David Michael Miller
Weekend forecast: 100 percent chance of beer.
Oktoberfest beer releases are creeping ever earlier into summer — it’s not uncommon to find some popping up in mid-August. Even Oktoberfest itself (the original party, in Munich, Germany) now takes place in September, this year starting on the 16th. So Oktobeerfest, Isthmus’s own version of the German festival, which also takes place this year on September 16, is in good company.
New this year at the Isthmus Oktobeerfest will be a wine tent. This also matches practices at the Munich Oktoberfest, where there are wine tents. The introduction of wine here reflects the recent explosive growth in the Wisconsin wine industry. Eleven local wineries will offer samples: Cambridge Winery of Cambridge, Lewis Station of Lake Mills, Rock N Wool of Poynette, Hawk’s Mill of Browntown, Spurgeon Vineyards of Highland, Baraboo Bluff of Baraboo, DnA Vintners of LaCrosse, Infinity of Eau Claire, Drumlin Ridge of Waunakee, Weggy of Muscoda, and Prairie Hawk of Wisconsin Dells.
“We definitely want to attend beer festivals,” says Shaun Lapacek of Rock N Wool winery, who was just back from pouring wine samples at the Potosi Brewfest. “The response was unbelievable.”
Lapacek says that Wisconsin’s status as a beer state means a beer fest is just the place to introduce newcomers to wine: “If we only tried to reach people who already like wine, we’d lose 75 percent of our customer base in the state.”
He brings dry and sweet wines, but finds that — perhaps counterintuitively — beer drinkers prefer sweet wines. He attributes that to the German influence in the state, as well as our love of brandy and old fashioneds. “Sweets are stepping stones to dry wines,” says Lapacek.
Back on the beer side, Oktobeerfest will highlight seasonal Oktoberfest beers from more than 40 craft breweries and cideries. Oktoberfests, or Märzens, originated before there was refrigeration. These lagers were brewed in spring and left to ferment over the summer, to be consumed only when the weather turned colder once again. They tend to be medium-bodied beers and may be light in color or in a range of ambers. Traditionalists will use German hops.
Attendees can expect breweries to bring two to four beers, usually with an Oktoberfest or Oktoberfest-like beer and often a rare or otherwise taphouse-only brew. Oliphant Brewing, for instance — known for its offbeat beers — is bringing its Honees Honees peanut butter and honey golden ale. But it’s also bringing an Oktoberfest — “As classic as it gets,” says owner/brewer Matt Wallace.
Oktobeerfest will take place from 3-7 p.m. September 16 at Breese Stevens Field. Tickets ($45) include unlimited sampling, souvenir glass, and lunch — a brat, German potato salad and sweet apple-kraut. More info at isthmusoktobeerfest.com
