Guten Tag! Sip on these 9 brews at the Cuyahoga Falls, Kent Oktoberfests 🍻

Tawney Beans, Akron Beacon Journal
·4 min read

Beers. Bands. Bratwurst dinners.

Oktoberfest season is here, and people are already gearing up to visit their nearest German festival. Cuyahoga Falls and Kent will be hosting their own Oktoberfests in September filled with various German foods, drinks and entertainment.

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The official Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany. Inspiration for the festival began over 200 years ago when Bavaria's Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The celebration was so popular it became an annual event and has inspired similar events across the world.

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But regardless of where an Oktoberfest takes place, sipping on a cold beer is a central part of enjoying it to the fullest. Here are some must-try brews you’ll find at local Oktoberfests.

A worker pours a beer for a customer at Madcap Brew Co., Wednesday, July 21, 2021, in Kent, Ohio.
A worker pours a beer for a customer at Madcap Brew Co., Wednesday, July 21, 2021, in Kent, Ohio.

Cuyahoga Falls Oktoberfest

This festival will take place on Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls. Four beer trucks will be selling beer from local breweries like McArthur’s and Missing Mountain. There will also be three stages for various musical and dance performances. The Cuyahoga Falls Oktoberfest will take place from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, noon – 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8p.m. Sunday.

  • Gorges Blonde Ale – 5.5% ABV (HiHO / Madcap truck): This Blonde Ale has a soft malty sweetness with character; including honey and crystal 80 malts. Gorges Blonde is balanced with moderate citrus hop flavor and medium body. It’s a very approachable beer, even after an intense dance session to polka music.

  • Gold Flash – 4.8% ABV (HiHO / Madcap truck): Inspired by a Munich Helles, this ale is good entrée beer for those not accustomed to drinking craft brews. People who aren’t into hoppy beers may enjoy it as well since it is light, smooth and makes for easy drinking.

  • Zwickel Trickle – 5.6% ABV (Missing Mountain / Hop Tree truck): This beer is Missing Mountain’s take on a hazy/New England style pale ale. Fans of jazzy IPAs will find delight in Zwickel Trickle, as it is hopped exclusively with Mosaic hops.

  • I Don’t Give a WHIT – 5.7% ABV (McArthur’s truck): This is a traditional Belgian wheat beer spiced with orange peel and coriander, similar to Blue Moon.

  • Mustaches and Man Buns – 8.2% ABV (specialty craft truck): This is a super soft and hazy DIPA featuring all Citra hops. Aromas of tangerine and mango hit your nose firmly and give way to a flavor profile that follows suit. Big flavors of tangerine and citrus dance on your tongue and then become balanced with some mango and tropical notes to complete the waves of flavor delivered to your palate. This beer also has the highest alcohol content of all the ales available at the festival, so consume with caution.

  • Hybush Sour – 7.0% ABV and 15 IBUs (specialty craft truck): Hop Tree Brewing created this blueberry-cobbler-inspired kettle sour combining blueberry puree, lactose sugar, lemon peel, mulling spices and vanilla.

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Platform Beer Co.'s S’mores Yammy, a spiced sweet potato ale, will be among the brews available at Main Street Kent Oktoberfest.
Platform Beer Co.'s S’mores Yammy, a spiced sweet potato ale, will be among the brews available at Main Street Kent Oktoberfest.

Main Street Kent Oktoberfest

Kent’s Oktoberfest will be on Main Street from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. Patrons can look forward to seasonal beer, German-inspired food, polka music and more. The German festival will have grub from Daisy Pops, Dom’s Wood Fired Pies, Erie Street Kitchen, Pierogi Lady, Popped!, Ray’s Place and Taproot Catering.

  • S’mores Yammy – 7.7% ABV (Platform Beer Co.): This is a spiced sweet potato ale that will please the masses. It has notes of fall spice, cacao and marshmallow that make it the perfect beer to have next to a bonfire or with a hearty bratwurst. It's sister beer, Dirty Chai Yammy, will also be available at the festival.

  • Autumn Ale – 7% ABV and 21 IBUs (Breckenridge Brewery): Described on Breckenridge's website as a "pre-winter winner," this brown ale combines the malty goodness of a German lager with the clean crispness of an American ale. Brewed with Munich malts and a delicate blend of Bavarian hops, this seasonal drink is full-bodied with a nutty-sweet middle and notes of toasted grain.

  • Boo Thang – 8.5% ABV (Saucy Brew Works): Customers will taste hints of caramel with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in this imperial pumpkin ale.

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Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at tbeans@gannett.com and on Twitter @TawneyBeans.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 9 must-try beers coming to the Cuyahoga Falls, Kent Oktoberfests