State Of The City Bier me, Wisconsin: checking in on some of the state’s Oktoberfest celebrations

In Germany, the 178th folk festival Oktoberfest has already begun. The world’s ultimate beer bash is, at this moment, under way below tents sheltering long tables piled high with the breaded, mallet-flattened meat known as schnitzel; sauerbraten with potato dumplings; roasted pig shank; and heroic amounts of German beer. The event kicks off each year in mid-September with a ceremonial keg tapping, and the celebration goes all the way into October. (Those guys really know how to party.) But in Wisconsin, a state with a strong German heritage, we also know a thing or two about partying. With many parties already in the books, The A.V. Club looks to keep the beer buzz rolling with a roundup of Oktoberfests around the state.

Milwaukee
In Milwaukee, there are plenty of celebrations planned, some already underway, and some still to come—for example, Das Oktoberfest is set for Sept. 24. Let it be known that Milwaukeeans throw down harder than anyone else in the state in a recreation of the German festival so fierce that it draws notice from faraway Bavaria. The oom-pah musical mojo is strong.

New Glarus
Oktoberfest is still fun in New Glarus, but it’s like Little Switzerland there. Big cheese fondue pot? These guys are faking it. But you can get a lot of great beer from Sept. 23-25.

Lake Geneva
Running Oct. 8-9, Oktoberfest includes a pumpkin giveaway. Dunkel Dopplebocks, Märzen, and Rauchbier will flow freely, and though the people of Lake Geneva don’t plummet to the depravity Germans descend into every year, they do all right.

Appleton
In Appleton, Octoberfest makes up for lack of authenticity by tapping many kegs. On Sept. 23 and 24, downtown Appleton watches classic cars roll by and eats vaguely Germanic, fatty foods.

La Crosse
By contrast, La Crosse’s Oktoberfest dominates this part of the calendar year with a festival emulating the original, totally hardcore, 16-day blowout devised by mad demons from Munich. The brat und brau bonanza runs Sept. 23-Oct. 1, and eclipses all other events and most everything else.