3 Orlando Oktoberfests not to miss this year

We won’t argue with the Germans when they say October should start a week early, at the end of September. After all, October is when the humidity dips to a tolerable level, the rain chances take a nose dive, and, best of all, beer flows like the salmon of Capistrano.

There are plenty of spots in town to score authentic German brew for Oktoberfest, but here are three full-on fests where the beginning of fall means fun (oh, and lots and lots of beer):

Orlando Oktoberfest
2-11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 
Beer, brats, potato salad and pretzels at Bahia Fairgrounds
Free admission (food costs $$, of course)
Parking $5 per car

Oktoberfest Pub Crawl
8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
Starts at Schumann’s Jaeger Haus and continues to Latitudes, Saddle Up and Wall Street’s Blocktoberfest
$10 before Sept. 23, $15 before Oct. 2, $20 at the door

Cask & Larder Oktoberfest Roast
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3
Celebrate the release of their Oktoberfest beer with weisswurst sausage, apple brandy bratwurst, Braunschweiger toast on pretzel baguette, pork belly choucroute, mustard spaetzle and a German chocolate cupcake.
$17 per plate, $3 for C&L beers

This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2015.