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8 Beer Festivals Worth Traveling for That Aren’t Oktoberfest

Munich’s beloved beer festival, Oktoberfest, draws millions of revelers from around the globe every year. The festivities make up the world’s biggest beer carnival—and like many things that have become the “world’s biggest,” much of its authenticity and charm has been lost to the onslaught of drunken tourists.

Anyone who’s been to Munich for Oktoberfest will tell you of the crowds, sky-high hotel prices, rowdy visitors who drink far too much, and over-capacity beer tents that close before noon. That may be why Stuttgart’s fall beer festival has become a popular German alternative—it’s much easier to get into a beer tent rife with hot sausages and rosy sing-alongs there than it is in Munich.

But Stuttgart isn’t the only alternative to Munich for those who prefer a more even-kilter festival with beer that’s just as delicious. Here are eight beer festivals—in Europe and right here in the States—that rival Munich’s Oktoberfest.

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Associate Editor Shannon McMahon writes about all things travel. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

 

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