Meat your match
To insulate your stomach, stock up on sausages from family-run Schaller & Weber in Yorkville. Try the lightly spiced, pork-and-veal weisswurst, traditionally served in the morning alongside a cloudy, aromatic hefeweizen — a Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, perhaps. 1654 Second Ave.; 212-879-3047
Best of the wurst
After polishing your sausage-eating skills — and to draw Oktoberfest out — head to Midtown East’s Bierhaus NYC on Oct. 26 for the second annual National Oktoberfest Bratwurst Eating Championship. Don’t worry: Everyone’s a wiener. 712 Third Ave.; 212-867-2337
Pony up!
The original allure of Oktoberfest was not beer but horse racing. To revive the bygone tradition, head to Belmont Park (nyra.com/ Belmont) and bring a cooler packed with cans of Samuel Adams Octoberfest. (No glass bottles permitted.) 2150 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont, LI; 718-641-4700
Let’s talk about six
During Munich’s Oktoberfest, only beer brewed within the city limits may be served. To toe the sudsy line, seek out beer from these breweries: Staatliches Hofbräu- München, Augustinerbräu, Spatenbräu, Hacker- Pschorr Bräu, Paulaner-Bräu and Löwenbräu.
Hold it up
The massive 1-liter beer stein commonly seen during Oktoberfest is known as a maßkrug (pronounced mahs-KROOG), or Mass for short. In Bavaria, there’s a centuries-old stein-holding competition known as Maßkrugstemmen. America’s national championships are in Central Park today.
Brew crew
Early in October, German brewing behemoth Paulaner (which was founded by monks) will open its first US brauhaus. Pop in for a mug full of Paulaner’s pitch-perfect Oktoberfest- Märzen. 265–267 Bowery; 212-780-0300
March on in
Saturday marks the 56th edition of the colorful German-American Steuben Parade (germanparadenyc. org), up Fifth Avenue from 68th to 86th Street. Expect marching bands, dance troupes, floats and revelers dressed in Tracht — traditional German attire.
Toast to love
Munich’s Oktoberfest was born in 1810, to commemorate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. To drink, revelers sipped from steins filled with a malty, full-bodied, lightly sweet lager called märzen — German for March, the month in which many märzens were brewed. Locally, I like Brooklyn Brewery’s Oktoberfest.
Bar back-ups
To beat the crowds, head to Staten Island’s Killmeyer’s Old Bavaria Inn (4254 Arthur Kill Road; 718-984-1202), a 19th-century beer hall with a spacious garden and a mahogany bar. In Glendale, Queens, the Bavarian- style Zum Stammtisch (69-46 Myrtle Ave.; 718-386- 3014) pairs schnitzel with liter mugs of imported German suds, while Yorkville’s Heidelberg Restaurant (1648 Second Ave.; 212-628-2332) lets you glug a beer-filled glass boot in its garden.
Be chicken
Or is that a duck? According to legend, “The Chicken Dance” oom-pah song was born in Switzerland, where it was known as “Der Ententanz,” or “The Duck Dance.”
Joshua M. Bernstein, who lives in Prospect Heights, is the author of “The Complete Beer Course,” out this month.