courtesy of Night Shift Brewing

 

Celebrate German culture, food and, of course, beer this fall at these breweries and restaurants

Prairie Fire: This Brookline eatery known for its wood-fired pizza recently debuted its backyard, Bavarian-style beer garden, just in time for Oktoberfest season. Prairie Fire’s new setup adds Bavarian pretzels, grilled bratwurst, a raw bar and more into the mix. Now through October 3, the space presents its version of Oktoberfest by serving a special selection of German-style beers from New England craft brewers, all ready to be paired with its delicious food.

Longfellow’s Wayside Inn: This historic property in Sudbury hosts Oktoberfest on September 24 from 5:30–9 p.m. At its outdoor tent, savor authentic German food (bratwurst, knockwurst, pretzels and strudel, anyone?), seasonal brews and live acoustic rock music.

Samuel Adams Boston Taproom: The ubiquitous Hub beer giant—which boasts this downtown facility complete with a roof deck overlooking Faneuil Hall Marketplace—joins in on the Octoberfest (their spelling, not ours) fun September 25 & 26. Test your strength at the stein-hoisting contest and sample German food along with the brewery’s own German-style brews, including a special barrel-aged version of its iconic Octoberfest seasonal offering. 

Night Shift Brewing: Oktoberfest is twice as nice this acclaimed local brewer as it holds festivities at both its original Everett location on September 25 from noon–11 p.m. and at its Lovejoy Whaf innovation brewery and restaurant in Boston on September 26 from noon–8 p.m. Three special German-style beer releases are available, as well as stein-holding contests, live German music and mouth-watering German food. The first 50 people at each event even gets a free stein. Tickets are available on Evenbrite.

Harpoon: The popular Seaport brewery’s annual blowout takes place October 1 & 2 and features live music, stein-hoisting and pretzel-eating contests, group chicken dances and plenty of its signature brews, including, naturally, this year’s Märzen-style Octoberfest. Want to get your pooch in on the action? Come back on Sunday, October 3 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. for Dogtoberfest, a one-mile charity fun run/walk that benefits the Kenary Brain Tumor Research Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the MSPCA.