Americans can celebrate Oktoberfest without traveling to Germany

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Oktoberfest innkeeper Katharina Wiemes shows off an official mug for part of this year’s famous beer festival in Germany. But you don’t have to travel that far, as there are plenty of Oktoberfest opportunities in the United States for beer lovers to congregate. | Tobias Hase~AFP/Getty Images

OKTOBERFESTS IN AMERICA

Here are a few of the biggest and best-known Oktoberfests in America:

◆ Oktoberfest by the Bay, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, San Francisco. The scenic waterfront location is not found at its German ancestor’s fest, but Oktoberfest by the Bay keeps the German tradition alive. The festival (oktoberfestbythebay.com) features “sizzling oompah music” (as its website boasts), native dancing and, of course, beer. Entry is split into day or night sessions. Tickets are $25 for any session, but that only covers your admission. VIP tickets for $65 include a buffet and a beer. Most beers are $6 and food ranges from $3-$11. The final day of the event marks the 122nd anniversary of German Day in San Francisco.

◆ Soulard Oktoberfest, Oct. 7-9, St. Louis. This festival (soulard
oktoberfest.com) is held in the backyard of one of America’s most successful brewing companies, Anheuser-Busch, which was founded by German immigrants. The city’s strong German heritage is on display at the festival, which promises 2,000 kegs and 14 bands. The event includes contests for brat-eating, stein-holding and strongest barmaid. Entry is $5, although if you’re wearing German attire (that means lederhosen, not T-shirts by the German brand Adidas), you get in for free. Food and drinks are separate. For $40-$75, depending on the day, you get VIP treatment with all-you-can eat bratwurst and other food, beer, special parking and, perhaps most important at a beer festival, special access to bathrooms.

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Updated: November 24, 2011 12:25AM

For dedicated beer lovers, fall conjures up images of Oktoberfest, and that means steins the size of toddlers, boisterous drinking songs and waitresses in dirndl skirts.

But attending Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany — the biggest beer festival in the world (this year through Oct. 3) — also involves distance, time and expense.

Fortunately for those whose budgets and schedules preclude the trip, there is plenty to do — and drink — in the United States during the fall beer festival season. Think of it as Oktoberfest in America. The festivals can be rambunctious parties, where you have to shout to be heard. Or they can be quieter affairs, with the hum of mingling and a focus on the task at hand: drinking beer.

So many beer festivals are bubbling up throughout the United States that domestic fans now have a dizzying year-round array of choices, said Eric Shepard, executive editor of trade publication Beer Marketer’s Insights.

“It’s gotten so popular, I don’t know of any place that doesn’t have one,” he said, citing the success of craft beers as the reason.

Here’s a look at the phenomenon and some of the U.S. festivals going on this fall.

FESTIVAL BASICS: Breweries, brewers guilds and local groups of enthusiasts hold the festivals. Tickets can range from $20 to $100 or more, depending on what is offered. Tickets may cover drinks or they may be good for entry only, and you have to pay separately for your drinks, said Julia Herz, craft beer program director for the Brewers Association, which represents most of the nation’s craft brewers.

SOLD OUT? VOLUNTEER! Don’t be dissuaded by sold-out events. Look into volunteering. Festivals need of dozens, if not thousands, of volunteers, and they’re usually compensated in free tickets and beer. Ryan Katz, a beer enthusiast in Indianapolis volunteered with a group in 2009 to work at the Great American Beer Festival. He spent two full days with a group of friends, pouring beer for breweries.

“We could take breaks and try other beers,” he said. “And they had no issues with us drinking the stuff we were pouring, either.”

Contact the organizers of the fest where you would like to volunteer. At the Great American Beer Festival, the need is big: It had nearly 3,300 volunteers last year. There already is a waiting list for this year, though.

STAY CURRENT: To keep up with the latest happenings — and drinks — in the beer world, visit Beer Advocate’s extensive calendar: beeradvocate.com/events/calendar.