Contrary to widely held beliefs, the beer bash was not invented by college fraternities. No, it’s the good lederhosen-clad OGs of Munich who’ve been manhandling hefty steins of foam for nearly two centuries at the annual Bavarian beer binge that is Oktoberfest. The glorious gatherings and consumptions of suds has become understandably popular stateside, especially here in the Bay State. Here’s a selection to clear your calendar for.

OLDE MAGOUN’S SALOON OKTOBERFEST | SEPT. 3-OCT. 29

The massive two-month Oktoberfest blowout kicked off on September 3 with a ceremonial keg tapping. And through October, drafts of Paulaner brews (try the Oktoberfest Wiesn) will fill authentic beer steins in their massive makeshift biergarten. On Wednesday nights Oktoberfest beer promotions from German powerhouses Hofbrau, Spaten, and Warsteiner will appear before you, along with plates of obatzda, a Bavarian cheese spread invented to pair with good German beer.
[OLDE MAGOUN’S SALOON, 518 MEDFORD ST., SOMERVILLE. MAGOUNSSALOON.COM]

IDLE HANDS CRAFT ALES OKTOBERFEST & THIRD ANNIVERSARY PARTY | SEPT. 20

Idle Hands will be taking over the cedar patio outside Cambridge watering hole Atwood’s Tavern for two beer-y sessions (12-3pm, 3:30-6:30pm). Idle Hands’ German lager will be available in abundance, along with newly released Leather, the nano-brewery’s Third Anniversary Porter, and the first-ever kegs of Enlightenment Ales Transcendence. Tickets are $20 and include traditional Oktoberfest grub (think: wurst and schnitzel) and a half-liter mug of your favorite Idle Hands brew.
[ATWOOD’S TAVERN, 877 CAMBRIDGE ST., CAMBRIDGE. IDLEHANDSCRAFTALES.COM]

BLUE HILLS BREWERY OKTOBERFEST 2014 | SEPT. 20

Blue Hills Brewery’s sixth annual Oktoberfest will be held, at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, Mass (directly across the street from the brewery). There you’ll find all the things you’ve come to expect at a local Oktoberfest: Live German oompah bands pumping out tunes to incite beer guzzling, various delicious wursts (there is no such thing as too much wurst), and an obscene amount of German-style lager, specifically Blue Hills’ Marzenbier OktoBrau. Tickets are $20.
[IRISH CULTURAL CENTRE, 200 NEW BOSTON DR., CANTON. BLUEHILLSBREWERY.COM]

2014 HARPOON OCTOBERFEST | OCT. 3-4

One of the biggest Bavarian-inspired shindigs in New England since 1990, it’s the only event where it’s acceptable to show off those chicken dance moves atop a picnic table before face-planting into a wedge of German chocolate cake. It also helps that quality seasonal craft brews, like Harpoon’s Octoberfest and UFO Pumpkin, are readily available to pint-holding fest-goers. Tickets are $20 and cover one beer and a souvenir pint glass. Feel free to carry extra cake in it. It’s a party.
HARPOON BREWERY, 306 NORTHERN AVE., BOSTON. HARPOONBREWERY.COM

FALL PREVIEW 2014:

> A PIE TO FALL FOR

> PLAYS AND PLATES

> THEATER PICKS

> MUSIC PICKS

> FILM PICKS

> FAMOUS PEOPLE

> OKTOBERFESTS

> 14 REASONS FOR FALL

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KAREN CINPINSKI

Karen Cinpinski is DigBoston's "Honest Pint" columnist. She originally hails from Milwaukee (aka: "Brew City"). Challenge her to a chugging contest at your own peril.

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