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Good Oktoberfest manners: Sip the beer slowly

Munich — As Munich gears up for the Saturday opening of its annual Oktoberfest beer festival, a business adviser issued a handbook on how to stay graceful while drinking one-liter mugs of beer.

Lydia Morawietz said Friday one of the key tips in her book was: don’t drink too fast. The beer is more alcoholic than normal and is not sold in smaller servings than one liter, so spacing out the sips was the best way to avoid embarrassing drunkenness.

In the handbook, aimed mainly at business guests to the event, she also said kissing one another on the cheeks was acceptable Oktoberfest behavior, but sexual promiscuity was not.

The 175th fest was set to begin at noon Saturday with the mayor of Munich, Christian Ude, pushing a tap into the first barrel of beer and ritually declaring that the beer was flowing.

Apart from the huge beer tents and gardens, the fest site a short distance from the city center will also be accommodating a fun fair and an agricultural show.

Attendance on the 16 days up to October 5 is forecast at 6 million, with many visitors driving up from Italy or flying in from the United States and Australia. More than 300 police have been assigned to keep order.

DPA/Expatica