Oktoberfest starts right.....about.....now at Sly Fox

(get up close and personal with a can of Oktoberfest from Sly Fox; you likely should not be disappointed)
And, increasingly too, at many craft breweries across the country.

Heck, the card shops have not only Halloween gifts and decorations on the shelves already, but Jolly Ol' St. Nick is making an appearance as well.

So, by comparison, these Oktoberfest beers are only around 6 weeks early and that makes it sound not so unreasonable. Plus, why get so hung up on "drinking seasonally" anyway. Good beer is good beer no matter the time of year, yes?

Sly Fox's hit the distributors yesterday and a fresh can was a parting gift for me from regional brewery rep Corey Reid at Rino's last week when he stopped by to conduct a free tasting event.

This is one of the Philadelphia region's finest Oktoberfest offerings in my opinion. It's got everything you want going on in an Oktoberfest-"styled" beer. Sturdy enough but not too full-bodied, just bitter-hopped enough to be noticable but not overwhelming, and weighing in under 6% ABV so you can put a few of these back (as long as you also are sturdy and full-bodied) without feeling dramatic effects.

I'm looking forward to quite of few of these in the coming weeks. Get some and spread the gemuchlichkeit.

Das Oktoberfest? Ja.

The official Oktoberfest is underway. Short of going to Deutschland, there isn't much better way of experiencing the annual German tradition celebrating the arriving fall season and the marriage of King Ludwig to Princess Therese of Bavaria. Here in the States, everyone seems to want a piece of it. A few of you have asked about Oktoberfest and what's going on a little closer to home. From special dinners, to weekend-long affairs, to a full two weeks of stein-clinking gemuchlichkeit, here are just a few of the events across the mid-Atlantic region that have crossed my desk....er, e-mail. And, just remember, even if a date below is in the past, doesn't mean that they still don't have some of those great German beers and American interpretations on tap. Prost! Fri. 9/17-Sun. 10/3 @all 8 Iron Hill locations--- Oktoberfest Celebration (PAYG for German Fare and German Beers in celebration of the world's largest festival) Sat. 9/18 @Devil's Den in Philadelphia, PA--- Devil’s Den Oktoberfest Sat. 9/18 from 1:00pm-5:00pm @High Street Grill in Mt. Holly, NJ--- Oktoberfest Party in the Tent $45 for a schedule that includes German Beers and Wines, US "German Inspired" Beers, Oktoberfest Buffet, OmmPahPah Live Music Sat. 9/18 to Sun 9/19 all day and night at Standard Tap--- Sausage Fest! Oktoberfest beers and $5 sausage plates Mon. 9/13 to Sat. 9/18--- Brauhaus Schmitz Oktoberfest – Daily events throughout the week and capped on Saturday with the 2nd Annual Oktoberfest Celebration where they take over part of South street to set up tents and have a 7 hour festival. Fri. 9/24 from 4:00pm-6:00pm at Bell Beverage--- German/German Oktoberfest Sampling – Taste free samples of German beers with Joe Sixpack. Sat. 9/25 from 1:00pm-5:00pm at Frontier Saloon in Folsom, PA--- First Annual Octoberfest Roughly 50 different bottles, quite a few expensive ones too. $20/$25. Sat. 9/25 to Sun. 9/26 at National Harbor in National Harbor, MD--- 3rd Annual Das Best Oktoberfest at National Harbor $20/$25/$30/$45/$55/$80– The show features over 200 International Beers and Wines, Oompah bands, live music, German food, German performers including cultural dancing, accordion sing-alongs and carnival games. The show has hundreds of arts, crafts and other exhibits. Sat. 9/25 to Sun. 9/26 all day at Stoudt's Brewery in Adamstown, PA - Oktoberfest Opening Weekend PAYG Thu. 9/30 to Sun. 10/3 at McKenzie Brew House in Malvern, PA--- McKenzie-fest Capped with a $39 dinner on 9/30, otherwise PAYG all weekend long Thu. 9/30 from 6:30pm-9:00pm at The Ship Inn in Exton, PA--- Ocktoberbest Beer and Wine Festival $30 Fri. 10/1 to Fri. 10/8 at Iron Abbey in Horsham, PA--- 2nd Annual Oktoberfest Performing on October 1st: "Heimat Klange Orchestra" and performing on October 8th: Wooden Wire. Come and Enjoy bavarian pretzel, the Abbey beer maids and traditional german food and drink. Beer on tap during Oktoberfest: Spaten Oktoberfest, Paulaner Oktoberfest, Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest, Ayinger Oktoberfest, Sly Fox Oktoberfest, Great Lakes Oktoberfest, Harpoon Oktoberfest, Twin Lakes Oktoberfest, Saranac Oktoberfest, Heavy Seas Imperial Oktoberfest, Victory Festbier, Erdinger Oktoberfest, Rogue Maierfest Sat. 10/2 at The Headliner in Neptune, NJ--- Jersey Shore Oktoberfest, Lots of beer, food, and entertainment for $35/$45. Seasonal beers from Spaten, Jever, Schlenkerla Marzen, Einbecker, Sam Adams, Dogfish Head, River Horse, Weyerbacher, Flying Fish, Brooklyn, and East Coast Brewing. Sat. 10/2 from 12:00pm-7:00pm at The Village at Shirlington in Arlington, VA--- Shirlington Oktoberfest – Beer, food, music, fun, lederhosen. Noon to 7pm a the Village at Shirlington in Arlington. $25. Sun. 10/3 at Dock Street in Philadelphia, PA--- DOCKtoberfest PAYG as they celebrate live music and artisanal craft beer Sat. 10/9 from 11:00am-6:00pm at Fairgrounds in Timonium, MD--- 9th Annual Maryland Brewer’s Oktoberfest, Timonium Fairgrounds – The best of Maryland brews and lots of Oompah bands $15/$20/$25/$35. Mon. 10/11 from 4:00pm-10:00pm at ChurchKey in Washington, DC--- Franconian "Oktoberfest" Anstich Draft Night – Featuring 10 different rare and delicious German lagers from 10 different small Franconian breweries, all dispensed on the bar from gravity poured kegs.

Get your Lederhosen on (and Dirndls, too)

Oktoberfests are plentiful in the Philadelphia Region. A heavy dosage of German immigrants that have stayed through the generations and their heritage are a big part of the reason. This is reflected in many world-class German-styled beers that are brewed around these parts. So, it's no surprise that from September to mid-October, there are more Oktoberfest celebrations than you can shake a bratwurst at (sorry, distasteful analogy). Here's a quick rundown of some. Feel free to add your own in the comments below. --> (already occurred, but mark your calendars for next year) 9/5-9/7; all day---Cannstatter's; as authenticate as it gets with Crafts; German Beer & Wines; German-American Singing & Dancing; Souvenirs; German Clothing; Rides & Games; Altweibermühle: True Fountain of Youth; Authentic Oktoberfest Atmosphere --> Sat. 9/19; 1pm-4pm, 6pm-9pm---Philly Oktoberfest 2009; Spaten, Franziskaner, plus 25 more Oktoberfestbiers & Pumpkin Ales; German Biergarten with food; Oom-pah Music; dancing by GTV Almrausch Schuhplattler; Buffet at additional charge. --> Sat. 9/19; 5:30pm-9:00pm---Elmwood Park Zoo Oktoberfest; Stroll the zoo, enjoy live music and sample seasonal craft brews. $20/$40/$45 for complimentary Oktoberfest Mug and delicious Oktoberfest fare. --> Sat.9/19-Sun.10/4; all day---McKenzie-Fest; special festival beers (Oktoberfest and Pumpkinfest), traditional music, a menu of authentic German fare, and of course, bar servers dressed in dirndls and leiderhosen. --> Sat. 9/20; all day---Boyertown Oktoberfest; Sly Fox pouring 4 beers --> Sun. 9/20; all afternoon---Teresa's Next Door; Along with various forms of shopping, children's entertainment and a big screen TV outside so you don't miss the Eagles game --> Sun.9/20-Fri.10/9---Appalachian Brewing; traditional German menu featuring Jäegerschnitzel, spätzle, hassenpfeffer, and many more favorites. --> Mon.9/21-Sat.9/26---Brauhaus Schmitz Oktoberfest 2009; Authentic Bavarian Menu and Draft specials, special events, contests, and promotions all week long, capped by 1st Annual Oktoberfest Celebration on the 26th --> Fri.9/25-Sun.9/27---Oktoberfest Weekend at Devil's Den; German beer & food specials all weekend long --> Sat.9/26-Sun.9/27; all day---Stoudt's; Music; The Reading Liederkranz Schuhplatters; Cleevagheevin contests; Food --> Fridays 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30; 5:30pm---Savona Restaurant; 5 weeks of Friday night Oktoberfest Beer Classes; $25 each/pp for beer samples plus hors d'oeuvres --> Fri.10/2-Sun.10/4 & Fri.10/9-Sun.10/11; all day---Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh; Hofbräuhaus bier and cuisine, local vendors, and live entertainment --> Sat. 10/3; 12pm-4pm---Issac Newton's; 2 beers, shirt, mug, music, and food included in base ticket price of $25