GermanFest

Milwaukee's original Haus party was an all around excellent time. GermanFest celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a bang or two.



We were planning on attending Thursday night, but the weather had other ideas. Thursday night saw 7 inches of rain in about 2 hours in Milwaukee. Everything, including GermanFest, was under water. We ended up going Sunday night, and everything, including the weather, was vunderbar.

The four stages we visited all had German bands playing both German and American songs in both German and English. All were good and perfectly suited for the event. The highlight was Biba die Butzemanner - Die Show Band. Biba is a fairly cheesy cover band that specializes in medleys (of course). Their audience banter was especially entertaining because of their heavy accents and good, but not perfect, command of English. "Sank you, village of Milwaukee. Da next song is about my bersday. No bersday year. Ve hope you enjoy." They were not shy with their appreciation of rounds of beer offered by the audience, and would stop any song immediately, grab the beers and toast the audience. "Sank you grand spender!" Then proceed with Ein Prosit.


I also enjoyed several beers, as I am dedicated to providing my blog audience with the fullest experience possible. Sprecker was the featured alternative to the omnipresent Miller products. The Dopple Bock and the Germanfest Bier were both awesome. Boots were sold out by the time we got there, a pattern that I'm noticing every time we attend a fest on a Sunday.

Unfortunately, we ate before and did not taste anything first hand. However, the food looked amazing. Everything came in heaping portions, and prices were reasonable. The roasted pig was sold out by the time we arrived. From years past, the vendors have huge coal pits with row after row of pigs twirling on spits. The pig's head is the most sought after item and availability is based on lucky timing.

We will have to start avoiding the last day of the fests, as the top items seem to move out quickly.

Ratings:

Entertainment is a Paul. All the bands were good and the fireworks were excellent.
Drink is Lakefront Local Acre. 12 oz Miller products were $4 and 12 0z Sprecker products were $5. The deal of the night was 16 oz Germanfest Bier (Sprecker) at the Mader's on the go bar.
Food is Italian Combo with sweet and hot peppers.
Cost is $10 in advance or $13 at the gate. We got "free" tickets with 12-packs of Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch. Oddly, the beers are Czech and Dutch respectively, not German. It must have something to do with Appeasement.
Bathrooms are Trinity.
Adult vs. Family Fun spectrum is Disney World. Kids options included the permanent wet pad and playground, as well as some bouncy houses and the like.

Ratings

Entertainment is on the Beatles Scale from Ringo to John. Ringo is fun, however not terribly engaging and cannot stand alone as single act. George shows glimpses of brilliance, however is relegated as a supporting feature. Paul is excellent, great for singing along and definitely worth the price of admission. John is the greatest ever.

Drink is based on the Beer Scale from Miller Lite to Guinness. Miller Lite is okay in a pinch, but almost anything else would be better. Bud Light is good, ordinary and passable. Lakefront Local Acre is excellent, intriguing, and an excellent surprise. Guinness is classic greatness that stands the test of time.

Food is based on the Sandwich Scale from Bologna on white bread, boring; Ham and Swiss on rye, ordinary; Jimmy Johns delivered, amazing; to Italian combo with sweet and hot peppers, stuff of legend.

Cost will report the costs of admission, beer, and access to discounts.

Bathrooms will be on the Public Bathroom Comparison Scale from State Street BW3, strangely disgusting; McGillicuddy’s, long lines; Trinity, clean and available; and finally, Das Old German Beer Hall, strangely entertaining.

The Family Friendly vs. Adult Fun Spectrum will go from Fantasea Dolphin Show at the Shedd Aquarium, to Disney World, to Vegas, to Stanley Kubrick Movie.