Cheers! Middlebury Oktoberfest Good to the Last Pint

Author: Andrea LaRocca

A little bit of Germany came to Middlebury last Saturday night in the form of Otter Creek Brewery's eighth annual Oktoberfest. Nearly 300 people turned out for the Vermont version of this German tradition, and all enjoyed a pig roast dinner, a night of dancing and karaoke, and, of course, a commemorative Otter Creek Oktoberfest pint glass with a free pint and discounted refills.

The original Oktoberfest on which the Otter Creek celebration was based is a traditional festival/fair held annually at the end of September into early October in Munich, Bavaria. A common misconception, particularly in America, is that Oktoberfest is celebrated throughout Germany - not so. Although several similar beer festivals take place around Germany, this particular festival in Munich is the only true Oktoberfest.

Middlebury Associate Dean for Institutional Diversity Roman Graf, who is originally from Bavaria, described Oktoberfest. "In general, there are lots of rides and beer tents at the festival. It is also the time when the beer prizes in Bavaria are set. We know how much they will go up by the price of a liter or beer at the Oktoberfest. The mayor of the city opens the festival with a traditional opening of the first keg of beer, and there is a parade of the breweries and official opening ceremonies throughout the first couple of days," Graf said.

Graf has been to Oktoberfest five times and says that Munich residents tend to avoid Oktoberfest because of its touristy quality. He has, however, been to the festival often enough to offer some important advice: "Beware of folks that go home on the trains after a day of drinking and eating. Quite a few of them cannot endure a train ride after all of the day's events and tend to get sick on the trains. Not a pretty sight!"

Fortunately, this warning didn't apply to Otter Creek's Oktoberfest. Kate Corrigan, marketing assistant of the Otter Creek Brewery, said, "A lot of fun was had by all."

Even more importantly, however, the Otter Creek Oktoberfest was for a good cause - the celebration was a benefit for Addison County Elderly Services. Corrigan said the brewery "will end up donating about $2,700 to Elderly Services." This money will be used to help fund a new Elderly Service facility on Exchange Street in Middlebury.

Another reason for this Oktoberfest celebration was that a little bit of fame also recently came to Otter Creek Brewery. On September 30, the brewery won a gold medal at the 2003 Great American Beer Festival, the largest national beer competition. Over 400 breweries with 2000 beer entries participated in this competition, which was judged by an international board of brewing authorities. Otter Creek's Copper Ale, the first beer ever brewed by the company, won in the German-style altbier category.

"We are very excited to have our number-one selling beer, Copper Ale, receive such a prestigious award and be recognized as one of the best beers in America," said Morgan Wolaver, owner of Otter Creek Brewery. This enthusiasm made this year's Otter Creek Oktoberfest even better - as Corrigan said, "Thank you to everyone who came and made the party such a fun event. We hope to see you all again next year!"

In the mean time, Otter Creek Brewery offers free brewery tours and beer sampling during the week. More information about the brewery can be found at ottercreekbrewing.com or by calling 800-473-0727. Cheers!