It’s almost that time of year, where every little beer geek drifts off to sleep and spends the night with visions of Märzens and Festbiers dancing in their heads. They wake up in the morning with an extra little twinkle in their eye and a little spring in their step, knowing that the season is upon us for malty-smooth lagers and traditional noble hops. Yes, that’s right it’s the most important time in the beer calendar – Oktoberfest!
It’s been a long damn time since Winnipeg has had a proper Oktoberfest celebration to call its own. Far, far too long if you ask any “beer person”. In truth, this is something we’ve dreamed of doing for years and we’re finally just getting to a place where we can take on massive projects like these without stretching ourselves too thin. So what the hell, right? Let’s dive in with both feet and do this right.
In collaboration with our friends at The Pyramid Cabaret, we’re so proud to bring you
Fort Street Oktoberfest – Saturday, September 21, 2024
12:00 noon – Late
Yeah, that’s right. We’re shutting Fort Street down to hold a giant Oktoberfest party that’ll knock your Lederhosen right off.
Expect, of course, a whole host of German-style beers to choose from. Want something easy-drinking and yellow? Check. Want something that’s malty, dark, bold and reminds you of incoming autumn days? Check. Just want to crush Perfektenschlags all day long? We got you, boo. Enjoy 0.5L steins full of delicious beer in our Fort St Biergarten, served from our outdoor bar or from our taproom.
There’s a day full of live music planned, courtesy of the amazing talent-sourcing folks at The Pyramid. It’s their 30th anniversary, and we can’t think of a better way to help celebrate their impact on the Winnipeg music scene than party hardy with them. We’ve got Montreal rockers The Damn Truth and local outfit The Bloodshots to rock us into the night. And of course, no Oktoberfest is complete without some traditional German music the got the German Society Brass Band are bringing those distinct vibes.
Our friends Freebirds Kitchen will be on-hand slinging brats, pretzels, and other German fare that pairs well with those frosty pints of Munich-inspired goodness.
Throughout the day there’ll be some games, some contests (not the drinking kind), and other fun things. Oh yeah, and wear something festive would ya? There’ll be a contest for best German outfit, so time to squeeze into those Lederhosen or your Dirndl.
Don’t fancy sitting outside? Or want to shake things up and keep the German fun going? Head inside to our taproom and take part in our fan-favorite Kölsch service! Who knows, there might be a couple extra-special beers waiting in there for you.
Oh but that’s not all! We’re kicking it all off the night before in the taproom…
Oktoberfest Eve – Friday, September 20, 2024
4:00 pm – Late
What’s better than a day full of German beer? Two days, of course!
We’ll be tapping kegs of our Kölsch (both traditional and dry-hopped) a day early for those who can’t make it down on Saturday or feel the need to party down with us all weekend. And you know when DMC taps Kölsch that can only mean one thing: KÖLSCH SERVICE.
If you joined us for Kölschtoberfest last year or if you’ve been to the incredible city of Köln, you know exactly why you have to be there. If you didn’t and you haven’t… then I guess you’re just going to have to come check it out. Bring your drinking pants though, because someone has to dethrone Scott Parker as the reigning Kölsch Champion.
The German Society Brass Band will be on hand on Friday night too, so come ready to PROST the night away!
Thanks For All The Würst
Hugest thanks to the Winnipeg Downtown BIZ, who helped us move mountains to make this happen and bring Oktoberfest back to Downtown. Of course, thank you to our Fort St neighbours who are allowing us to have way too much fun at work and have given their full support to this crazy idea.
