22 | SEPTEMBER 17 - 23, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
Central Mass. breweries again celebrating Oktoberfest in-person Matthew Tota Guest Columnist
Perhaps too hopeful for these times, Shawn Rich booked a plane ticket to Germany months ago for this year’s Oktoberfest, lost in daydreams about what would be his 18th time attending the legendary folk festival. Rich, co-founder of Bay State Brewing Co. in Worcester, would emerge from the gloom of 2020, arriving in Munich this weekend ready for the rowdy, but jovial crowds fueled by stein after stein of world-class lager. “The whole atmosphere is wild, but in a way that involves young and old,” Rich said of Oktoberfest in Munich, held in the roughly 100 acres of open space near the city center known as “Theresienwiese.” “You get the
whole European experience, the communal atmosphere. Everything that isn’t life in COVID.” But in May, Bavarian Prime Minster Markus Söder and Munich's Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter announced Oktoberfest, scheduled to start this Saturday, had been canceled for a second straight year because of COVID-19. Although disappointed, Rich will still celebrate the 187-yearold festival — fi rst held in 1810 to recognize the marriage of Bavaria’s crown prince — albeit in Worcester’s Canal District. After last year saw most if not all brewers alter or nix their regular Oktoberfest plans, Bay State is among a handful of breweries looking forward to celebrating the festival this fall
with larger in-person events. There’s not a beer festival I look forward to more than Oktoberfest, which is saying something because I’ve never been to Munich. It’s not an exaggeration to describe celebrating once again after a year off as a life-affi rming experience. I will no doubt need a chaperone to monitor my imbibing and keep me from shoveling down an ungodly amount of golden-hued Märzen and plump bratwurst. Much like the historic Oktoberfest in Germany, Bay State’s festival will run for two weeks starting 6:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at the brewery, 112 Harding St., and closing the fi rst weekend of October. Munich’s mayor traditionally begins the proceedings by
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Mayor Joseph Petty taps the fi rst keg at Bay State Brewing's Oktoberfest Sept. 16, 2020. He'll return again to do the honors for this year's expanded festival. ASHLEY GREEN/T&G
tapping the fi rst barrel of Oktoberfest. Bay State has invited Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty to tap its fi rst keg of its fest lager, “BeckToberfest.” Petty tapped last year’s keg, too, at a smaller, socially-distanced kick-off . Bay State’s taproom will have an Oktoberfest menu available — including beef goulash and chicken schnitzel — for the length of its festival. And each weekend the brewery has games planned, such as a stein housing competition, a classic Bavarian strength challenge. Most importantly, you’ll have the chance to buy “das boot,” a glass in the shape of a boot that can hold a liter of beer. “Anyone who comes in dressed in Oktoberfest garb will get a free appetizer,” Rich noted. For more than a decade, The Gardner Ale House, 74 Park St., Gardner, has been quenching its city’s thirst for German lagers. The restaurant’s brewery, Moon Hill Brewing Co., also hosts one of the region’s largest Oktoberfest gatherings. The party in the streets returns Sept. 25 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in front of the ale house, where you’re likely to see more than one person dressed in lederhosen. Marlborough is another city that loves its Oktoberfest celebrations. For more than 20 years, an Oktoberfest was always the highlight of the Marl-
borough Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual Heritage Festival. In recent years, the city’s three breweries — Tackle Box Brewing Co., Flying Dreams Brewing Co. and Lost Shoe Brewing and Roasting Co. — have taken up the mantle, hosting a combined Oktoberfest. The Marlborough Brewers Association Oktoberfest will run from noon to 10 p.m. Sept. 25, outside Flying Dreams, 277 Main St. There is a $10 entry fee, which also buys you a commemorative half-liter stein. By far my favorite Oktoberfest in the state takes place on Clinton Street in Framingham, inside the Jack’s Abby beer hall. I deeply missed last year’s edition, but am overjoyed to see it return Oct. 1 through Oct. 3 at the brewery, 100 Clinton St. The festivities begin at 5 p.m. that Friday with the tapping of a special gravity cask of Copper Legend. On Saturday, the brewery will host a keg toss competition starting at 4 p.m., then tap a gravity cask of its Munich Fest lager. The fi nal day starts at 2 p.m. Sunday with another gravity cask of Copper Legend. Throughout the weekend, Jack’s Abby will be alive with German music and food. Check social media for more information on the upcoming Oktoberfest celebrations planned at Bay State Brewing Co., The Gardner Ale House, Flying Dreams and Jack’s Abby.
