 2013. Open from 12 to 6 pm over the weekend, this annual festival showcases the talents of around 50+ artists (they have a HUGE market!) and it is FREE.

With the 180th Oktoberfest set to kick off on September 21st thousands of revellers from across the world will descend on Munich to celebrate German culture (drinking). If you’re looking to expand your cultural horizons through inebriation we’ve compiled a list of country-specific drinking games for you to try. What’s more, for that added authenticity we’ve included international hangover cures to deal with the after-effects. You’ll look really cosmopolitan. Honest.

Germany – Hammerschlagen & Rollmops

Just so you don’t embarrass yourself with your lack of German drinking game knowledge we’ll start with a classic and Oktoberfest-related drinking game: hammerschlagen.

Reportedly started at the very first Oktoberfest in 1810, hammerschlagen involves a group standing around a tree stump and taking turns to hammer their nail into the wood. The first person to achieve this (the nail must be flushed or under the surface of the wood) is rewarded with a shot; the last must buy the next round.

Yes, I know that it's still far, but a few days from now, it'll be the end of the month of May. You'd be shocked as to how fast time really flies!

I think it's safe to say that even the United States and in other parts of the world, Oktoberfest is now widely accepted as a holiday. Well, it's actually a holiday that a lot of guys would appreciate. Oktoberfest originated in the lovely city of Munich, Germany. Considered as the largest festival in the world, Oktoberfest is held for 16 days every year in Munich and is attended by 5-6 million people every year. I had the chance to attend last year's Oktoberfest and it was indeed one huge fair attended by both men and women alike. Strange actually, since I thought that it's just a holiday in favor of men, since it's usually guys who love beer. I am probably but a few of the girls who love drinking beer, but when I got to visit Munich, I was very much mistaken.

The people who visit Munich for the Oktoberfest are actually there for the beer. I later found out that Oktoberfest has strict rules regarding the beers being served for the festivities. Beers that conform to the Reinheitsgebot are allowed to be served during the festivities. What Reinheitsgebot means is "German Beer Purity Law". It could also be translated as the "Bavarian Purity Law".

Here's a little history lesson.Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, who is later to become King Ludwig I, wanted his people to celebrate his marriage to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The marriage was on October 12, 1810, so Ludwig held a horse race and invited all the residents of Munich. Of course, beer was served as part of the celebration and this beer followed the Bavarian Purity Law. According to the original text, the Bavarian Purity Law only allows water, barley, and hops as ingredients in beer production. Now, the Reinheitsgebot has been replaced by the Provisional German Beer Law. This time, it allowed some of the components that were not allowed within the original law, like yeast, wheat malt and cane sugar. However, unmalted barley is still not allowed.

Alright, so that's enough with the blast from the past. There are only a few breweries allowed to serve beer on Oktoberfest. Asides from that, the beer must also be made in a brewery within Munich. The best brewed beer is proclaimed "Oktoberfest Beer." Here's the top breweries that competed for years.

Oktoberfest (or Octoberfest) actually starts in September... it's one of the largest beer festivals in the world and wherever there's beer... there's also beautiful women. Barmaids carrying a dozen beer steins, women in traditional Bavarian dresses... what else could you want.

One of the main Oktoberfest websites is here or here - both are very useful if you'll be traveling (but of course, the bar information is right here!)

Images are a far cry from actually being at Oktoberfest... but if you're holding a beer, you're halfway there.