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r obably true,” says John Gurda. I asked the foremost historian of Milwaukee if there are many more Oktoberfests in town now than 50 years ago. Possibly, we concluded, there weren’t any Oktoberfests around here in those days. It’s surprising in the City of Beer, but here’s a history lesson: The original Oktoberfest has been held in Munich since 1811, but at least until the middle of the last century—the age before cheap tourism—Bavarians were the main attendees. A significant percentage of the Germans who emigrated to Wisconsin in the 19th century came from Bavaria, but Gurda has found no references to any celebrations of Oktoberfest in Milwaukee in those years. Instead, the Bavarians partied at the other side of summer, observing Maifest (Mayfest) in spring. Regardless of how Milwaukee Germans honored their favorite drink, those immigrants changed the face of America’s alcohol consumption. In the first century of the United States, whisky was the favorite libation, but, Gurda says, “a federal whisky tax pushed the Yankees to beer. Beer ceased to be purely German and became an American beverage.” And Milwaukee was America’s beer capital until the major breweries began to sell yellow water instead of beer. By the start of the 1980s, many of them closed shop. Likely, the proliferation of Oktoberfests is linked to the spread of craft brewing, which began in Milwaukee in the ’80s with Sprecher and Lakefront and led to the revival of another lost tradition, the beer garden. “It’s reclaiming our heritage—beer gardens, the craft beer wave,” Gurda says. “As beer gets better, people [and brewmeisters] are looking for different markers and ways of competing for attention.”
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s soon as there’s a bit if a chill in the air, beer lovers are ready to break out the Oktoberfest brews. Coinciding with massive festivals in Munich, Germany and elsewhere around the world, breweries here in Milwaukee roll out their fall beers in September and October. Here are the Oktoberfest offerings from some of our area brewers this year.
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Delafield Brewhaus
The Oktoberfest from Delafield Brewhaus is a Bavarianstyle fest beer that’s deep amber in color, medium-bodied and malty at 6.5% ABV. Other autumn beers include Hop Harvest IPA, a deep golden ale with notes of fresh citrus and pine with Cascade hops grown and harvested from their biergarten; Apple Ale, made with real apple juice and baking spices; and Bourbon Barrel-Aged Okauchee Scotchie—a full-bodied, brawny, brown ale. 3832 Hillside Drive, Delafield • 262-646-7821 delafieldbrewhaus.com
Because the brewing system is powered by steam and not an open flame at Bavarian Bierhaus, their Oktoberfest is brewed with Melanoidin malt in order to mimic the flavors you’d get from the maillard reaction, the same process that makes browned food flavorful. They also use a minimal amount of Tettnanger hops to balance out the slight sweetness and alcohol to make the beer easy to drink. 700 W. Lexington Blvd., Glendale • 414-236-7000 thebavarianbierhaus.com
Enlightened Brewing
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Beers are named after sled dogs at Black Husky. Their Oktoberfest brew is called Jodler Koenig and has a sweeter, maltier profile than most Oktoberfest beers, according to owner Tim Eichinger. It’s 6% ABV and heavier than some for drinking during cool fall nights. It’ll be available at their Riverwest taproom. 909 E. Locust St. • 414-509-8855 blackhuskybrewing.com 4 | SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
While Enlightened isn’t brewing an Oktoberfest this year, they do have two other beers that fit the fall weather. Newton’s Constant is an 8.5% ABV end-of-summer stout with roasty, chocolate and boozy undertones. Kettle Logic is an amber ale made on the malty side and balanced with juicy character from the hops, but isn’t too sweet, bready or biscuity. 2020 S. Allis St. • 414-704-4085 enlightenedbeer.com Explorium’s Oktoberfest is a Marzen-style lager and close relative of their Marzen that recently won a silver medal at the U.S. Open Beer Championships. At a robust 6.5% ABV, it’s available in four packs of 16-ounce cans at retailers, as well as at the brewpub located in Southridge Mall. 5300 S. 76th St. • 414-423-1365 exploriumbrew.com
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The Oktoberfest at The Fermentorium is a German-style lager with a deep golden color. It’s brewed with Taurus and Tradition hops along with four types of malt. At a reasonable 5.5% ABV, it’s available at both taproom locations, along with new brews each Thursday. 7481 WI-60 Trunk, Cedarburg 6933 W. North Ave. • 262-421-8593 thefermentorium.com
Good City Brewing
Good City’s Film Fest Lager is being released this year under the name Good City Oktoberfest. It’s a Marzenstyle lager that’s highly drinkable with a light amber color, slightly sweet and biscuity malt character and mild, herbal, German hop profile. It’s available at both taprooms and as six packs for retail. New this year is the Festbier Weisn, a collaboration with the Lowlands Group of restaurants and the Milwaukee Film Festival. It’s a light-colored take on Oktoberfest-style lager with a mild hop character and bready malt profile. 2108 N. Farwell Ave. • 333 W. Juneau Ave. 414-539-4343 • goodcitybrewing.com
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The Oktoberfest beer at Melms, a 200-year-old brewery that was resurrected in 2014, is darker, sweeter and maltier than most. It was released for the first time last fall in Madison and will be released in early September in Nashotah this year. 418 Merton Ave., Hartland • 262-361-4946 melmsbrewing.com SHEPHERD EXPRESS
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MKE’s Oktoberfest is a Marzen lager is brewed with pale ale, caramel and toasted Munich malts that attribute a sweet, earthy, malty flavor, toasted aroma and a bright orange hue. Get it in four packs of 16-ounce cans for the first time this year in stores and the taproom. Sasquash, a porter made with 400 pounds of roasted sweet potatoes, is also returning this year after a few years off. Get it the week of Oct. 7. And coming on Friday, Oct. 11, is the next installment of the Brewer’s Day Off series, which will feature a pumpkin, cranberry and orange ale available in the taproom. 613 S. Second St. • 233 N. Water St. 1128 N. Ninth St. 414-226-2337 • mkebrewing.com
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Two fall beers are returning this year at MobCraft, including Vanilla Wafer—a 7% ABV chocolately porter with vanilla notes and hints of smooth malty cocoa—and Mobtoberfest, a classic Oktoberfest-style lager with a golden amber hue and bountiful malt character. There will also be four crowdsourced beers re-released this fall: Laughing Clown—a 9.8% ABV milk stout featuring roasted, chocolate malts and cacao nibs; Grasshopper—a milk stout inspired by the classic supper club drink with mint, cocoa, lactose and chocolate malt; Moo-waukee—a white chocolate milk stout brewed with white chocolate, vanilla, cacao nibs and just the right amount of lactose sweetness; and Peanuttin’ Butter Than This FA L L D R I N K
Chocolate Porter—a dark, chocolately port with lots of peanuts. 505 S. Fifth St. • 414-488-2019 mobcraftbeer.com
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Sprecher has two fall beers: an Oktoberfest and a Dopple Bock. The Oktoberfest is a 5.5% ABV Marzen-style, reddish-brown lager with a rich caramel character, long finish, fruity bouquet and mild hopping. The Dopple Bock’s ABV is slightly lower this year than last at 7.8%. It’s a blend of a variety of malts and several hops with notes of dark chocolate, caramel, toffee and burnt toast that responds well to aging. It recently won the 2019 Silver Medal (Dopple/Strong Bock) at the U.S. Open Beer Championships. 701 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale 414-964-2739 sprecherbrewery.com
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St. Francis Brewery has a number of fall beers upcoming, some of which are still fermenting. Their Oktoberfest will be a relatively low 5.5% ABV with an amber orange color and a bready, malty flavor. Also look for a Chocolate Oatmeal Stout with a medium body, malty sweetness and dark chocolate and roasted coffee aroma and flavors; and a Scottish Rye Wee Heavy Ale with aromas of caramel, toffee apple and spice and roasty notes and mild dryness at the end from the crystal rye malt. 3825 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., St. Francis • 414-744-4448 stfrancisbrewery.com
Bavarian Bierhaus
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The motto at Stock House is “Never make the same beer twice,” so you know you’re going to get something unique. Their Oktoberfest brew is a weisen-style and the official Wauwatosa Oktoberfest beer for Prosit Tosa, a new Oktoberfest festival. Try it at the brewery or at the event on Saturday, Sept. 28. 7208 W. North Ave. • 414-739-9876 stockhousebrewing.com
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The Oktoberfest at Third Space is brewed in a traditional Marzen style with rich malt flavors, notes of biscuit and toffee and a dry finish. They also have two other fall beers. Unite the Clans is a Scottish ale with slightly roasty, malty flavors and aromas that won a gold medal at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival and a silver medal at the 2018 Festival. The addition of cara-rye malt and Fuggles, a classic hop from the British Isles, give it an underlying spiciness, toffee notes and a unique bready complexity. Their Mocha Java porter has intense coffee aroma and flavor with a hint of sweet cocoa in the background. Balancing the java is a rich porter beer brewed with two types of chocolate malt and specially selected Ecuadorian cacao nibs. 1505 W. St. Paul Ave. • 414-909-BEER thirdspacebrewing.com
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erman in origin, Oktoberfest is an annual affair that has spread to far-flung corners of the world like Brazil, Australia and China. Though ostensibly an October festival, some of these evermore popular beer-drinking celebrations are being held as early as August and September. So, with September upon us and October looming, in and around Milwaukee, there are many opportunities to experience the all-things-beer fun. Brush up on your German drinking songs and enjoy a frosty mug at one of the many multi-day Oktoberfests near you. Prost!
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Oct. 5-6 (Free admission) Community Center Parking Lot, W63 N641 Washington Ave. The charming downtown area of Cedarburg is a perfect backdrop for this Oktoberfest celebration. Consume delicious German beer and traditional foods and dance a polka. Contests with prize awards include Saturday’s Best Lederhosen-Dirndl Judging Contest and a Sauerkraut Eating Contest, and Sunday’s includes a German Spelling Bee (from Ault to Zither). You can also shop at the local merchant marketplace and, for the automobile aficionados, members of the Milwaukee Region Porsche Club of America will be displaying their cars.
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Sept. 28-29 (Free admission) N128 W18780 Holy Hill Road If anyone knows how to throw a Germaninspired party, it’s got to be the people of Germantown! This festival features a Dachshund Dash, authentic German food and music, lots of activities for the kids, and, of course, great beer.
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Oct. 12-13 (Free admission) Downtown Lake Geneva (between Main and Broad streets) Family friendly activities that visitors of all ages will enjoy are the highlights of this Oktoberfest. German music, food and drink will all be available, but so will bounce houses, pony
rides and hayrides. Visit craft stands and local giftshops or stroll to the lakefront to rejoice in the beautiful fall colors along the shore. Pumpkins will be given away.
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Oct. 4-6 (Free admission) Fiserv Forum Plaza, 901 Vel R. Phillips Ave. The family friendly Milwaukee Oktoberfest celebrates its 10th year—and its first in the radiant shadow of brand-new Fiserv Forum. Entertainment features wiener dog races, a Miss Oktoberfest competition, brat-eating contest, stein-hoisting competition, cornhole competition, live music, German-themed food, beer and other activities.
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Sept. 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 27-28; Oct. 5 ($10 admission; free parking) Bavarian Bierhaus in Heidelberg Park, 700 W. Lexington Blvd. For 60 years, happy crowds have gathered to drink beer, enjoy great food, listen to live music and generally revel in all things German at Heidelberg Park. One of the longestrunning Oktoberfests in the area, it’s popular with young and old alike.
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Sept. 27-28 (Free admission) N56 W14750 Silver Spring Drive, Menomonee Falls Organized by United Donauschwaben of Milwaukee, traditional German dancers, music, beer and food are the name of the game at this Oktoberfest celebration, which features live German bands and a fine biergarten.
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Oct. 20 (Free admission) 12130 W. Center St. Combining the best parts of any church festival with the gemütlichkeit of an Oktoberfest celebration works well at St. Joe’s in Wauwatosa. While the bounce houses will keep the kids happy, adults will love the homebrew competition and live, award-winning polka band.
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Sept. 27-28 (Free admission) Frame Park, 1150 Frame Park Drive Waukesha’s fourth annual Oktoberfest features all the German beer and food you would expect but sets itself apart with unique events like the Masskrugstemmen Contest (holding a beer straight out in front of you for as long as possible without spilling a drop), living bronze statues and Das Bags Tourney. Admission is free, but a $2 wristband (with the proceeds going to charity) is required to buy or consume alcohol.
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