Beer comes straight from the truck: Curiosities from Antholz

By Thomas Debelyak from Antholz

Around 150.000 spectators will be on site in Antholz during the 2 weeks of the World Cup, 300 journalists will accompany the mega event, 1500 helpers will ensure that everything fits - numbers that are impressive. It is clear that so much hype also requires masterful organizational skills. One person who has a particularly busy time in these two weeks is Manuel Ortner. He is the food manager and catering minister in Antholz, which means he has to place orders, receive deliveries and distribute them to the right places.

Manuel Ortner is the “food minister” in Antholz.

The facts he lists are impressive. For example, 40.000 liters of beer are consumed at the World Cup in Antholz. Because simple beer barrels are much too small, Antholz took a somewhat unconventional step: behind the arena there is a truck with tanks from where the beer is fed directly to the bar and can be tapped. “The truck drives to Rosenheim three times during the World Cup to fill up the tanks,” says Ortner. The Merano sausages are a hit Want more curiosities? 30.000 to 40.000 liters of mineral water, 2000 to 3000 liters of fruit juices and 4000 to 5000 liters of Coca Cola go over the counter during the World Cup. Around 5000 meals are served in the spectator area every day, plus 1800 meals in the staff catering tent. Around 25 chefs throughout the facility ensure that the hunger of fans, helpers and press people is satisfied.

Typical regional products such as bacon are very popular.

The absolute hit: Merano sausages, of which around 6000 kilograms are distributed during the World Cup period, and bratwursts (around 2000 to 3000 kilograms). For comparison: “At a normal village festival it is difficult to get to 100 kilograms,” explains Ortner. Leberkäse (2000 kg) and hamburger (1000 kg) follow behind. Also very popular: the creation of a Rasner butcher, namely gyros - a specialty made from pork, vegetables and sauce. A total of almost 3000 kilograms are delivered to men and women here. Of course, the rolls should not be missing, of which almost 19.000 are eaten during the World Cup. A 17 hour day Manuel Ortner has a lot of work waiting for him every day: between 5 and 6 a.m. he has to arrive at the stadium to receive the deliveries and distribute them to the various locations. In the afternoon the food orders are made for the next day, and in the evening he does another round to check the drinks stands and make repeat orders. “It rarely ends before 22 p.m.,” he explains.

Celebrating is part of Antholz.

In “normal” life, Ortner works as a construction site technician and takes care of purchasing. “You get a bit of a feel for it there,” he says. In the meantime he has also gained a lot of experience. “I have been working in the catering sector in Antholz since 2006.” His first big event was the 2007 World Cup. “Back then, 28.000 or 29.000 liters of beer were served, a good 11.000 liters less than this year. But you also have to say that there were two fewer competitions back then.” Non-alcoholic beer is trending Nevertheless, the event in Antholz is now of a completely different dimension than it was 13 years ago. What surprises Ortner: “Nowadays people drink more non-alcoholic beer. Two years ago we needed maybe 2 boxes, today we need between 30 and 250. And people are eating more and drinking less.”

Despite all the hype and size, people in Antholz focus on regionality. “We get all the meat from a butcher in Rasen, bread and cakes also come from a local baker,” explains Ortner. Only when it comes to beer is it a little more difficult because of the sponsorship contracts with German breweries. However, the procedure with direct tapping from the truck is much more spectacular.

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Beer comes straight from the truck: Curiosities from Antholz

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