In the coolness ratio of the world (in which Brazilians may be the current reigning kings for, ahem, obvious reasons) Germans tend to get a bad rap. They work too hard, they are embarrassingly punctual, and they really, really love pairing socks with sandals. But one yearly event always pulls up their average for a high score on the coolness schematic: Oktoberfest. Granted, it doesn’t hurt that drinking beer while singing songs incoherently is an international pastime. But no one pulls it off like the Germans and – when the tickets to Munich are just too pricey – San Franciscans have, in our own beer tent by the bay, Fort Mason.

Held annually the first weekend of every October, San Francisco’s Oktoberfest has become such a guaranteed good time that it's no longer a question of whether you’ll go, it’s whether you’ll go Thursday and Friday in addition to Saturday and Sunday. And luckily, the beginning of October is the most gorgeous time of year, weather-wise, in San Francisco, which makes it that much easier to run around in a sexy dirndl or lederhosen (and which is why the event is also known as the kickoff to Halloween costume season – come October 31st, you’ll have a handy backup).

This year’s Oktoberfest promises to be even wilder than in years past. Thanks to overwhelming demand, two Saturday sessions are now planned instead of one to accommodate as many would-be Bavarians as possible. If you can handle it, this means that morning, afternoon, and evening drinking are entirely possible, complete with a perfect break around 5pm to gorge yourself on Starbucks, load up on mustard, and print out some German song lyrics so that “Viva Colonia” may be somewhat recognizable to the handful of old school Germans in attendance. The Chico Bavarian Band will strike up the horns and provide the glorious background music timed perfectly with your every sip, the first of which is always too big and results in half your beer dripping down your face and chest. Just mop it up with a pretzel. That’s what they’re there for.

So forgive the Germans their well-clipped English, their borderline anal cleanliness, and their poor clothing choices. Remember – they managed to turn a massive kegger/sausage barbeque into a well organized, globally celebrated event. Say it with me now…”Mehr bier, bitte!”

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