The official start of Oktoberfest is this weekend. Ok, take a deep breath. Ready?
Friday, 9/18
Dacha Navy Yard, 5-11pm. At 5:30pm Dacha and DC Brau are tapping the ceremonial keg, which means free beer if you’re dressed for the event. Live music, too. Pay as you go.
Wundergarten, 3pm-12am. Happy hour starts at 3, the keg tapping closer to 7, and the party goes all night long. Pay as you go, but why not RSVP?
Fair Winds Nautifest, 12-10pm. Food 12-7, music at 4, das boot raffle, an Oktoberfest lager release, and more! Pay as you go.
Saturday, 9/19
Bluejacket, 12-5pm. For our money the bestest O’fest in the District has all the usual bells and whistles like pretzels, brats, stein holding, and a band, but there’s also gravity kegs of at least Hill House marzen and, new for this year, Reflections, a festbier dry-hopped with Herzbrucker. Underberg America will be there, and so will we. Also, there are 6 other Teutonic beers on including a smoked one! Pay as you go.
Port City Wunderfest, 11am-8pm. If we weren’t at Bluejacket, we’d be here for Port City’s Great American Beer Festival winner, two bands, food specials, and more. Buy a stein and your first beer is a dollar. Pay as you go otherwise.
Lost Rhino RhinOfest, 11:30am-9pm is the other NoVA brewery biggie that everyone should try to hit at least once. Award-winning beer, a German food buffet, contests, crafts, music,… it’s all here. Pay as you go.
Silver Branch Silver Spring Lagerhaus and Biergarten, 11:30am-11pm. It’s Maryland’s turn! Right across the street from the Silver Spring metro station and transit center with everything you could want from an O’fest, including a stein line, which means free beer. Pre-order tokens and more, otherwise pay as you go.
Third Hill Brewing, 12-10pm. Music starts at 7, but the party starts as soon as they open, with what might be their first even marzen and a strong helles. Very walkable from Silver Branch, too. Pay as you go.
Dacha Navy Yard, 12-10pm. The free beer for those who are dressed to impressed comes from Weihenstephaner at 1:30, with games, music, and crafting activities before dark. Dacha Shaw is also celebrating starting at noon.
Prost, 5-11pm. There’s free beer from a gravity keg starting at 5:15pm, and if you’re dressed up they’ll give you even more free beer. Walkable from Dacha.
In NoMa on Saturday: Wundergarten, 2pm-12am; Red Bear OktoBEARfest, 2-8pm, and from there head over to Other Half.
Alexandria, 11am-6pm. That’s right, the city itself is throwing a party, family friendly with beer, music, games, and more. Not too far away, Rustico, 12-5pm, with German food, German beer, and German music. Further west we think Shipgarten in Tyson’s and Settle Down Easy in Falls Church would be worth checking out. Heading south? We recommend Bunnyman Lorton.
Not Oktoberfest, but Elder Pine celebrates an anniversary today featuring two barrel-aged beers, and Streetcar 82 is back at it with Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day if you’d like something European-but-not-German.
Sunday, 9/20
Places like Dacha, Prost, and Wundergarten are going to be doing this well into Oktober, so if you didn’t visit them Friday or Saturday, Sunday’s a good day to do it.
Ok, we made it. More next weekend!
All pics via the respective breweries.
