BY WILLIAM DEAN
Time’s running out to get those stein-hoisting muscles in shape.
Buoy Beer Co.’s Oktoberfest – as much a rite of fall as pumpkin spice and Halloween – is just around the corner.
The fourth annual festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 4 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Astoria Armory, 1636 Exchange St.
There will be live music and other entertainment, including a costume contest and the popular stein-holding competition – a Bavarian feat of strength.
Admission is free and open to all ages.
“It should be a pretty fun day,” said Jessyka Dart-Mclean, Buoy’s marketing director. “It’s beyond a beer festival. This is geared to be a party, with great music and great food.”
The venue has changed each year, but the 2025 event marks a return to the former armory, a community center that hosts roller skate nights and other events.
“We really liked the vibe of the armory,” Dart-Mclean said. Another plus: The cavernous building protects attendees from rain and cold, unlike the patio outside Buoy’s Duane Street taproom.
Oktoberfest is an ode to traditional German beer and the legendary Munich festival. Toward that end, Buoy has released its “festbier,” a collaboration with Threshold Brewing of Portland.
Festbier is made with Czech and German malts and finished with Lubelski hops. The beer is crisp and golden, with aromas of freshly baked bread, floral spice and honey.
Threshold is making a version of the beer with fresh hops, which will definitely be worth trying. Buoy will also be pouring its first-ever Altbier (a coppery German-style ale), along with its familiar Kölsch, French Pilsner and West Coast Pilsner.
Need another incentive? This is the only time of year when beer fans can get their brew in full liter handled glass mugs.
The music should be suitably lively. Left on Tenth, an indie/funk rock band that gets crowds going with its roaming horn players, takes the stage at 2 p.m.
Another Portland-based funk band, Mr. Vale’s Math Class, performs from 4 to 5:30. A local alt-punk band, Get Down Moses, is slated to kick things off at noon.
Food vendors include Gaetano’s Market & Deli, which will have bratwurst, potato salad and sauerkraut available, and Nascent Bread out of McMinnville, which will be offering giant pretzels and more. Frite & Scoop will have ice cream treats as well.
Buoy is bringing back the spectator-pleasing Stein-ly Cup, with brackets for men and women. Qualifying rounds are at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30, with the championship scheduled for 5.
Contestants have to hold a full liter mug of beer (weighing about 5 pounds) straight out from their body for as long as they can. No bending of elbows or angling of bodies allowed. Also, no spilling of beer. Heaven forbid!
Note to those of you in training: Past winners have broken the four-minute barrier. But think bigger. The world record is 23 minutes, 40 seconds.
Champions are awarded enviable prize packages, including a $100 gift card, beer club membership and a special taproom stein for “year-round 64-ounce pours.” Perhaps best of all, winners get their names etched on the Stein-ly Cup plaque for all to see.
Sign up in advance at www.buoy.com or at the festival. Slots are limited.
Prost!
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BREWS & NEWS
- It’s hop harvest season in Oregon and Washington!
Fort George Brewery is planning a record seven fresh-hop beers (six IPAs and an ale), with releases through Oct. 1. Other North Coast breweries are producing their own brews. Get to your favorite taproom to enjoy this seasonal treat before it’s gone.
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WILLIAM DEAN is an author who writes about craft beer and the people who make it. His blog is Astoria Beer Zone. “The Have-Nots,” his latest novel, is available now.
