We finally made it to the Kocherlball in Munich this year. it’s an old tradition in which the cooks and servants assembled every Sunday at dawn, which is early this time of year in Munich, to dance and drink like fish and then stagger back to their employers three sheeted, but unusually happy with their chores. It got so rowdy that city officials banned it at the turn of the 20th century, but it was revived as a once-a-year celebration about 20 years ago. 
It’s held at the English Garden’s Chinese Tower beer garden- one of Munich’s biggest. We like the garden: the food’s good and they offer a full range of the Hofbrau beers. The garden is normally quite touristy, but for Kocherball, there is almost no tourist in sight.
Drinkers seek shelter from the rain in the Chinese Tower’s ground level.
Table reservations are for 5AM, the beer flows then and the dancing starts at six and then goes pretty much non stop until shortly after 10AM, at which time the drinking continues and the regular oompah band, which plays from an upper floor in the Chinese Tower, takes over the musical duties. This year’s Kocherball was graced with an hour and a half of driving rain. Some of the 15,000 or so left but a huge number remained and were joined by at least a thousand more sleep-ins later.
Staying dry — but in only one sense of the phrase.
A make shift 7AM beer hall.
Stacked up garden tables made effective shelters
An old time bicycle attracted the brave.
We cowered under the shelter of the Chinese Tower and watched as hundreds twirled in the rain. After a liter of fresh Hofbrau, OK, maybe two liters of fresh Hofbrau, we didn’t mind the rain any more than the rest of the oblivious Muncheners. It let up enough for us to settle into a spot by a canal in the massive park and have a good read…and nap…before heading back into the city.
Costumed revelers add to the early morning atmosphere
The Hofbrau beers don’t have the best reputation in the city, but we like them. They’re all clean and show more balance than some of the competitors. You can actually taste some hops in the helles, for example.
Dancing in the rain
The scheduled date for 2017 is July 16 starting at 6AM. They say the date for bad weather is July 23, but we think it would take a hurricane to make them move it. We’re already trying to juggle our schedule next year for a return with our fingers crossed for better weather. See you there!
f Earl Grey and orange peel join in the finish. It’s gently complex. It isn’t a classic example of the style, but we think it may be better than most original examples.
