No sooner does one beer extravaganza end than another begins. Hosted by the same people, no less. (This one would dovetail nicely with the theme of this month’s Session, and for some reason, I’ve been craving German beer all month.)

Capital Ale House has just announced the schedule for their Oktoberfest celebrations at the end of September, which has better beer than the other celebration going on a month later. And feel free to check the “Beer Stands” section on that link. I mean really, beers provided by Loveland… and the best German beer they can muster is Warsteiner and Becks? They’ll have Sam Adams Octoberfest there, which would be my pick. I feel like since Yuengling is also distributed by Loveland, a nice Amber Lager would also fit the bill, seeing as how the brewery’s founder was German and the flavor themes would seem to coincide better than, say, the Miller Lite that’s on offer. It’s a German-American themed festival, so how about some creativity?

But I digress. The Cap Ale Oktoberfest will be held from September 19th through the 30th. On Tuesday, September 23rd, the Steal the Glass Night at all locations will feature Stoudt’s, a brewery from which I have tried only a handful of offerings, but have really enjoyed. So you get either their Lager, Hefeweiss, or Oktoberfest in their seasonal Oktoberfest glassware. I may stop in for one, but can’t promise to stop there, if you follow me.

Friday and Saturday nights seem to be where it’s at. On the 19th and 20th, the Innsbrook and Midlothian locations will have live music and dancing, the heart of their Oktoberfest celebration, as will the Downtown branch on September 26th and 27th. You can fill up on pretzels and wurst, sauerkraut, the usual. But I think most people will be in attendance for the complimentary one-liter Paulaner, Hofbrau, or Spaten stein, with 15 German beers on draft with which to fill it. And if you decide to go, just stay the hell out of my way.

Last year, it was a fool’s errand. Oh, I got my dimpled, glass stein, but was half-sick and had to wade through a sea of people out at Innsbrook just to be denied the Ayinger, as it ran out in record time. Still, it was a blast. I blame myself for being talked into going, feeling like my head was going to implode and my sinuses burst before I even walked in the door. Hopefully this time around I won’t be fighting illness and be able to enjoy the beer. But if not, I’ll still be there.

Prosit!