Like many beer lovers, I hope to one day go to Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest. This year’s edition — the 181st — got underway on Saturday, but with our household travel budget spent on an unforgettable ski vacation in Norway, Bavaria will have to wait for another year.
The alternative, while no substitute for the real thing, is a pretty good one: for the second year running, the folks at Alberta Beer Festivals are staging Calgary Oktoberfest, which happens at the BMO Centre this coming Friday and Saturday. (The inaugural Edmonton Oktoberfest takes place the following weekend at the Expo Centre in Northlands Park.)
The events are meant to blend some of the things that make the original Oktoberfest so special — traditional costumes, oompah bands, the smooth, malty lagers brewed to coincide with the festival — with an opportunity for people to sample and celebrate what Alberta’s craft brewers are doing here.
“Let’s build this tradition around Oktoberfest and while we’re doing it, let’s put a local focus on it,” says Trevor Bacon, a spokesman for Alberta Beer Festivals.
Several Alberta brewers will be serving 4 oz. tasters of their wares, which is a fun and non-intimidating introduction to the local craft beer scene for any curious newcomers. But a key component of the weekend’s offerings will appeal to newbies and craft beer aficionados alike: six one-of-a-kind casks brewed specially for the occasion.
“The casks are a great way of introducing people to beers they’d never otherwise get to try,” Bacon says.
Friday kicks off with casks from Brewsters Brewing Company, Olds College Brewery and Wild Rose Brewery; Saturday will feature casks from Village Brewery, Something Brewing (the recently-opened craft brewing division of Red Deer’s Drummond Brewing) and a collaboration by Last Best Brewing and Distilling, Tool Shed Brewing and the Pig and Duke Neighbourhood Pub.
Cask concoctions can sometimes be a closely-guarded secret until it’s time to be tapped, but it appears the Tool Shed-Last Best-Pig and Duke contributions will have a pork flavour.
“That one’s going to have a bacon thing to it,” says, uh, Bacon.
Adam Seguin of the Western Suds blog did some sleuthing and found out the group has come up with two “farm to pint” beers infused with bacon, as well as a menu of four pork specialties to chow down on. They’ve dubbed the swine-y extravaganza Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, an homage to the pop-culture parlour game that requires players to link the actor to other celebrities in as few steps as possible.
There will also be food available from several local eateries, including the National beer halls, Midtown Kitchen and Bar and (naturally) Wurst. A portion of the proceeds from Calgary Oktoberfest will go to Kids Up Front, a local charity that donates event tickets to needy children.
Oktoberfest tickets are $19 a night or $30 for a weekend pass if bought in advance via the Alberta Beer Festivals website or at Brewsters locations. Tickets will be available for $25 at the door, but admission will be subject to capacity.
OKTOBERFEST TICKET GIVEAWAY: Courtesy of Alberta Beer Festivals, I’m giving away two pairs of tickets to Friday’s session, which runs from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Want to enter? It’s easy: email me at jvanrassel@calgaryherald.com with the name of your favourite German beer (so I know you’re not a robot) and I’ll draw two winners on Thursday. Each winner will also get a growler from 17th Ave. Liquor Boutique, which will offer eight beers fresh from the keg when it opens its doors at 519 17th Avenue S.W. on Dec. 1.
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