Traditional Oktoberfest Celebration Kicks-Off Fun in Tampa

This Friday marks the Official Kick-Off for Oktoberfest celebrations in Tampa!  This Friday, September 16th at Champions Sports Bar & Grille at Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina at  5:00 PM  Scott and Ron will tap the first Oktoberfest keg as traditionally done at Oktoberfest by the mayor in Munich!  The Keg of Spaten Oktoberfest is the Official first keg tapped by the mayor each year.  Though we will not be in the famous meadow of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen, Champions will include a phenomenal line-up of Oktoberfest beers , Lederhosen not required to join the fun!

Traditional Oktoberfest Celebration Kicks-Off Fun in Tampa

Come, be part of the sideshow and help set an Oktoberfest record! Oktoberfest runs at Champions Sports Bar & Grille the duration of traditional Oktoberfest, coming to an end October 3rd.  It is doubtful we can break Munich's  first record of 316,800 gallons served in 1910 but we can try!  If my calculations are correct I believe that's about 20,000 kegs, you in?
 
As early as 1860 Oktoberfest boasted 100,000 visitors with every year setting a new record as thousands quenched their thirsts on Oktoberfest beers.  Fortunately for us, we need not travel to do the same, thanks to the good people at Champions Sports Bar, home of Tampa's Digital Craft Beer Happy Hour! 

It was 1950 when Munich's highly popular Lord Mayor, Thomas Wimmer, founded the ceremony being recreated by Champions Sports Bar & Grille. Cheer 'O'zapft is' as Scott and Ron do the deed!  Wear something colorful, Lederhosen if you've got them, leather shorts, or your work clothes will do too! It's time for Oktoberfest fun in Tampa! 

 
All you need to do is show up ready to imbibe, Champions handles the fun! Featuring Liter steins, Half Liter steins, 22oz Pints and more, be sure to check out the limited edition Oktoberfest menu at Champions. (Did you know ALL their bread is made from scratch in-house, explains a lot about their fantastic sandwiches doesn't it!)

Oktoberfest at Champions Sports Bar & Grille in Tampa will include:

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest German-American Annual Collaboration Beer 

Explore the roots of Germany with Sierra Nevada. Each year they partner with a German brewer for a different experience. This year SN worked with Bamberg, Germany’s Mahrs Bräu on a new version of a classic beer. This authentic Oktoberfest beer is a deep golden color with a rich malt complexity and a noticeable spicy hop character from the use of a nearly forgotten Record hop varietal. DO NOT miss this beer at Champions Sports Bar & Grille at the kick-off and during Oktoberfest. Lager yeast, with, Bittering Hops: German Magnum, Palisade, Finishing Hops: German Record, Saphir, Crystal and Two-row Pale, Steffi Pilsner, Munich, and Vienna Malts. (6% ABV) This is the perfect beer to pair with Brats or Pork, check out the Oktoberfest menu and decide.

 

Big Storm Brewing Oktoberfest  

True to the spirit of the beloved German festival, Big Storm's Oktoberfest is a traditionally brewed Bavarian Märzen lager with a refreshing finish and toasty malt flavors.

Goose Island Oktoberfest

With hints of Dried Apricot and Toffee this beer is brewed in the traditional Märzen style and pours a brilliant copper over rose color with a bone white head. This beer has a dry malty body with the mild earthy bitterness that is the hallmark of Hallertau hops.

Cycle Brewing's Das Rad Oktoberfest

Deep and rich with an ABV of 6.2% Cycle's Oktoberfest beer earned several badges on Untappd, including the Witch's Brew and Oktoberfests beer badges.  A hazy, golden amber medium bodied beer, intense upfront with a sweet caramel malt and bitterness at the back it is lightly spicy, bready and beautiful! ​

Cigar City Brewing's Fest Bier 

Seasonal beers like this one herald in fall for us seasonally challenged Floridians! Fest Bier is a rich amber color, made with German malted barley, German-grown hops, and German lager yeast! At the heart of this beer are SIX different German malt varieties, including a generous helping of Munich malt.  After adding Hallertauer Mittlefruh hops, Cigar City ferments with authentic Bavarian lager yeast, resulting in a clean, dry and complex lager that’s delicious and decidedly drinkable! This Tampa made Oktoberfest beer is rated as one of the top 50 Oktoberfest Biers in the nation. (5.7% ABV)​

Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest

The good news is Hacker Pschorr brews this Original Oktoberfest beer year round: even better news, you can indulge in their golden amber, malted Bavarian barley beer just like beer lovers do at the Munich Oktoberfest here in Tampa! Keep up the tradition or start a new one at Champions Oktoberfest Kick-off with a tradition Marzen Hacker-Pschorr! (5.8% ABV)

Yuengling Oktoberfest

Yuengling's Oktoberfest pays homage to their German Heritage with this copper, medium bodied beer. A perfect blend of roasted malts with just the right amount of hops to capture a true representation of the German style and another of the traditional Oktoberfest beers available at Champions celebration of everything Oktoberfest this year!  

 

Coppertail Brewing Oktoberfest Märzen Lager

Made the traditional way, staying as close to the German methods of brewing as possible, Coppertail's crisp and malty Oktoberfest beer has floral hop notes, is rich, malty and flavorful. Enjoy this limited release at the Kick-off on draft Friday through October 3rd.

Mark you calendars now to join us at the end the week for a traditional Oktoberfest celebration in Tampa!  Grab yourself a liter stein and let out a hearty PROST as you say goodbye to another work week and HELLO to Oktoberfest in Tampa at Champions Sports Bar & Grille inside the award winning Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina in Downtown Tampa.  It's the next best thing to being in Munich!