OKTOBERFEST: Every day is a beer-fest at Creekside. With over 30 different craft beers on tap from over 25 craft breweries, we typically have more great beers on tap every day than most beer festivals. Octoberfest, or Oktoberfest, or Oktoberfeist… is a grand annual tradition dating back to 1810, celebrating the marriage of the Bavarian crown prince, staring on October 12 and raging on for five days, blah blah blah. Since then, the event has become a month-long party, with dates changing, but flowing from September to October. The big party, the People-fest, is held each year in Munich (Bavaria), from mid-or late-September to the first Sunday in October, with more than six million international and national visitors attending the event (kind of like Creekside). This year’s Volkfest aka Oktoberfest runs September 21st to October 6th in Munich, but Creekside’s celebration is on now!
FEISTBEIR: Festbier is a German-style pale lager with a balanced flavor of malt and hops, and a light hop character. It’s the beer served at Munich’s Oktoberfest, but is a distinct style from the traditional Oktoberfest beer style. For us, we typically find two styles (both relatively light in alcohol); more amber tones (ala Märzen style) where our local craft breweries pay homage to the more fall “malty” flavors. Conversely, the Kölsch is a style of beer (originating in Cologne, Germany) is bright and clear with a straw-yellow hue, crisp and light. For our Creektoberfest, we’ll be putting on several different Oktoberfest tribute beers.
CREEKTOBERFEST NOW ON TAP: Just Tapped > East Brother “FestBier” and Fieldwork “Fest & Last” Oktoberfest Lager, plus Fort Point Kölsch, and we just added Drake’s new Hefeweizen. Coming soon: Original Pattern’s “Crosshatch Kölsch.” Now, at Oktoberfest in Munich, people drink A LOT of beer, and they can because the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) is relatively low. These easy drinking beers are just that; lower alcohol in the 4% to mid 5% ABV. At Creekside, we have pints, 12 oz Belgian glass pours, and we give you the opportunity to try them all with a Creekside “First Class” or “Coach Class” flight board of 5 or 3 different beers. So, either book your flight to Munich, or board a Creekside Flight of Oktoberfest Beers. Creekside taproom opens daily at 11AM, seven days a week.
THE MORE YOU KNOW: You know who has a solid year-round German-style beer is Gordon-Biersch. They’ve been doing they’ve been doing their Märzen for decades, and they throw a pretty legit Oktoberfest in San Jose. While Dean Biersch has long made his exit from GB operations to run his north bay HopMonk empire (and Silver Oak Saloon), Dan Gordon still cranks out great craft beers. Sometimes, people may think of GB beers as light and pedestrian, or God-forbid “simple”… perhaps overlooked, but these guys were American innovators and truly deserve a place in the Craft Beer Hall of Fame. Dan is arguably the most globally knowledgeable brewer ever; his brain is always on overdrive with a plethora of real-world experience and skill. If you ever have a chance to sit with Dan and talk beer, he’s amazing, and Dean is one of the nicest guys and industry experts as well. OK, back to their Märzen, which is celebrated and fits the Oktoberfest profile with amber malt profile and taste, but Märzen mean “March” … not like marching, but the third month, spring, which is the traditional brewing season for this beer… which means: Year round drinking for everyone. Pick up some Gordon Biersch next time you see them on a shelf, or one of their combo packs, or make the date to visit the Gordon Biersch Oktoberfest happening in San Jose: EVENT INFO > CLICK HERE
SAVE THE DATE > TAP TAKEOVER: Mark your calendars for October 10th at Creekside as we are planning the long-awaited Tap Takeover with ORIGINAL PATTERN BREWING. This will be a great evening at Creekside with the OP Crew from 5pm till 8pm.
