Black Market Bar and Grill hosted a celebration of Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 3. (Photo by Stephanie Lockhart).
Nicholas Jessee – Staff Writer
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The Black Market Bar & Grill hosted its first one day celebration of Oktoberfest on Saturday Oct. 3, 2015 from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.; the free event presented six patios with varieties of Oktoberfest beers and food specials mainly served to the local community. TVs were set up to show the Alabama and Auburn football games, and many places hosted beer tournaments and games that served special Oktoberfest brews.
The beer specials presented were Left Hand Oktoberfest at the Black Market, Blue Pants Oktoberfest at J. Clyde, Abita Oktoberfest featured in Mellow Mushroom, World of Beer’s Straight to Ale Oktoberfest, Ayinger Oktoberfest served at 5 Point Public House Oyster Bar and Straight to Ale Olde Towne Pumpkin from Dave’s Pub. All beers that were served followed the seasonal theme and the German tradition of Oktoberfest.
Along with these beers were food specials, including German pretzels, beer cheese soup, brats with kraut, kasespatzle (German style mac and cheese) and fried sauerkraut balls. The German foods listed were among many other choices on the menus of each restaurant.
“Oktoberfest is an event more for the Five Points area. It draws in a great diversity of people and business to the restaurants,” said George Reis, owner and chef of 5 Point Public House Oyster Bar for 15 years.
Rebecca Keeton, manager of Black Market, was the main coordinator of Oktoberfest and pitched the idea for the event to other restaurants in Five Points.
“Most of the restaurants in the area, including me, helped to push Oktoberfest. I wanted this restaurant to participate and have fun with the event,” Reis said.
UAB student Aaron Sellers took part in the festivities this year. “The pumpkin beer has a smooth and festive flavor. It was nice to have a change in my day-to-day routine by going to this,” he said.
“I hope to attend more events around Five Points in the future.”
Five Points made its Oktoberfest to begin Oct. 3 when, traditionally, the German Oktoberfest ends Oct. 4. Both the beginning and end of Oktoberfest celebrations in Birmingham closely relate to Munich’s.
According to ofest.com, the original Oktoberfest took place on Oct. 12, 1810, and was a festival outside the city gates of Munich to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. Oktoberfest begins in September on the third week and lasts until the first weekend of October. Presently, Munich hosts the largest Oktoberfest in the world.
The Five Points celebration was similar to the Munich celebration in that it drew a variety of people from different parts of Birmingham in to celebrate the season.
