Hosted by G.M. Brender at Grand Hilton Seoul
Grand Hilton Seoul completed the largest Beer Festival in the world, the 13th ‘Oktoberfest’ (originally from Munich, Germany), on 7th of September.
The Oktoberfest, held from 6pm to 1 am at the Grand Hilton Seoul Convention Center, has visited nearly 1,000 people with a 90% booking rate. In fact, Oktoberfest, which has been held in Munich, Germany since 1810, is the world’s largest folk festival and beer festival as well. Following to this concept, Grand Hilton Seoul held its 13th Oktoberfest this year.
At this event, women wearing costumes with pointed aprons, called ‘Drindil, men wearing leather boots, called ‘Lederhosen’ participated. They had a lively atmosphere, eating Schweinshaxe, German sausage, Wurst and herring pickles, prepared by Grand Hilton chefs.
In particular, the draft beer, which is unfamiliar in Korea, is brewed with “Grevensteiner” and “Veltins Pilsner”. The 200 year old German handcrafted beer, Grevensteiner, is characterized by its distinctive dark gold brown color, honey aroma and mellow taste. Veltins Pilsner is made from 100% pure German barley malt and hops and is always a perfect combination with any food. This year, a lot of different business corporations have contributed including Lufthansa, Hilton Munich Park, Cellreturn, Philips, Jagermeister.
Hye Rim Hwang, Marketing Executive at Grand Hilton Seoul said, “This year, there were a lot of guests in their 30s ~ 40s who purchased tickets through room package. German residing in Korea also visited a lot, and the Oktoberfest at Grand Hilton Seoul is a bridge between Korea and Germany”. Also mentioned as "German residing in Korea also visited a lot, and the Oktoberfest at Grand Hilton Seoul is a bridge between Korea and Germany, Grand Chef Seoul’s chefs are also proud of their German-style cuisine, which is in excellent condition.”
The person who has been leading from the first place to 13th Oktoberfest is ‘Bernhard Brender’, the general manager of the hotel. Born in Freiburg, Germany, he became a hotelier like his destiny under the influence of the mother who operated the hotel. I have spent 60 years as a hotelier for a lifetime, including apprentice. However, Oktoberfest is the moment when he gets nervous.
“Oktoberfest, which means October’s festival, begins when the mayor of Munich picks up a stopper for the first beer produced that year. During the festival, they meet in Munich to meet with family and friends who have been scattered by their studies and work. He said as, “It is like a Korean holiday, Chuseok, I wanted to introduce this festival in Germany where people gather to share food and drinks and open their hearts.” “I was confident that many Koreans would love the Oktoberfest festival, which is full of traditional German culture, fashion and fun.”
Meanwhile, Grand Hilton Seoul’s Buffet restaurant has been hosting a mini Oktoberfest promotion until 31st of October for guests who could not visit Oktoberfest.
It offers a variety of traditional Oktoberfest dishes including German homemade sausage, homemade bacon and ham, Schweinshaxe and meatloaf. No extra cost will be applied for the Buffet restaurant.
Prices are KRW 80,000 for lunch and KRW 85,000 for lunch on weekdays and weekends. Reservation 02-2287-8271