During that time, the beer company hosted thousands of competition winners who were ferried to and fro from the island on a ...

But is it really beer that causes a "beer belly"? Not all beer drinkers have them -- some teetotalers sport large ones. So what really causes men, and some women, to develop the infamous paunch?

Here you can find out what makes the 17 large and 21 small tents so special, what beer they serve, how many seats they have, which audience comes and how long they have been at the Oktoberfest.