My pal, Steve, was in Luxembourg — close to the German border — a couple weeks ago, and sent me a photo of the very large beer he was drinking.
“I’m celebrating Oktoberfest!” he said.
“It’s only mid-September!” I pointed out.

Don Schneider and his boar beard
“I guess they start early.”
So it seemed reasonable when our pals, the Schneiders, invited us for an Oktoberfest dinner on September 28. More