Oktoberfest Keg Tapping Speech
Chris made a nice speech today for the ceremonial tapping of the first Oktoberfest keg. If you missed it here it is (without polka music):
“I know everyone here wants to get back to their beer so I won’t take much of your time. But I do have a few things that should be said.
First, like every speaker ever, I’d like to sincerely thank everyone for coming. It’s great to see the number of people who drive incredible distances every October to support the Amana Colonies. It’s amazing what people will do for beer.
Oktoberfest is a long tradition dating back to Oct. 12, 1811 when King Ludwig I married Therese of Saxony. A huge party was thrown in Munich to celebrate and it was such a huge success, it started this annual tradition. It also worked well for the German breweries because they needed to unload the previous year’s production to make room for the next winter’s brewing. Consequently, this final beer of the year had to be higher in alcohol to preserve it over the summer. Naturally, this in return worked well for the partiers. I wish everything in life worked out so well.
Now, one Oktoberfest tradition is the ceremonial blessing of the first Keg to be tapped. As President of Millstream Brewing I am honored to do this. When you think about it, it is extremely important to invite the Creator of all Things to this blessed party. Consider how beer is created. Who gave someone the idea to use malted barely? The process of kilning germinated kernels, then grinding them, and then steeping off the extract is hardly something one stumbles on accidentally. And what about the yeast whose sole purpose in life is to digest sugar and produce alcohol. Sounds a little like my job. Clearly, God gave us the miracle of beer to help alleviate the stress and monotony of daily life. I’m also sure the ride home after such an event as this has brought many closer to the Lord. He even provided us with the means to create aspirin for the next day.
With that, I would like to thank the Lord, and what ever deity any one else believes in, for the tradition of Oktoberfest and everything that goes into it. I ask his blessing on this beer and this event, that it may bring joy to all those attending. I also ask that he watch over everyone, help them to drink enough to have fun, but not so much as to be a pain in everyone else’s you know what. Finally, when it’s done, grant them a safe trip home and help them with the next day’s repercussions. Amen.”
And with that, we served the entire first keg of beer free to a very happy crowd!