Friday, October 13, 2006

Oktoberfest celebrations around Austin

It's beer-drinking time, people. Oktoberfest is upon us, as I noted in previous posts. Here are some Central Texas suggestions for enjoying the season. Sadly, there are a couple of activities this weekend that I'll have to miss, as I'm taking the kiddo camping.

Saturday, Oct. 14: Independence Brewery's Second Anniversary Party — not a true Oktoberfest party, but still a worthy chance to support the local brewers who created the Oklahoma Suks beer (see post below).

Saturday, Oct. 14: Blackstar Co-op Brewpub's Oktoberfest Party at Austin Homebrew Supply — man, I hate to miss this one, as it's in my neighborhood! Always good to have beer-drinking opportunities that are walking distance from your house. No driving means more beer!

Sat.-Sun., Oct. 21-22: North by Northwest Oktoberfest — We always enjoy this one. I don't think I've fully sung the praises of this brewpub nearly enough. Their food and beer both are excellent, and this event always has a nice strong bock (among other choices), tasty German food, polka bands, and activities for the kids. Any event that lets me drink beer while my kids have fun is a good thing. Which leads me to my don't-miss event of the year …

Nov. 3-12: Wurstfest in New Braunfels — Get your kid a $20 pass for unlimited rides on the tilt-a-whirl, ferris wheel, mini-roller coaster, etc., and let them go crazy while you enjoy dozens of bands, gallons of beer (including Paulaner and others), a huge beer hall, and tons of good food, including great German food but not limited to that — plenty of more traditional carnival food available as well. New Braunfels is a great little German town on I-35 in between San Antonio and Austin which is attractive for a number of reasons, and this very popular event is a major one.

I've heard Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg, a similar German town not far from New Braunfels, is also great, but I've never been. Anyone else have any suggestions? (I mean, aside from going to the real thing in Germany?)

EDIT: Dangit, I am dirt broke yet again! I was forced to miss the stuff last weekend because I took the kiddo camping, and now I might miss NXNW due to lack of cash. Grrr. Anyhoo, if any of my friends want to join me there around 3pm, gimme a call and I'll decide whether I can afford to go or not.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

And in Houston, Oct 20-22, the Dixie Cup is the best place to learn more about beer!

Lee said...

Bill, I think we're doing Wurstfest on Nov. 11. You in?

Anonymous said...

And the other Bill chimes in... yes, we're going to Wurstfest on Nov 11th. I think this year we're actually going to spend the night down there and do a little more on the 12th.