This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Beerfests Offer Different Brew Styles, Flavors

Beer tasting season opens with Hotober Fest Oct. 1 followed by other festivals in Atlanta area.

The special, four-letter word  for October in Atlanta is  “BEER!”

So mark these dates, hit the websites for reservations, and plan to spend time singing “Carpe Brewskies.” There are going to be so many different styles and tastes Beerfest guests are going to walk away astounded that brewmeisters managed to cook so many flavors into so many beers.

Beerfests are showcases for the hundreds of craft and micro breweries that have sprung up across America in the past 20 years. In the late 1970s there were 32 breweries in the United States. Now there are more than 1,700 breweries bottling upwards of 13,000 brands representing 142 designated beer styles, according to the Brewers Association, a small brewery trade group based in Colorado.

Find out what's happening in Duluthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Pilsners, Stouts, Wheat Beer, Siasons, India Pale Ales – Brewfest guests are going to find familiar names like these, dozens of others they’ve never heard of all brewed in complex and astonishing flavor combinations. Think chocolate lagers, fruit-flavored lambics, hard apple, pear and pineapple cider brews, and Belgium beers that look and taste like fine French sparkling wines, as just a few examples.

Go to Beerfests hungry. There’s food for sale, souvenir glasses, live bands, and lots of brewmeisters who enjoy talking about their beers and offer guests lots of colorful swag. Swag is to Beerfests what beads are to Mardi Gras. But let’s not let all the secrets out.

Find out what's happening in Duluthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The HotoberFest, Saturday, Oct. 1, from noon to 7 p.m. offers upwards of 200 beers in Glenwood Park. It is the metro Atlanta area’s only beer festival allowing guests to judge and vote for their favorite brews, offering gold, silver and bronze medals  for the winners. Voting is done using a cellular telephone app. HotoberFest also sells designated driver tickets.

The 2011 Great Atlanta BeerFest, Saturday, Oct. 8, from 3 to 8 p.m. gives guests the opportunity to enjoy beer and watch their favorite football teams play on one of 18 different television sets in Turner Field’s Chophouse. At last check, the Great Atlanta showed 150 different beers on their website.

The Decatur Craft Beer Festival, Saturday, Oct. 15, runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, in the downtown Decatur City Square, across the street from the MARTA station. Organizers limit attendance to 4,000 people and only sell tickets at the door. Sponsors host an Oct. 14 “Welcome Party” from noon to 5 p.m. at the Brick Pub Store

The Griffin DoctoberFest, Saturday, Oct. 22, takes place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the downtown municipal courtyard organizers are calling the “Imperial Birgarten” at 132 East Soloman St. In addition to offering more than 90 beers, sponsors invited six wineries so as to offer guests more variety. An obstacle course race benefiting U.S. soldiers is planned. Ticket are available online. (Wild West physician/gunfighter Doc Holliday was born in Spalding County.)  

Kurt's Bistro Octoberfest continues through Sept. 22 featuring authentic German beer, live music on Friday nights, menu and beverage specials. Kurt's Bistro is located in the Village at River Green at Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and River Green Parkway in Duluth.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?