In any normal year, Munich’s Theresienwiese fairground would have been the site of much activity this week, as workers prepared for a party. Before the pandemic struck, the 187th annual Oktoberfest was scheduled to start this Saturday, Sept 19th. Alas, it has been canceled this year. Nevertheless, we’ll take the opportunity to discuss the fest, its history, and the beer it inspired. We may not be able to attend this year, but we can remind ourselves why it remains the granddaddy of beer fests.