October is not just for spooky scares anymore.
Oktoberfest was held from Sept. 21 to Oct. 6.
Upon its conception, Oktoberfest was a celebration of marriage between a crown prince and a princess in 1810.
The ceremony ended with a horse race, and for years to follow, the Germans continued the celebration – without the races – starting in 1960.
Today, Oktoberfest has become a celebration of food, fashion and culture.
For my friends and I, the celebration took place at Clandestine Brewing.
The brewery is located in an industrial area, which makes it a little hard to spot, with a mural covering the outside brick wall. The art depicts a woman in a field of wheat observing what seems to be a beer sample in a test tube.
Turning the corner, you approach a door with an outside seating area to the left, laced with lights overhead.
Although it is a small venue, a crowd is present and ready for beer.
Entering the brewery, you are immediately greeted by the bar.
Behind the bartender is a wall of spouts where an assortment of 15 beers are dispensed. Above this floats two large flat screen TVs displaying the list of beers available on tap.
Tables to the left of the bar are coated with blue-and-white checkered cloths. The tables are flooded with beer glasses and the people who are sipping from them.
Having bought a $25 ticket for the Oktoberfest event, which included a half-pint mug and two refills, I gave the bartender my name and was handed my mug and asked for the beer of my choice.
I opted for the Agent Provocator partially because of the cool name and because of the alcohol content.
The beer is classified as a Doppelbock, which is extra strong and rich with 8.1% alcohol.
Despite the high alcohol content, the beer had no bitter taste and was surprisingly smooth. It is one I would definitely pay to have all year round.
After finding my friends and taking a seat, we began our own celebration.
Admittedly, we were more interested in the German-style pretzels being sold than the beer itself. To our dismay, food stopped being served at 7 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. when the event was scheduled to end.
After finishing our first beer, we decided to go for another. This time we chose the Hacktoberfest brew.
The Hacktoberfest is a Festbier, a moderately bitter and hoppy lager, clocking in at a 5.8% alcohol content.
The beer was exceptionally smooth, and did not possess a bitter taste in any way.
Finishing the Hacktoberfest, we decided on the BigNose Mybock next. If you could not already guess, this one was mostly chosen because of the name.
The BigNose Mybock is a Maibock, which is a pilsner lager. This beer checked in with a 7.8% alcohol content and was honestly a little bitter, but nonetheless enjoyable.
Three specialty beers in and I can say I was feeling something. I would not call it a drunk feeling, but tipsy might be the proper word.
All in all, I would not say that I regret the Oktoberfest celebration I attended. However, I wish I had attended a larger celebration like the ones in Campbell or Mountain View.
Clandestine Brewing definitely had the beers, but it lacked the fun costumes and the wide array of treats that come with the Oktoberfest celebration.
Despite my slight dissatisfaction, I will absolutely be making multiple trips to Oktoberfest in the future.
