O’zapft is! Enjoying a beer with Torwesten and Kombiverkehr at the Wiesn 2026

No one is left high and dry in the festival tent. Torwesten Spedition sets up the necessary beer containers at the Oktoberfest and refills them every night. They were delivered by intermodal transport.

Roast chicken, pork knuckles, Kasspatzn: a wide variety of Bavarian specialities await visitors to the 191st Oktoberfest in Munich. One thing is an absolute must: beer. No one should be left high and dry between 19 September and 4 October. That’s why reliable drinks logistics are essential at the Wiesn. Intermodal transport plays its part in this too: the large beer containers from Torwesten Spedition in Essen have arrived by rail on combined transport trains. This promises beer enjoyment to the full when it’s time to say ‘O’zapft is!’ once again.

The beer flows in torrents: nowhere else in the world is as much beer consumed in such a short space of time as at the Theresienwiese. In 2011, the Wiesn made it into the Guinness Book of Records with 7.5 million litres. Last year, the figure was 6.5 million litres. The number of visitors also stood at 6.5 million. That means, on average, everyone drank one Maß. Well then, cheers! The beer tent operators are already looking forward to it. “We’re looking forward to what we hope will be a peaceful and well-attended Oktoberfest with plenty of lovely weather,” says Oktoberfest landlady Steffi Spendler. “We don’t need any records.” Even with a normal crowd, her team at the Löwenbräu tent has their hands full. There’s one thing she doesn’t need to worry about: beer logistics. Three large beer containers are installed on a rack inside the tent. This ensures a steady flow of beer from 20-foot tank containers through hoses to the taps. “We never run out of beer,” explains landlady Spendler.

The fact that the flow of beer in the Löwenbräu marquee never runs dry is also down to the Torwesten haulage company from Essen. It handles all the beer logistics behind the scenes. A key part of this – the outward and return transport of the beer containers required on site – is carried out via intermodal transport using Kombiverkehr’s national rail network. Torwesten uses the daily train service between Duisburg and Munich for this purpose. Kombiverkehr transported ten containers, each holding up to 28,000 litres of beer, to the banks of the Isar before the start of the Oktoberfest. Once they arrived at the Theresienwiese, they were hoisted into the tent by crane. “The containers are positioned in the tents so that the distance to the taps is as short as possible,” reports Torwesten’s managing director, Marc de Kort. From the taps onwards, plenty of manual labour is required: once the beer has been poured, waitresses in dirndls carry the Maßkrüge to the tables of thirsty visitors.

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Kombiverkehr Managing Director Dirk Steffes: Combined transport is a genuine alternative

Logistics delivers: The fact that Kombiverkehr, with its rail services, and Torwesten, with its beer logistics, are making a small contribution to the success of the world’s largest folk festival fills the Frankfurt-based intermodal specialist with pride. “High standards and requirements apply in the supply chain, particularly for food and luxury goods. If goods are handled or transported incorrectly, kept at the wrong temperatures or transported for too long, they can quickly spoil,” says Kombiverkehr Managing Director Dirk Steffes.

Many logistics companies therefore prefer road transport to intermodal transport. “We are delighted that Torwesten is entrusting part of its transport operations to rail and demonstrating that, on selected routes with predictable timetable times and consistently high service quality, combined transport is a genuine alternative for foodstuffs too.” In doing so, Torwesten is making a significant contribution to climate protection and can also serve as an example for other companies in the sector.

So that no one is left high and dry: beer deliveries every night

Torwesten’s managing director, Marc de Kort, certainly has something to celebrate. Once again this year, the haulage company has reserved a table in the beer tent and invited customers to the Wiesn. In fact, Marc de Kort does treat himself to a beer or two in the evening – with wheat beer, better known in Bavaria as ‘Weißbier’, being one of his favourites. As well as the Löwenbräu tent, his team on site also organises the beer logistics for one or two other festival tents. A handful of articulated lorries are in Munich during the festival period. Every night, the drivers collect many hectolitres of beer from various local breweries. Once they arrive at the Theresienwiese, the precious liquid is pumped into the containers at the festival tents. After all, tens of thousands of thirsty revellers are clamouring for fresh beer from 9 am at the weekend and from 10 am on weekdays. “We must never run dry,” explains the Torwesten managing director. “The challenge lies in ensuring every night that everything is topped up so that operations can resume the next day.” The team is prepared for all eventualities and has spare parts for lorries and containers on site. The customers are satisfied: “The beer supply via containers runs absolutely smoothly and without a hitch,” reports Oktoberfest landlady Steffi Spendler from the Löwenbräu festival tent.

Torwesten has been active in combined transport for two decades

Beer logistics is a specialised niche for freight forwarders, with specific requirements. Torwesten, a specialist in tank-container beer transport, sees itself as the European market leader in this sector. It operates more than 200 tank containers and specialised beer containers, using its own fleet of lorries for this purpose, supplemented by 60 to 70 lorries from subcontractors during peak periods. Its workforce of more than 50 employees transports beer in tanks across Europe, but primarily in Germany, the Benelux countries, Spain and the UK. Since 2005, this medium-sized company has also been using combined transport for this purpose. The main combined transport routes are the routes from Duisburg to Rotterdam, Munich and Milan (Mortara). “We prefer routes where there are several departures a week, ideally on a daily basis,” explains logistics expert de Kort. Should a train be cancelled, the load units will still arrive on schedule on the next train. This is because the Torwesten boss, too, views the current quality issues on the railways – with which the industry is struggling – with concern. Punctuality is particularly important when it comes to food and luxury goods – after all, freshness must not be compromised. “The beer mustn’t stay in the tank for too long,” says the 55-year-old. Where possible, the journey should not exceed three days.

The Dutch-born executive would like to transport even more goods by rail. “Unfortunately, however, the quality was often inadequate last year due to technical problems and roadworks. Customers are then quick to demand a switch back to road transport,” reports de Kort. “But we would be very keen to do more in combined transport,” he emphasises. Currently, the company generates around ten per cent of its turnover from intermodal transport by rail and ship. As well as environmental benefits, there is also a tangible economic advantage: on the road, a single container can carry 26,000 to 27,000 litres of beer, whereas intermodal transport can carry 30,000 litres. Rail is not necessarily more expensive either. The longer the route, the more the cost advantage of road transport is offset. The Cologne–Milan route, for example, is cheaper for his company by rail.

At the moment, however, the focus is on the Oktoberfest – the biggest event to which Torwesten supplies beer. “Including set-up and dismantling, we’re busy with it for more than a month,” reports company director Marc de Kort. During the peak period – the 16 days from 19 September to 4 October – visitors are likely to tuck into half a million roast chickens once again, celebrate in high spirits and enjoy Bavarian traditions. And, of course, drink several million Maß of beer.

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The supply of beer by container runs absolutely smoothly and without any complications.

Steffi Spendler, Marquee manager at the Löwenbräu marquee

We are very keen to do more in the field of combined transport. At present, around ten per cent of our turnover comes from intermodal transport by rail and ship.

Marc de Kort, Managing Director of Torwesten Spedition GmbH & Co. KG

We are delighted that Torwesten is entrusting part of its transport operations to rail and demonstrating that, on selected routes with predictable timetable times and consistently high service quality, combined transport is a genuine alternative for foodstuffs too.

Dirk Steffes, Managing Director of Kombiverkehr KG

The company: According to its own statements, Torwesten is the market leader in draught beer logistics. Founded in 1966 and based in Essen, the company supplies breweries, bottlers, events, stadiums and the hospitality sector with all varieties of beer and beer-based mixed drinks. To this end, it has more than 200 tank trailers and specialised beer containers at its disposal, with capacities ranging from 30 to 310 hectolitres. The beer is transported in the containers in an oxygen-free environment. “With CO₂ tanks and a sterile environment, this is our contribution to the German Purity Law,” explains the company. The tanks are cleaned after every journey. The containers are hauled by the company’s 30 own lorries and, at peak times, by a further 60 to 70 lorries from subcontractors. The company employs more than 50 staff and has also been active in combined transport since 2005.

Oktoberfest by the numbers: The 191st Oktoberfest will take place from 19 September to 4 October at Munich’s Theresienwiese. During the week, the Wiesn opens at 10 am; at weekends, it opens at 9 am. The festival grounds cover an area of 34.5 hectares. A total of 478 businesses have been licensed for Oktoberfest 2026, including 36 catering establishments, 243 fairground attractions, 182 market traders and several service providers. The Löwenbräu tent is one of 14 large festival tents on the site. The figures for the 2025 festival: 6.5 million visitors, 6.5 million Maß of beer, but also 116,000 stolen beer mugs.

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Image credit: Torwesten Spedition GmbH & Co. KG / Löwenbräu AG