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By Jennifer Tanko

Shorter days, colorful leaves and a stein that holds almost three draft beers; October may be my favorite month. It’s not too cold yet, I get to spend all month planning a killer costume, but most of all, it is when we Americans celebrate the German festival of Oktoberfest.

I was lucky enough this semester to be able to attend a whopping three Oktoberfest celebrations in a row.

The first Oktoberfest I attended was Oktoberfest Weekend at the Maryland Renaissance Festival.

I had never been to Renn Fest before and jumped on the excuse to kill two birds with one stone and go on that particular weekend.

The beer selection was a lot better than I’d anticipated, no urine-flavored water like Miller Lite and the like on draft. I also found myself taking a few breaks from beer to enjoy some mead or hard cider.

My next weekend was spent at the Maryland Brewer’s Oktoberfest, which featured local breweries from all over the state. The atmosphere was definitely more authentic, there was an Oompah band and tons of German food (and I do love the kraut). Thankfully my friends and I were dressed up for the occasion in good company.

Of course, due to the nature of this festival, the beer selection was absolutely fantastic. I tried my hardest to force myself to try new stuff, but I couldn’t stop going back to my favorites at The Brewer’s Art and Clipper City Brewing Co. In fact, the tasting selections at the former gave me “the thirst”—I was crazy for Brewer’s Art and found myself there the following Wednesday, and my cravings have definitely not been curbed.

See the rest at: http://www.thetowerlight.com/arts/going-german-1.2041851