National Drink Beer Day falls on September 29th and we're in the midst of Oktoberfest season, SO beer fans have a great excuse to chill-out with a cold one.
Whether you’re a regular beer fanatic or a newbie or just curious, there is a wide array of local watering holes to enjoy a thirst-quenching glass of brew, starting tonite in honor of the special day.
The fermented alcoholic beverage brewed from malt and flavored with hops produces a handful of different varieties: Pale Ale, Stout, Mild Ale, Wheat, Pale Lager, and Lambic, with colors ranging from light amber to dark chocolate, served from room temperature to very chilled, and varying flavors from clean to slightly sour to caramel to chocolate to molasses-like.
To celebrate the Oktoberfest season many breweries are showcasing their own style of Oktoberfest beer. Below is a handful of restaurants that also have a brewery onsite.
Gordon Biersch in downtown san jose
- Celebrating OktoberFest 2011 from September 13th to October 23rd , come in and try their specialty brew -of the season – Festbier – an amber lager with a slightly sweet toasted maltiness made from rich Caramel and Munich malts balanced by spicy German Hersbrucker hops. Accompany your beverage with an extensive list of appetizers, main dishes, and desserts.
Rock Bottom Brewery in San Jose·
- In celebration of “Rocktoberfest 2011” Rock Bottom Brewery features a special menu of tempting dishes to accompany the beer of the hour – Rocktoberfest – an award-winning sweet-flavored full-bodied Oktoberfest style beer that is rich with a toasted malt character and finishes with a subtle crisp hop, served in a stein.
Happier Happy Hour offers perfect pairings of appetizers with a pint of their specialty beers. Appetizer specials range from $5 to $11 deals.
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in Cupertino
- BJ’s traditional Oktoberfest Beer is a lager with a malty, toasty character, and a mild hop bitterness in the finish. Amber in color, medium-bodied and very smooth from a long lagering process. To accompany this specialty beverage, BJ’s offers an endless selection of shareable appetizers, dishes, and desserts. They offer over a dozen beers on tap for variety.
Firehouse Grill in Sunnyvale
- Firehouse Grill is a hip restaurant and brewery producing handcrafted award winning ales and lagers.They offer seasonal beers such as the Oktoberfest, along with their Pale Ale and Local’s Favorite Hefeweizen. For variety, they have other draft and bottled beers. Their comprehensive menu includes appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, desserts and a Kids menu too.
Faultline Brewery in Sunnyvale
- During September 23 to October 30, Faultline Brewing Company will be showcasing their famous Oktoberfest Brew. There will be live music and a special menu for the occasion. In addition, they brew over 20 different styles of beer from light ales to dark roasted Irish Stouts regularly.
They have a Happy Hour on Monday to Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. featuring $3.50 beer pints and $2 off selected appetizers.
Tied House Brewery in Mountain View
- All of Tied House's beers are ales brewed with four ingredients: water, malt, hops, and wheat. They use English Caramel Malt and a combination of Domestic and European Hops. Dollar Half-Pint Nights are Thursdays at 8 p.m. and they have $3 “Beer Me” weekends. You can also order kegs to take to your party, ranging from 5 gallon to 15.5 gallon kegs.
They also offer a full menu of appetizers, salads, dishes, and desserts.
This list of possible beer watering holes should whet your whistle.
Cheers for beer!
