Tag: Oktoberfest

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Beer for the Wiesn at Crosstoberfest Saturday

CREDIT: Crosstown Brewing Co.

Can’t make it to Munich for Oktoberfest but still want to celebrate? Don’t fret. You’ll be able to sample German-style beers at Crosstown Brewing Co.’s second annual Crosstoberfest.

“It’s probably the best opportunity to get the full-on German Oktoberfest experience, but in Memphis,” says Clark Ortkiese, owner of Crosstown Brewing.

While this one-day celebration isn’t as long as Germany’s official multiple-day beer-drinking holiday, guests will feel like they’re in Germany, with authentic decor, stein-hoisting competition, bratwurst-eating competition, live German music, and more. All of this with their seasonal Crosstoberfest festbier or the summer seasonal German pilsner, Terraplane, in hand makes for a prime in-town Oktoberfest getaway.

Crosstown Brewing Co.

Raise a stein at Crosstoberfest.

A craft beer tent will offer free samples of Crosstown Brewing’s German beers and other brews, and beer representatives will be available to answer questions.

“Bell’s Brewery [from Michigan] will also be there offering some of their wares, like a brown ale and their Oktoberfest beer,” says Ortkiese.

To soak up all of the tasty brews in your system, an array of food trucks and booths, such as Flying Saucer and New Wing Order, will be on-site.

“And one of our neighbors, Next Door American Eatery, will be here,” says Ortkiese. “They’re good friends of ours, and we love hanging out with them.”

Crosstoberfest is open to the whole family, with live performances by Mighty Souls Polka Band (with Sean Murphy of the Mighty Souls Brass Band) and DJ Oompahstar, shopping, and a multitude of children’s activities, like face painting, pumpkin decorating, and an Art-Toberfest crafts area for coloring and painting.

The best part?

“This event is free to attend,” says Ortkiese. “That’s been a big part of the things that happen at Crosstown Concourse that we love.”

Crosstoberfest, Crosstown Brewing Co., Saturday, October 12th, 11 a.m.- 7 p.m., free.

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Oktoberfest at Station 3: The Memphis Firehaus

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.

That’s the theory behind combining High Cotton Brewing Co.’s second annual Oktoberfest with opening weekend of Station 3: The Memphis Firehaus beer garden on Saturday, October 3rd.

“We decided that it’d be a good idea for us to do the event together rather than compete against each other since we’re going out for the same crowd,” says Benjamin Orgel, one of the partners organizing the fall pop-up beer garden at the long-vacant firehouse at Third and MLK Avenue.

Station 3

This is opening weekend for Station 3: The Memphis Firehaus, a follow-up to last spring’s highly successful beer garden in the Tennessee Brewery. And it’s also the weekend High Cotton Brewing Co. was planning to hold its Oktoberfest. Last year, the day-long, all-you-can-drink beer fest was held at the brewery in the Edge District. But this year, it will run from noon to 6 p.m. at the old firehouse. They’re debuting their German Fall Lager at the event, and High Cotton co-owner Ryan Staggs said they’ll have a couple of other German-style beers, as well as their mainstays, ESB and Scottish Ale.

A Bavarian meal from Central BBQ is included in the cost of the ticket — $40 online in advance or $50 on the day of the event.

Unlike last year’s event, there will be no V.I.P. area and no glass mugs. Staggs said they’re going with a plastic mug for safety reasons. “It’s an event-safe vessel. Broken glass is never a good thing for a beer fest,” Staggs says.

After the Oktoberfest event is over on Saturday, the Firehaus will open to the general public for the rest of the evening. Station 3: The Memphis Firehaus officially opens on Thursday, October 1st with multiple taps and food trucks. It will be open every Thursday through Sunday until November 30th.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

A Visit to Schweinehaus, Oktoberfest Sunday

CREDIT: Hannah Bailey, Memphis Stew

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Last week, we went to check out Schweinehaus for lunch. It looks great — the old Paulette’s has been cleared out for an open, airy space with white walls and brown accents. Most of the tables are long with bench seating for family-style meal. The design very nearly insists on big gatherings among family and friends.

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We started with the baked pretzel ($8), because, of course, we did. It was good enough. What stood out most was the beer cheese. We liked it so much we upsized it with an order of beer cheese soup ($4).

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We also got the fried brussels appetizer ($7), which involves bacon and a citrus vinaigrette. This dish won over a brussels sprouts hater.

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I ordered the Veggie Grillt Kase ($10), a veggie sandwich with tomato, caramelized onion, muenster cheese, and apple jezebel (a slaw with apples and horseradish). I’ve had plenty of veggie sandwiches but not one like this before. There are a lot of different things going on — salty, sweet, sour.

One of our party got the pulled pork reuben ($11), described on the menu as “kraut Salat, Whole Grain BBQ, Marble Rye.” He liked, but I think he was expecting something a little more reuben-y, less pulled pork sandwich.

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Another order the bauerwurst, which was on special that day.

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You should check it out yourself. Sunday would be particularly fun day to do so. That’s Oktoberfest at Schweinehaus, starting at 11 a.m.

The day includes a yodeling contest, a Masskurgstemmen stein-holding contest, and more.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink

A Café Makeover

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Café de France, inside Palladio Antiques & Art, closed in June. In its place is Café Palladio, which opened in early September. And while the address is the same, the café itself has gotten a facelift.

“We raised the floor so that all tables are on the same level, and we updated the furniture,” says Rebekah Vaughn, the café’s manager. “We’re using white tablecloths for a brighter, more contemporary look.”

Former Café de France regulars won’t be disappointed. Even though most baked goods aren’t made in-house anymore, the menu still offers great lunch fare. Sandwiches such as “Chunkie-Chicken Salad,” “Southern Fried Green Tomato,” and “Dixie Delight” (a vegetarian option) come with a choice of potato, fruit, pasta, or side salad. Large salads include grilled chicken Caesar, Greek chicken salad, and pear and walnut salad, among others. Desserts are plentiful too: Homemade brownies, coconut cake, and layer cake (caramel, red velvet, strawberry, chocolate) come from Sugaree’s Bakery in New Albany, Mississippi, and there are locally made sweets, such as Ms. Katz Cobblers, based on availability.

Café Palladio is open for lunch Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Café Palladio, 2169 Central (278-0129)

This year’s Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, was another record year for the world-famous event. From September 22nd to October 7th, visitors drank 6.7 million mass, the standard one-quart beer served from tap in humongous steins. The Wiesn, the locals’ name for the fest, drew 6.2 million visitors. On one Saturday, thirsty guests were turned away from the beer tents just a few minutes after opening at 9 a.m. because they were already at maximum capacity.

If you didn’t make it to Munich this year, try local brew pubs and restaurants for a little Oktoberfest spirit.

The Flying Saucer (130 Peabody Place, 523-7468) offers Spaten Oktober, Paulaner Oktober, Sam Adams October, and Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale on tap. Buffalo Bill’s Wild Pumpkin and Schlafly Pumpkin beer in bottles should arrive any day now. In honor of Oktoberfest, the pub holds a monk’s blessing of the kegs every Friday at 5 p.m. during October.

At Boscos Squared (2120 Madison, 432-2222), you can enjoy Boscos Oktoberfest on tap for a limited time. It’s Boscos’ version of the full-flavored, full-bodied, golden German beer.

Tuesday on the Terrace at the Memphis Botanic Garden (750 Cherry, 576-4131) on October 30th is also Oktoberfest-themed. Instead of beer, guests can enjoy German and Alsatian wines and German food. The event is from 6 to 8 p.m. Reservations are suggested. Cost for the event is $25 per person.

The coming weeks offer plenty of opportunities for those who want to eat good and do good too. October 23rd is the date for the Great Chefs Tasting, the annual tasting and silent auction benefiting United Cerebral Palsy. Participating restaurants include Grill 83, Memphis Pizza Café, Circa, Folks Folly, Café 61, Central BBQ, Soul Fish, Celtic Crossing, and many others. Tickets for the event, which is being held at the Pink Palace Museum, are $40 in advance and $45 at the door. For tickets, call 320-6362.

On November 2nd, you can raise your wine glass to support the National Kidney Foundation of West Tennessee during this year’s Sip Around the World. The event at the Memphis Botanic Garden offers fine wines, hors d’oeuvres, and live and silent auctions. Tickets are $65 in advance and $75 at the door. The event starts at 7 p.m. For tickets, call 683-6185 or visit www.nkfwtn.org.

From November 5th through 12th, you can help “Feed the Need” by adding a donation to the Memphis Food Bank to your restaurant bill. The Food Bank serves more than 300 agencies in the Mid-South and helps prevent hunger by delivering food to the needy and through services such as the Kids Café and the Food for Kids BackPack and the Prepared and Perishable Meals Recovery programs.

For more information and a list of participating restaurants, call 527-0841 or visit www.memphisfoodbank.org.