Alaskan Attractions: Oxtoberfest

Last year was my first big experience with Oktoberfest in Alaska- Alyeska Resort, the Musk Ox Farm, Humpy’s, you name it and someone invited me to it!  After all the fun last fall, I’d originally hoped to spend this year in Germany for Oktoberfest, but things just didn’t quite line up.  (Fingers crossed for next year!)

These are two of this year’s Musk Ox babies, Muenster and Gouda. Each year’s batch of little ones is named according to a theme.

Since Germany didn’t happen, a friend and I decided to splurge and go VIP at this year’s fifth annual Oxtoberfest. We had a great time last night, drinking beer, eating German food, and getting up close and personal with the musk ox. The best part? It’s a farm-to-table fundraiser feast put on in partnership with the Alaska Farmland Trust, with locally sourced food and beer (plus it’s BYO-pint, so no wasted plastic cups!).  Musk ox, fun music, great beer, supporting local agriculture, what more could you ask for?

This big guy came right over to check out my friend Mara, who’s rocking her VIP lanyard and “swag bag.” We got a bunch of stickers, some local produce, and a couple other goodies in our bags.

While I didn’t get to participate in quite as many of the other Oktoberfests this year, here is a list of Alaskan options and a couple of links for anyone interested in starting the planning for next year. And if you missed the festivities this weekend, West Berlin is hosting an Oktoberfest event next week! (Plus, they’re just great for German food any time of year! Try the kartoffelpuffer appetizer, or if you’re a pretzel person make sure you get there early- they sell out quite often!)

https://www.facebook.com/events/west-berlin/4th-annual-rsv-oktoberfest-hosted-by-west-berlin/954037354942473/

We ate our food super fast so we could make it to one of the tours that comes with the VIP ticket. Afterwards we stopped back in for more pretzels and pints. The menu included sausages and onions, all things potato salad, and a ridiculously yummy pumpkin dessert.

If you are interested in investigating Oxtoberfest for next year or visiting the Musk Ox Farm, check out their website and social media. They have events throughout the year, including a Mother’s Day opening where you get to see all the cute new babies! Oxtoberfest did sell out quickly, so liking the event page is a good way to make sure you don’t miss out on tickets.

https://www.muskoxfarm.org/oxtoberfest

This is Katmai and Yosemite, two of the young males on the farm.

Oktoberfest at Alyeska has passed for this year and unfortunately I missed it because I was out of town last weekend. It’s a great excuse for a mini-trip to Girdwood though and I really enjoyed it last year! Plus, with Girdwood Brewing right down the road from the resort, you can extend your Beerfest to include a tasting with them! I love snuggling up next to their fire pit with a pint.

https://www.alyeskaresort.com/hotel-specials-packages/oktoberfest-package

My friend snapped this photo during our tour- note the chunks of hail stuck in my hair!

If you’re an Anchorage local and looking for something more low-key and close to home, Humpy’s does an Oktoberfest as well as the Egan Center and a couple of other places in town. If I can’t make it to Germany next year, I’m also interested in checking out the Alaskan Railroad’s Beer Train. What can I say- Alaskans love Oktoberfest!

https://www.adn.com/calendar/#!/details/Oktoberfest-at-the-Egan-Center/2783120/2016-10-07T19

https://www.humpysalaska.com/calendar/2016/9/16/humpys-oktoberfest-at-williwaw

https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/event-trains/great-alaska-beer-train