Our team sat quietly on the train from Berlin to Munich, watching the German countryside rolling by as each contemplated the challenge that lay ahead: Oktoberfest. The goal was 100L of beer in four days among eight people. It was said that it couldn’t be done, but they were determined.

As early as the first excursion to Hofbrauhaus, the famous biergarten located in downtown Munich, their eyes were opened to their miscalculation as they became acquainted with the Bavarian norms of beer drinking. A full litre of 6.5 per cent alcohol specially brewed Oktoberfest beer (1 of 6 official beers) was plunked down before each of them by dirndl-sporting bar wenches, accompanied by fat crackled pork knuckle as appetizers. In the background, a lederhosen-clad oompah band was warming up the crowd with a rousing rendition of the beer drinking anthem, Ein Prosit, which ended with the entire hall standing on the benches hollering along and clanking litres together, beer sloshing everywhere.

Beer wench.

The team rallied to put away some significant litres on Day Two at a table at the prestigious Augustiner beer tent on the Oktoberfest grounds at Theresienwiese, with stein after stein of beer being consumed, second hand smoke being waved out of their faces, confusing dance-a-longs breaking out and general merriment ensuing. The team had one default by 4pm, a gentleman who bowed out for the rest of the afternoon after getting sick but later rallied and rejoined the party for night drinking.

Day Three, the team ventured to a football match between Paderborn and Munich, where jeers, cheers and costumes were the order of the day. As none of the team spoke German, they could only pretend to shout alongside the voracious fans, guessing syllables that ended up sounding like “She needs a washcloth!” and “Bring the plaque over here!” which were certainly not correct.

Day Four, the final tally was due. A valiant effort had been made, but the team fell short of their goal. 78L were drank, with two teammates achieving a remarkable 15L each. And really by then, they had had enough beer.