IT WAS A DRINKY OLD TIME, FRIENDS! Fine beer, fine food and fine friends. And then more beer. Folks gathered at our house around half past twelve and we set out on the (slightly longer than I had said it was) walk to the lovely Red Carpet Liquors. There we came upon several tents, tables laden with krauts—er, kraut—and brauts and potatoes and… why… there was another tent… a tent where upwards of 15 kinds of BEER were available!

And oh, many a fine beer was had. There were the staples: Franciskaner Heffeweizen, Edel Weisen, some Paulaners and Spatens… there were some curveballs, like Brooklyn Brewery’s wonderful Schneider Weissen. If you’ve not had this beer, have this beer. It is a Weisen unlike any weisen… it’s… hopped! Yes, that’s right: a wheat beer with a significant hop balance to the sweet malt and with a refreshing, bitter finish. Florals and pine. In a wheat brau. Very nice, friends, very nice.

There were also plural cases of Sam Adams Oktoberfest and good old Sam Lager. Now… we’ve made our feelings clear (more clear than this take on a Marzen—oooh!) on Sam’s take on Oktoberfest beer. It’s only OK. But, hey I’ll take a Sam Lager any day! And I did. I took a lot. It didn’t hurt that there was some sort of weird cooler-connected to-keg-with-taps-coming-out-of-the-cooler thing that was essentially a never ending supply of a light but refreshing and crisp pilsner.

Much of the Fleet and some friends assembled. Why, we had Sgt. Stout, Admiral Ale, Brigadier Bock, Commander Cheap and, of course, this good Captain. Once we had drank our fill, we ate our fill. Delicious Deutschness! They even had some fine young vegetarian brauts for Mrs. Beer. So thoughtful, those guys. Aw gee. Anyway then we drank our fill again and indeed it was good that the comfort of home (and more beer) was a walk and not a drive away.