Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood – Netflix Review

OKTOBERFEST: BEER & BLOOD is a Netflix thriller series from Germany. We’re dealing with a period piece about the origin of Oktoberfest as we know it today. Told through 6 episodes. Perfect if you enjoy historical crime-thrillers. Read our full Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood review here!

OKTOBERFEST: BEER & BLOOD is a Netflix series from Germany. It aired on German television under the title Oktoberfest 1900 which is still the prevalent title on IMDb. This is based on the true story behind Oktoberfest as the huge event known today.

Basically, it’s a period piece and a damn gorgeous one with impressive production quality. Like many origin stories, it is both fascinating and brutal. And, of course, it’s full of drama and thrills ranging from murder to illicit affairs.

Continue reading our Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood season 1 review below. All six episodes are on Netflix now.

The cast of Oktoberfest

The main character in this story is Curt Prank. He’s the one who wants to take Oktoberfest from being about small vendors to a huge indoor party that will draw people from all over the world. Curt Prank is portrayed by Misel Maticevic who you might recognize from the Babylon Berlin series.

Another of the lead characters in Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood is Clara Prank (daughter of Curt Prank). She’s portrayed by Mercedes Müller who was also in the Netflix series Freud. If you’ve watched the TV series version of Das Boot, then you might recognize actor Klaus Steinbacher. He plays Roman Hoflinger – another very important character in this story.

Another key character is Colina Kandl played by Birgitte Hobmeier. I wasn’t familiar with her prior to watching this series, but she is a scene-stealer from the very beginning. The kind of character that draws you in thanks to an actor making all the right choices.

In general, you shouldn’t expect to be familiar with many actors in this series. They tend to all have impressive and long IMDb resumes, but mostly consisting of German productions.

Out on Netflix from the first day of October

Of course, Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood was released on Netflix on the 1st of October. Other than horror movies – and a few other movies with October in the title – this seemed like a no-brainer. The series originally premiered on German television (the ARD channel) in September, so Netflix is close behind with this international release.

Had this been any other year, it would also coincide with many people actually experiencing Oktoberfest right now. However, 2020 is anything but a normal year and the official Oktoberfest 2020 in Wiesn (Munich, Germany) has been canceled. In other words, you might as well watch this Netflix series and get ready for next year instead.

If you’ll still want to after witnessing the brutal origin of the event!

I didn’t really know what to expect, but I will admit that the extended title detail of “beer & blood” was enough to get me intrigued. Also, it’s a German series on Netflix and they tend to have a rather high-quality level. From the Netflix original series Dark to the brilliant Perfume adaptation.

Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood is different, but still really good. In terms of style, it’s much more like the Austrian Netflix series Freud which was also a period piece thriller.

You might like: Our review of the Netflix series Freud here >

Watch Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood on Netflix now!

Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood has just six episodes and was originally called a mini-series, but there is talk of a season 2. If this series turns into a hit on Netflix, then Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood season 2 will probably happen. How soon it can be made is another thing.

The creators of this German historical thriller are Christian Limmer and Ronny Schalk. Christian Limmer has written on several TV series and movies in the past. Head writer Ronny Schalk might be most interesting to fans of another German Netflix series. He wrote 5 episodes of Dark; Three episodes for season 1 (including the season finale) and two episodes for Dark season 2.

If you’re not into period pieces at all, then don’t expect to enjoy this series. No matter who took part in writing it. However, if you do like thriller series based on true stories, then this German series on Netflix is definitely worth checking out.

Season 1 of Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood is out on Netflix from October 1, 2020.

Details

Creators: Christian Limmer, Ronny Schalk
Stars: Misel Maticevic, Martina Gedeck, Klaus Steinbacher, Mercedes Müller, Brigitte Hobmeier, Maximilian Brückner, Markus Krojer, Martin Feifel, Michael Kranz