Rhein Haus in Seattle is spreading Oktoberfest across four weekends this year. From September 16th through October 7th, special events are planned for each weekend.
Rhein Haus is perhaps Seattle’s most authentic German-style beer hall. Where better to celebrate Oktoberfest in the Emerald City? This year, as in years past, they’ve planned some fun stuff for Oktoberfest. It kicks off on September 16th and runs for four weeks. Below, we provide details about each event.
The kickoff event will include a special guest and a special beer. Jürgen Knöller is the longtime owner and brewmaster at Bayern Brewery, one of the USA’s first craft breweries (microbrewery in the vernacular of the day). Jürgen was born and raised in Bavaria, Germany but since 1987 his brewery, Bayern Brewery, has produced authentic German-style beers in Missoula, Montana. At Rhein Haus, he will tap a cask of his Oktoberfest beer, as shown below.
September 16th – Oktoberfest Kick-Off
3:00 PM Cask Tapping with Jürgen Knöller of Bayern Brewery. Limited quantities. Each cask beer ordered comes with a raffle ticket for a chance to win a festive prize basket from Bayern Brewery. Enjoy the special cask beer and traditional German food, and wear your dirndl or lederhosen. The Steinholding Contest starts promptly at 7:00 PM, followed by announcements for BEST DRESSED!
September 23rd – Oompah Machine Oktoberfest Party
6:00 PM—8:00 PM Oompah Machine performs authentic Oompah music live in the Bier Hall. At 7:00, the Steinholding Contest is back, so bring your muscles. Best dressed competition, round two! Food and drink specials, including giant pretzels. Get your two liters of beer, as DAS BOOTS will be available!
September 30th – OktoberFEAST in the Biergarten
The party starts at 3:00 PM with a Relay Race Eating competition. The prize is a $250 donation to a charity of your choice. The entry fee is $50 per team and includes your meal and a t-shirt. Each team of four will compete in a relay-style eating contest. The menu includes: pretzel bites with spicy mustard, cheesy spaetzle, currywurst with fries, and Berliners (German donuts with chocolate sauce). Each contestant must also drink a 1/2 liter of Rhein Haus Lager and the whole group drinks an Underberg to finish. Fastest time to finish wins. Judges will ensure that the entire dish (sauces too) has been consumed. Ticket Link.
Oktober 7th – Grant B Presents Oktoberfest at Rhein Haus!
4:00 PM – 2:00 AM FREE COVER ALL NIGHT – DJ Mixta.b. Pete’s roasted pig served with Mac & cheese, Coleslaw, Pull-apart brioche buns, and BBQ Sauce. Steinholding Contest, Hammerschlagen – Hammerschlagen, is a traditional German game in which participants compete against each other to drive nails into a wooden stump. Wiener toss and other seasonal games galore. VIP Packages are available (waiting on ticket link for this.) Dress to impress. Prizes for best dressed – wear your dirndl or lederhosen encouraged! 10/7 will be a 21+ event.
Check out the Washington Beer Blog’s events page for more beer-related events around Washington.