Scratch Oktoberfest 2019: September 28th

Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 28th for our annual Oktoberfest celebration at Scratch! As in years past we will have steins by local ceramicists, an array of German-inspired beers made with a local twist, and a special menu of food, this year made by our friends at the Underground Public House in Carbondale.

We will also be releasing our cellared fest bier, a beer we make in March and lager until October, that is crisp and easy drinking and great to enjoy with friends on a fall day in our half liter steins! For the last few years we have made this beer with Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich malts from Sugar Creek Malt, and Illinois-grown hops, and this year we also fermented it with our house culture at lager temperatures, which gives it a different kind of finish reminiscent of a French-style biere de garde. This is the first time we've made a lagered beer with our culture and it was a fascinating experiment in introducing one more component of Southern Illinois terroir to a classic German-style beer.

We will not be pre-selling tickets for this event, just show up and buy either a stein or a glass and enjoy full pours of any of our beers all day long. Our half liter steins are $45 and include a fill. 16 oz glassware is $10 and includes a fill. Soda tickets are also available for $5 and include a mason jar and unlimited soda all day. Beer glasses may also be filled with soda all day for free. The food and beer menus will be posted in the next couple of weeks! We're looking forward to some great special food from the Underground. Watch here or on our Facebook page for more details.