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Thank the Bavarians for turning October into an entire drinking month. The festivities start with Oktoberfest and then stumble their way through outdoor keg-tapping parties, stein-holding contests and Pappy Van Winkle sweepstakes. This fall is positively saturated with drinking events and holiday-themed concoctions. Here’s some you don’t want to miss.
Oktoberfest Celebrations: Every brewery in the area got into the Oktoberfest spirit, releasing German-style, märzen lagers. And a few even sold brewery-branded steins. While most of the festivities have already wrapped up, a few Oktoberfest events are still on the horizon. On Sunday, Oct. 10, Flora-Bama is throwing its annual Oktoberfest party, which will feature a free buffet of beer brats and sauerkraut, a best lederhosen and dirndl outfit contest and a polka band.
On Sunday, Oct. 17, Old Majestic will host a special edition of its monthly market, Bouts & Brews, where they will release four beers and host traditional German party games like stein-holding contests and keg-rolling races. On Saturday, Oct. 23, Braided River will throw a Kegtoberfest outdoor party and release a whopping 18 beers at once.
More Drinking Fests: Oktoberfest isn’t the only boozy event of the month. From Oct. 7-10, Big Beach Brewing is throwing itself a 5th birthday party, where they’ll tap four beers including a birthday cake stout, launch their first bottle release and host bands such as Grayson Capps and the Red Clay Strays.
The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo in Gulf Shores is putting on its first-annual Zoo Brew on Friday, Oct. 15. There, you can taste beers from 23 breweries and feed giraffes, and proceeds go toward conserving the endangered cotton-topped tamarin monkey. Get tickets at e.givesmart.com/events/ntJ. The Dauphin Street Beer Fest returns on Saturday, Oct. 16 after a pandemic-necessitated hiatus. Spend the evening hiking around LoDa, visiting 22 venues and sampling more than 60 unique brews. For tickets, visit beerfestmobile.com.
Fizzi Fest, a charity event that typically takes place in Mobile, is heading across the bay on Sunday, Oct. 24 and offering bubbly wines and brunch to Fairhope denizens to benefit the Eastern Shore Art Center children’s programs. Get tickets at fizzifest.com.
Spooky-Themed Drinks: Expect lots of Halloween parties at the end of the month. (My prediction for the most popular costume of the year? The animatronic, “Red Light, Green Light” doll from Netflix’s “Squid Game.” I’m calling it now!) Until then, get your fix of ghostly drinks at venues like Provision in Fairhope, which is serving up its Basic Witch cocktail at the wine bar. This twist on the Spanish Kalimotxo (red wine and Coca-Cola) is made with merlot and classic Coke, and a chunk of dry ice is plopped in the glass to make it fog up like a witch’s cauldron.
Iron Hand Brewing has a slew of creepy mixed drinks on offer as well, like a neon green Goosebumps swill and a milky Casper’s Delight concoction that’s garnished with a marshmallow ghost.
Whiskey Sweepstakes: Every year, the state of Alabama is allocated a limited number of highly coveted and hard-to-get spirits such as Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. To appear fair, the ABC Board gives all residents (21+) the opportunity to buy the bottles in its annual whiskey release sweepstakes. Between now and Oct. 24, you can enter the random drawing at alabcboard.gov/productsweepstakes. On Oct. 25, winners will be notified and assigned a specific place in line for the sales event, which will take place Dec. 11 at eight ABC stores across the state.
Two of the stores are in the Lagniappe coverage are — Theodore and Fairhope. The bottles will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be reserved. For customers who are not selected — 100 people are chosen per store — there will also be a walk-up line to buy the pitiful, unloved products left behind.
Alyson Sheppard is Lagniappe’s resident hangover specialist. Find her on Twitter: @amshep.
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