Oktoberfest turns to microbe to hide stink of stale beer
Organisers fear the smoking ban will reveal Oktoberfest's other bad odour, the smell of stale spilt beer
The Munich Oktoberfest may be the world's most famous beer festival, but for the first time in its 200-year history, the organisers are planning to use bacteria to eliminate its more pungent odours. The organisers claim that a smoking ban, which will come in to force at the festival this year, will remove the usual stench of cigarette smoke which previously hid the unpleasant smell of stale beer. The extraordinary measures are to be enforced in the Oktoberfest's renowned Hofbräu beer tent and at least two other tents when the festival opens this weekend. The aim is to kill off the smell left by the gallons of beer routinely spilled on to the wooden floors of the tents, leaving a stale odour behind... Independent