Head on Down to Fritztoberfest!

Strap on your lederhosen or dirndl, pull up your loferl, don your alpine hat and get your dancing shoes ready to head on down to Fritz Family Brewers' Fritztoberfest celebration this Saturday, Oct. 1.

With Niwot forgoing a larger Oktoberfest celebration this year, Fritz owners, Cory and Kelly Buenning, are taking the Oktoberfest tradition into their capable hands. The event, held at Fritz Family Brewers' Cottonwood Square taproom, will feature a stein-hoisting competition, live music, and of course, plenty of German beer flowing on tap.

"We'll be releasing our Marzen Oktoberfest style beer on Saturday," said Cory. As head brewer, he crafted the beer, aptly named "Fritztoberfest Marzen Lager," in the traditional German Oktoberfest style. "It's a Fest Beer, which is what's actually served in Oktoberfest in Germany these days," he said.

Denver's Thirsty 5, a traditional five-piece oom-pah band consisting of two clarinets, trumpet, trombone and, of course, tuba, will bring their traditional German polkas, waltzes and marches to Fritz for the occasion.

"We'll also have a stein-holding competition at 3:30 [p.m.] before they go on," said Cory. Just what it sounds like, stein-hoisting competitors hold up a stein full of beer until only one contestant, or stein, is left standing. "We have a little bit of a Fritz twist to it, as we allow competitors 3-5 seconds to drink as much beer as they can to lighten the litre," Cory said.

This will be the third stein-hoisting competition held since Fritz opened their doors in July of 2021. Cory said, "They're kind of getting competitive, to where the people who participated in our one-year anniversary are talking about training for the next event."

On the heels of Fritztoberfest, Fritz Family Brewers will be showcasing their beer at the Great American Beer Festival from Oct. 6-8 in Denver.