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Pace yourselves: Biggest beer weekend of the year
It’s like ACL Fest, SXSW, WWE and a tractor pull all wrapped into one weekend. Prepare to apologize to your ballooning liver Monday because there’s tons going on.
The big event is the second annual Fall Beer Festival hosted by the Flying Saucer at Triangle Park, 4700 N. Lamar Blvd., from noon-10 p.m. Saturday. Last year it was a blast, drawing something like 1,500 people, and this one promises to be better.
The deal is this: It’s free to get in but $15 gets you a glass and a tasting card with tickets for 10 sample-sized pours of 10 of the 30 featured beers. If you want a full pour, there also will be a tent there for that. And brats. And a Frisbee dunking booth, with a portion of the proceeds going to Austin’s Planet Cancer.
Oh — you want to hear about the beer? Dogfish Head’s Burton Baton, Boulewvard Smokestack, St. Arnold Divine #8, lots of cask ales, a “UR Not Worthy Tent,” beer from both coasts and in between. Saucer GM Ted Rowell has been cellaring great stuff all year, too, and some of it will be available in the restaurant as well as the park. The rarest of the lot with be Edge of Darkness, a robust brown ale brewed by none other than Keith Schlabs, the Saucer’s beer guru, and Scott Jennings, H-E-B’s beer guy, earlier this year at Sierra Nevada’s beer camp. There’s more about that on Capt. Keith’s beer blog.
Schlab said they brewed only 20 barrels of the beer, which was hopped with 55 pounds of fresh Centennial hops and “the guy at the brewery said it was fantastic.” There will be two kegs of that, so get in line.
Don’t have a Storm King Imperial Stout from Victory too early or you’ll never make it until sundown. Another piece of advice: Go early because some of the really good stuff will disappear.
Also Saturday starting at 1 p.m. is my beloved Ginger Man’s first Oktoberfest, which will actually be outside facing Third St. next door to the bar at 301 Lavaca St. German beer, German food from Sullivan’s, live music by the Lost and Nameless Orchestra, New Austin Polka Band and Gold Cure. Carnival games will raise money for Groundwork Music Project, which provides free music lessons for kids.
Still more Saturday. From 4-9 p.m. Independence Brewing Co. is marking its fifth anniversary with a big old bash at the brewery located at 3913 Todd Lane. The beer: Jasperilla Old Ale 2008 Jasperilla Old Ale 2008 aged on light oak Jasperilla Old Ale 2008 aged on toasted oak Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout Austin Amber Bootlegger Brown Ale Freestyle Wheat Independence Pale Ale
And food by Mangia. And music by the Blue Diamonds and Space Thief. Take cash (no plastic) for a $10 anniversary glass and of course your ID.
For the most Teutonically authentic vibe, you can’t do any better than North By Northwest Restaurant and Brewery’s Oktoberfest, which is so unwieldy it runs two days, from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to dark Sunday. Brats, oompah bands, wiener dog costume contests, distractions for the kiddos, fire dancers and lots more. It’s $2 to get in and this year the event benefits Breast Cancer Resource Centers, Therapy Pets Pals of Central texas and Central Texas Dachshund Rescue. Buy one of those monstrous steins and get in the spirit of things. The restaurant is at 10010 Capital of TX Hwy N.; most of the fun and games will be outside.
The NXNW folks were kind enough to drop off a growler of this year’s Oktoberfest and head brewer Ty Phelps and brewmaster Don Thompson have nailed the style, which is not always my favorite. Medium-light body, an appropriately autumnal shade of copper, extremely sessionable.
If you’re thinking about doing all three of these, I strongly suggest Cap Metro is your designated driver.
Comments
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By BRYAN
October 21, 2009 11:47 PM | Link to this
YAY
By Jim
October 22, 2009 7:48 PM | Link to this
Good way to get those liquid carbs before the Livestrong bike ride on Sunday. So many choices, so little time (and only one liver).