Saturday, September 26

Das Best Oktoberfest

Nosh on sour beef, potato pancakes, and a variety of sausages at this outdoor festival at National Harbor (137 National Plaza, National Harbor; 800-830-3976). Organizers took a cue from last year’s long lines and added more food stands, more beer stations, and more staff. This is the only Oktoberfest event where you can sample every German beer available in the state of Maryland—over 100 will be on hand. Tickets—which include a souvenir tasting mug and nine beer tokens (six if you buy at the door)—cost $25 in advance, or $30 at the door. Show up sporting lederhosen or a dirndl, and you’ll score both German street cred and a few extra beer tokens. 2 to 8.

PS 7’s Cooking Class “Beer and Brats”

Feel like cooking at home? Discover the tricks of the sausage-making trade when PS 7’s head chef Peter Smith invites meat lovers into his kitchen. Smith, assisted by bartender Gina Chersevani and pastry chef Leon Baker, will demonstrate how to prepare bratwurst from scratch. The Philly-based Victory Brewing Company will distribute samples of its malted beverages. The class, $65 per person, goes from 1 to 3:30. Participants must be 21 or older. Call 202-742-8550 for reservations.

Thursday, October 1, through Saturday, October 31

Art and Soul’s October Prix-Fixe Menu

Chef Art Smith of Capitol Hill’s Art and Soul has planned a $45 three-course, beer-inspired dinner menu. Get things started with beer-steamed mussels and a black-pepper buttermilk biscuit, matched with a Penn Weizen brew from Pennsylvania. Next, there’s cider-braised pork shank with black-eyed-pea stew and spicy collard greens paired with an Oktoberfest lager from Delaware. And for dessert, a chocolate-stout pudding cake comes with a milk stout beer from North Carolina. Call 202-393-7777 for reservations.

Saturday, October 10

Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Oktobeerfest Block Party

There’ll be plenty to munch on at this neighborhood block party (827 Slaters Ln., Alexandria), sponsored by the Neighborhood Restaurant Group and DC Central Kitchen. There’ll be food from all the NRG businesses: Buzz Bakery, Columbia Firehouse, EatBar, Tallula, Evening Star Cafe, Rustico, Vermilion, and the forthcoming Birch & Barley. Highlights include handmade pretzels, grilled bratwursts topped with sauerkraut , and 26 seasonal beer. Try your hand at decorating pumpkins and cookies with executive pastry chef Josh Short. Admission is free, but food and drink tickets will be sold at the event. Call 703-224-5051 for more information. Noon to 6.

Friday, October 9 through Sunday, October 11

Oktoberfest Reston

Reston’s Oktoberfest celebration (11900 Market St.)—which takes place in the main pavilion in its town center—will showcase ten local eateries, including Il Fornaio, the Counter, and Vinifera. Participating vendors will sell traditional German treats, and visitors can revel in the live German music and ample supply of barley pop. Admission is free, but food and drink tickets will be sold at $1 per ticket, or $20 for a pack of 24 tickets. Call 703-707-9045 for more. The celebration will run from noon until twilight.
 

Friday, October 9 through Monday, October 12

Restaurant 3’s Fall Oktoberfest Celebration

Bratwurst, knockwurst, schnitzel, spaetzle, and pork loin—that’s just a taste of what Restaurant 3 has on it’s special Oktoberfest menu. To get in the spirit of the German holiday, the Clarendon restaurant is offering a special weekend menu (dishes range from $7 to $22). Sunday at 4, there’ll be a patio party with chef Brian Robinson cooking up a number of Bavarian sausages on the grill, oompah music, and hourly toasts. Hoi! Hoi! Hoi! Call 703-524-4440 for more.

Related:

Bottoms Up: Oktoberfest in Washington 

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