Strap on your lederhosen, Petaluma, it’s time for Oktoberfest

Petaluma’s annual Oktoberfest Celebration lands yet again at Hermann Sons Hall on Oct. 9.|

Oktoberfest would be nothing without beers and brats. As luck would have it, my favorite makers of each have collaborated to bring us something special this October.

Thistle Meats has teamed up with Petaluma Hills Brewing Company to create the “Petaluma Hills Tripel J Bratwurst,” soon to be a Petaluma/German classic for sure. Tripel J is a Belgian-style Tripel, made with a complex mix of German and Czech hops that layer nicely over Belgian pilsen and Belgian aromatic malts. Sounds to me like Thistle picked the perfect beer to inspire and infuse into their Oktoberfest brat.

Learn how the sausage is made

For a hands-on experience in the art of sausage making, don’t miss Thistle Meat’s Sausage Making classes. The next three-hour class, scheduled for Oct. 17, is very limited in size, offering a personalized experience that includes charcuterie and other snacks. Thistle is also offering a Whole Hog Butchery class on Oct. 10, where students will not only learn the ins and outs of butchering a whole hog, but will leave with pounds and pounds of ethically raised pork for their own home consumption.

More Oktoberfest

Petaluma’s annual Oktoberfest Celebration lands yet again at Hermann Sons Hall on Oct. 9. Beer, brats, raffles, dancing, the parade of flags and other great activities will be on tap starting at noon with dinner available until 4 p.m. Dancing will be a bit later. We never miss this Oktoberfest because there is nothing quite so “Gemütlichkeit” - a state of warmth, friendliness and good cheer - as visiting with other Petaluma festival-goers while dining on a few plates of great German food and delicious desserts.

Jamison’s Roaring Donkey is currently hosting a tap takeover in honor of Oktoberfest, with seasonal specialties such as Lagunitas Brewing Company’s TuberFest, Sierra Nevada’s Oktoberfest, Samuel Adam’s Oktoberfest and others.

Day of the Dead

Petaluma’s month-long El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) focuses on remembering family and friends who have died, and helps support their spiritual journey. Well underway by now, one of its main fundraisers, Taste of Mexico Mole tasting and contest, will be held Oct. 8 from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Vaca Family Ranch on East Washington Street, with a panel of celebrity judges crowning the best Mole.

The $15 entry fee ($5 for ages 5 to 12) gets you live music, a delicious chicken dinner and beer and wine. Tickets can be purchased by calling 479-4164.

Another highlight of Petaluma’s El Dia de los Muertos celebration is the Tequila Pairing Dinner on Oct. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Petaluma Historic Library and Museum. At $60 a ticket, $100 for a pair, this event sells out every year, which is no surprise considering that Amber Balshaw of Preferred Sonoma Caterers is an expert at pairing the five-course meal with hand selected tequilas from Wilibees Wine & Spirits.

Ranch tours

Fallon Hills Ranch is hosting a tour and lunch on Oct. 8 from 2 to 6 p.m. This is a great opportunity to learn about Fallon Hills’ stewardship of this fifth generation Tomales family ranch, as well as dine on a selection of their sausages and sliders. I recently tasted quite a few of their products and can attest to their high quality and incredible flavor. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.

Mac n’ Cheese Challenge

After dashing over to the Oktoberfest celebration mentioned above, I will be on hand at this year’s Mac n’ Cheese Challenge as both Master of Ceremonies and “celebrity” judge. This event is a main fundraiser for the Petaluma Animal Shelter and will be held Oct. 9 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Lucchesi Center. Tickets are $24 ($5 for ages 3 to 12) at www.macncheesechallenge.com.

A need for mead

Heidrun Meadery will introduce its two new fall releases at an open house at their Point Reyes Station meadery on Oct. 15 from 12 to 4 p.m. Mead is honey wine, but is not as overly sweet as it might sound. Heidrun uses “method champenoise,” meaning it is made like champagne, which adds complexity to the mead’s flavors and is unlike anything you have drank before.

Their new Bo’ Wildflower mead comes from honey gathered out in Bolinas and has herbal hints of eucalyptus, while their new Arizona Desert Mesquite mead has a subtle mesquite woodiness, as one might expect from nectar collect by bees pollinating desert scrub plants.

Sonoma Coast Shuckers will be on hand selling Tomales Bay’s best fresh raw and grilled oysters. If you’ve never had raw or grilled oysters, SCS’s are the ones the start with. If you are a connoisseur, like myself, it’s a rare occasion when you’ll have better ones than theirs.

Petaluma Hills

There is lots of great news out of Petaluma Hills Brewery Company this week. First off, they just brewed the first batch of Brewster’s IPA, which will be on tap exclusively at Brewster’s Beer Garden, as well as at the brewery. The test batches were fermented with two different yeasts and then put on tap for everyone to vote on. The non-traditional Belgian yeast ruled the day, offering a smoother IPA experience than we are accustom to.

Faron’s BBQ is now on-site Thursdays through Mondays at Petaluma Hills Brewing Company. Guests can now actually dine at PHBC, pairing their favorite brews with Faron’s New Orleans-style barbecue. With so many options on tap and grill, one could drink and dine for a month and still not exhaust all the possible flavor combinations.

Petaluma Hill’s Pumpkin Patch Traffic Jam Ale is back on tap, and still using pumpkins from the same patch that backs up Petaluma’s Highway 101 traffic this time of year. With aromas of cinnamon and cloves and a subtle pumpkin flavor, this ale is delightful and refreshing.

Considering how much I normally despise veggies, especially squash, it says quite a bit about brewer JJ’s craft that this beer has nearly dethroned Porterluma as my favorite offering from PHBC. Although available at Costco and local grocery stores, get at least one fresh pint directly from the PHBC taproom. And take a friend with you so you can try both the original, and the one on nitro, which is slightly creamier, smoother and sweeter than the original.

Sausage of the month

Yanni’s Sausages of Penngrove’s “Mona Lisa” September sausage sandwich special was their best-selling special ever, and after just one bite, I tasted why. But each new month brings us a different special, which means a never ending surprise of satisfying flavors.

The Oktober special is The Portokali’, which is Yanni’s Loukaniko sausage served with orange-infused caramelized onions and a feta and cream cheese spread, and always served on Full Circle Bakery bread. And, starting Oct. 12, Yanni’s new hours will be Wednesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

(Contact Houston Porter at houston@avant-larde.com.)

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.