This year, we went to the annual Oktoberfest at the Nongshim Brau in Busan. I've never been to any type of Oktoberfest before, but I'm glad that this was my first experience with the German celebration. Celebrating in Korea is a bit kooky and eccentric, but it was a lot of fun. There were Koreans dressed in traditional German garb and the fest was held in September. It's a bit strange, but it's Korea, we usually don't try and question these things.
For this event, there were 3 types of beer that were created in house by a gentleman that studied brewing in Germany. In Korea, it's very hard to find a good beer. There are 3 popular brands here, Hite, Cass and Max and they all taste horrible, like Natty Light or Coors. I'm not a beer aficionado, but I know a good beer when I taste it.
We went with our dear friends Hazel & Charlie, a delightful British couple. The place was packed full of foreigners and Koreans. I felt like I ran into every foreigner I've ever met in Korea. For the price of admission 10,000 won ($10) you received a souvenir mug with the culturally relevant mustache and 500cc of beer. Each 500cc serving of beer after was only 3,000 won ($3). It was definitely a great deal.
We spent the night enjoying the home brewed beer, playing games, catching up with old friends and making new friends. There was even great entertainment. Foreign bands singing hits from the 80s, 90s and even "Gangnam Style". They even had dance offs and three dancing mugs of beer.
Even though we celebrated Oktoberfest far from it's origin, it still felt genuine and an experience I won't soon forget.
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