Taking place just two blocks from Underground Atlanta, a loud, jovial celebration of Deutschland culture drew a crowd of over 3,000 guests to converge and sample over thirty different brands of German brews.
Packs of surly frat boys, crazed Germanophiles and party-fueled lasses laughed, danced and imbibed various lagers, hefeweizens, and pilsners from the glasses that were handed out at the entrance, draining hundreds of kegs.
A subdued portion of visitors sat at the far end of the park near a drained water fountain, chatting over the din while enjoying a hot bratwurst with their beer.
The 5th Annual German Bierfest took place in Woodruff Park this last Saturday, Aug. 23, wholly organized by members of the German American Chamber of Commerce (GACC), which has the role of encouraging German companies to pour their resources into the Southeast.
As the first Bierfest in 2004 was created for drawing curious Atlantans and giddy (legally aged) college students, their success at promoting Germany’s finest was undeniable as each continuous event drew more of the masses, with Atlantic Station being last year’s location.
Arriving at the peak of the festivities, there were dozens of interviewees that raised their glasses to the efforts of organizers, with plenty of them giving a glowing review of their first experience with the Bierfest.
An evidently tipsy bridesmaid, decked out in dirndl along with the rest of her friends for a bachelorette outing, skillfully articulated “This is my first time [here]…and it definitely won’t be the last,” though the views of organizers painted slight disappointment at the less-than-expected crowd due to the weather being “a perfect summer day in Germany” as one young intern from the GACC commented.
The only sit-down interview I had was rather impromptu, as merriments and cheery fiasco had to be quelled.
“The Bierfest was made just so people could have fun, to get [our organization] into the open,” said Stefanie Jehlitschka with an optimistic tone. She is the PR manager for the GA Chamber of Commerce.
After as much beer and DJ music that could possibly be packed into a six-hour period, it’s safe to assume that everyone left (stumbled, staggered, rode shotgun with a designated driver) the festival with a willingness to return next time.
As much as my initial impressions made out the Bierfest as an elaborate excuse for a frat party right after no-alcohol Rush Week, I’m glad that the GACC surpassed my expectations.
Students of the twenty-odd age group would definitely take delight in this German-derived diversion next year.
By Ben Ho
Contributing Writer
Taking place just two blocks from Underground Atlanta, a loud, jovial celebration of Deutschland culture drew a crowd of over 3,000 guests to converge and sample over thirty different brands of German brews.
Packs of surly frat boys, crazed Germanophiles and party-fueled lasses laughed, danced and imbibed various lagers, hefeweizens, and pilsners from the glasses that were handed out at the entrance, draining hundreds of kegs.
A subdued portion of visitors sat at the far end of the park near a drained water fountain, chatting over the din while enjoying a hot bratwurst with their beer.
The 5th Annual German Bierfest took place in Woodruff Park this last Saturday, Aug. 23, wholly organized by members of the German American Chamber of Commerce (GACC), which has the role of encouraging German companies to pour their resources into the Southeast.
As the first Bierfest in 2004 was created for drawing curious Atlantans and giddy (legally aged) college students, their success at promoting Germany’s finest was undeniable as each continuous event drew more of the masses, with Atlantic Station being last year’s location.
Arriving at the peak of the festivities, there were dozens of interviewees that raised their glasses to the efforts of organizers, with plenty of them giving a glowing review of their first experience with the Bierfest.
An evidently tipsy bridesmaid, decked out in dirndl along with the rest of her friends for a bachelorette outing, skillfully articulated “This is my first time [here]…and it definitely won’t be the last,” though the views of organizers painted slight disappointment at the less-than-expected crowd due to the weather being “a perfect summer day in Germany” as one young intern from the GACC commented.
The only sit-down interview I had was rather impromptu, as merriments and cheery fiasco had to be quelled.
“The Bierfest was made just so people could have fun, to get [our organization] into the open,” said Stefanie Jehlitschka with an optimistic tone. She is the PR manager for the GA Chamber of Commerce.
After as much beer and DJ music that could possibly be packed into a six-hour period, it’s safe to assume that everyone left (stumbled, staggered, rode shotgun with a designated driver) the festival with a willingness to return next time.
As much as my initial impressions made out the Bierfest as an elaborate excuse for a frat party right after no-alcohol Rush Week, I’m glad that the GACC surpassed my expectations.
Students of the twenty-odd age group would definitely take delight in this German-derived diversion next year.