Grab your Lederhosen…it is Oktoberfest time! While the name suggests a month long festival in October, in reality kegs are tapped in late September in Munich, Bavaria & throughout Germany so the beer flows non-stop for 16 days until the first weekend in October.
The tradition continues in the Ottawa area with Beau’s Oktoberfest in Vankleek Hill as well as Oktoberfest Ottawa in Barrhaven – both on the October 3rd to 5th weekend. The largest Oktoberfest celebration around will take place in Kitchener, check out their great lineup.
No doubt there will be pop-up Oktoberfesting in neighbourhoods and pubs all over town, so grab one of these locally made craft beers & raise a pint to join in the celebrations. “Prost!”
Big Rig Rideau RedBrewmaster Lon Ladell figures that he has made thousands of different craft beers and he is far from done! Big Rig beers have grown in popularity that Lon & his team are soon to open an even larger brewery in Kanata where you can stop in for a pint.
Celebrate the change of fall colours with this red beer. Crystal malts are used to create the sweet, malt backbone and the unique amber colouring of this brew. Floral hops are then added at the wort boil lending some hop bitterness while still letting the malt profile shine – 5.2% ABV, 18 IBU. The result? A heart-warming aroma of caramel that carries on to the flavour. Crisp hop bitterness lingers at the end, not overwhelming, but just enough to keep the malt profile from being cloying.
Kichesippi Beer Co. Heller Highwater
As the expression goes, “Come hell or highwater…” you need to do whatever it takes to try this Bavarian lager. Make a point of stopping by the Kichesippi Brewery on Campbell Ave to pick up a six pack. Hell is the German adjective for “light,” while Helles is a noun used in the sense of “a light one.” Subtle, rich, heavenly maltiness with aromas & tastes of wildflower honey & hops await. Enjoy with fresh corn on the cob & bratwurst sausages and ask yourself….
Does life really get any better than this?
Perth Brewery Oatmeal Stout
As the fall weather rolls in, warm up with a full-bodied beer like this one. Brewed using real oatmeal, there are rich aromas and tastes of coffee, chocolate and vanilla that makes this a good choice for spicy foods, a night cap or with dark chocolate cake!
With 10+ beers always in the kettle at Perth Brewery, if Stout is not ‘your thing’, let me give you another reason to make the drive to Perth – Perth Brewery was named Top Brewery at the 2014 National Capital Beer Festival.
Barley Days Pumpkin Saison of the WitchThis beaut is only available at Barley Days Brewery in Picton during autumn. During the height of harvest, friends and family parade across the road to the neighbouring farmers market to collect over 400lbs of pumpkins to be used in the recipe in order to create a batch of 4000L of this specialty beer.
Imagine how many trips across the road it takes to make that beer! (sounds like a ‘how many times did the brewmaster cross the road’ joke is coming on!). As Prince Edward County’s only brewery, plan a getaway to stop in at Barley Days and then visit the 30+ wineries along the way…
All around the world, barrels will be tapped starting in September and into October, so this is the perfect time to think about all the wonderful craft beers make right here in Ontario.
Savvy Company’s Brew Crew roams the backroads to discover craft beers you can’t always find on the shelves at The Beer Store or the LCBO. Subscribe to Savvy Hip Hops – Ontario’s first craft beer-of-the-month club & an assortment of craft beers will be delivered straight to your home or office each month – a different brewery every time! www.savvyhiphops.ca
All of the above-mentioned breweries have been part of our beer of the month club – JOIN NOW and you can get great Ontario beers delivered to your door!
Prost!
Enjoy all those Oktoberfests in your neighborhood
