Tonight will be a glorious testament to the godfathers of beer, Germans*.
*Ignoring the fact that Germans didn’t actually invent beer as we can thank the people of what is now modern day Iran for that.
Tonight, grab your best lederhosen or dirndl and oompah music spirit and head to the Public Market across from Boundary Bay Brewery for Bellingham’s Oktoberfest. Doors open at 630pm and tickets are $20 advanced and $25 at the door. Some of the BTT Crew will be there as well so if you haven’t gotten a map yet, seek us out, or we’ll find you.
Bellingham is now awash in Germanic beer glory thanks to events like Oktoberfest ,the newly opened Das Schweinhaus Biergarten and the world class award winning ales and lagers at Chuckanut Brewery. Have you been down to Chuckanut Brewery’s Kolsch night or $8 Stein night? They are a local treat and we suggest seeking them out with friends…and your map. Whether you have or not, today is the day to visit both Schweinhaus and Chuckanut Brewery.
When I was 23, I visited the vaunted halls of the the Hofbrauhaus. There was much celebration and libation. I took three years of German in high school. I pretty much only remember one phrase that I occasionally use to impress people (*it impresses no one):
Ich habe drei jahre Deutch in oberschule. Mein Deutsch ist nicht sehr gut.
(Translation: I have three years of German in high school. My German is not very good.)
Today is the day to raise a stein to the Germans and every Bellingham Beer Week enthusiast. Thank you Bellingham breweries and tap houses: You’ve saved me thousands of dollars on travel and replaced it with spending thousands of dollars on local beer. It’s a win win.
We no longer have to travel abroad to get amazing beer or visit beer halls. We’ve got it here, in Bellingham and it’s all on The Tap Trail.
Today, we ask you to learn German
Ich habe eine bier bitte
(Translation: I’ll have one beer please)
Heck, make it two and don’t forget your map!
Do you have pictures and stories of you out during tonight’s Oktoberfest? We’d love to hear about it. Submit your story and pics here. We just might use you in a post (like this one) and you’ll be famous.