Sunday, Mom and I took the long road to Hermann, MO. All this month, they have Oktoberfest activities. The city has a large German presence in the city’s history, and it’s located in wine county. Picking a winery from the tourist center is like picking a color palette from Home Depot. It’s overwhelming with so many options.

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After the tourist center, we headed to Tin Hill brewery. This is the smallest brewery that I’ve toured. It spans only a half block. Entering the building, they have a long bar with all of their beverages for sample purchase. Down the hallway, they have a self-guided tour. Visitors can see the tanks behind closed doors and read about the brewing process. There is, also, a gift shop and food options next door. I sampled 6 of Tin Hill’s beers and ate the German platter, which included a brat, red cabbage, and potato salad.

(Rant: Ok. When people order brats, especially Oktoberfest brats, there should be no special orders. Every brat should have sauerkraut and spicy mustard on it. Period. If you don’t like sauerkraut; Too Bad! No Brat 4 U! If you don’t like spicy mustard; Tough Shit! If someone even thinks about adding ketchup, they should get a kick in the head. If they cant enjoy how a brat was meant to be, than they should GTFO. It pains me when I hear people ordering like this.)

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As we were eating outside, we could hear festivities from a distance. We followed the action. The downtown area of Hermann has many old buildings and the “small town” ambiance. Mom was side tracked by a kettle corn vendor.

Behind a wine shop, there was an open square. Venders were selling caramelized cinnamon almonds, more brats, pulled pork, and wine. They had a man playing and deejaying German music while people danced. There was no beer, here. I heard the beer vendors were only there on Saturdays. Although, most people seemed really into the wines. Every table had a bottle and a lot of happy campers. I suppose more women do prefer wine to beer. The temperature was mild. The sun was out, and it was a great day to be alive.

Later, we headed for brewery number two. It was located deep in the country. Off the route, we had to follow this one lane rocky driveway and cross these busy train tracks, which had no flashing gates, with trees obstructing our view. Look left. Look right. And, pray no train comes by.

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I think this was Bias Winery. They, also, had a DJ, but it was less crowded, as you’d expect. Wine was the main draw, and they offered free samples to the guests. I tried to get Mom to really focus on the taste and flavors of the wine. After every sample I asked her how it tasted. Every time. Her response was “I dunno? It tastes like wine.” We’ll have to work on that! I enjoyed a Dortmunder, and it was phenomenal. It was like malty chocolate rootbeer. I wanted to get another, but I decided to try the German Alt. It was still delicious, but not as amazing. This place offered dollar samplers in,… like sauce dipping cups. I’m glad I got the pint. We walked the wine grounds, and I encouraged Mom to buy a bottle of wine. She settled upon the Sweet Ambrosia.

Coming into these festivities, I had very low expectations about this Oktoberfest. However, I was pleasantly amused. There were no buxom women dressed in dirndls or men wearing lederhosen. There were no sponsorships, drunken chants, or chicken hats. I would have liked a better variety of food, but I’ll leave that to the German restaurants. Maybe we came on the right day, but it was just families and people having a good time.