Celebrate Oktoberfest at The Independent September 19th – 30th.
The Independent Brewing Company in Squirrel Hill has become synonymous with local beer advocacy and appreciation. Their taps are dedicated to bringing you the very best breweries within a 100-mile radius of the bar and restaurant have to offer with emphasis on locally sourced spirits and food as well. There are no televisions, all music comes from an extensive vinyl collection, and the staff is friendly and possesses ample knowledge of what’s in your glass.
While they pride themselves on their all-local craft beer list, The Indy is temporarily abandoning this philosophy for two weeks this September to celebrate the glory of German beer – that it beer actually made in Germany, not just American interpretations of the styles. The event will simply be called Oktoberfest and, despite the fact that traditional Oktoberfest is a Bavarian observance, will serve and spotlight a broad range of traditional beer styles from around Germany.
The Independent’s Oktoberfest runs September 19th thru September 30th.
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Some of the beers The Independent is bringing in for the occasion are hitting the Western PA scene for the very first time. The list is comprised of the following:
- 1809 Berliner: a tough-to-find, traditional, dual-culture Berliner weisse brewed by legendary Bavarian brewmeister Dr. Fritz Breim at Weihenstephaner Brewery
- Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock: a traditional Maibock brewed in the original home of bock beer
- Uerige Doppelsticke: a stronger take on the classic Dusseldorf altbier
- Schlenkerla Märzen: a big, bad smoked märzen from Bamburg that transports you immediately to a campfire on a crisp autumn evening
- Weihenstephaner Krystalweiss: very similar to Weihenstephaner’s acclaimed Hefeweizen, but filtered for startling clarity
- Schneider Weisse: a unique, amber-hued hefeweizen that lends caramel from its middle malts to add to the traditional clove and banana tastes and aromas from the yeast. (The Independent purchased this one at the special request of Roundabout owner/brewer Steve Sloan, who brews a beautiful take on this beer called “Ferdl Weiss”).
- Ayinger Oktoberfest: a perfectly-executed traditional Märzen
- Reissdorf Kölsch: the gold standard of Kölsch, the cold-fermented ale that defines a night out in Cologne
All of these German beers will be served in custom dimpled Independent steins with a size and heft suitable for such a monumental occasion. And if you’re not into German beers, The Independent will maintain the remaining half of their taps for locally-brewed, hop-forward ales.
To complement the impressive German beer lineup, The Independent’s kitchen will be serving modern takes on traditional German fare, including currywurst, pork schnitzel, and sauerbraten. To fill your ears, expect no appearances from the ‘oompah’ bands. But, according to Independent co-owner Pete Kurzweg, DO expect a hefty helping of Kraftwerk and David Hasselhoff on the bar’s record player for the duration of the celebration. Many of the food dishes served during this two-week stretch will remain as part of The Indy’s Fall menu. No confirmation on whether Hasselhoff will be sticking around, but a boy can dream.
To stay up to date on what’s happening during Oktoberfest, check out The Independent on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
