One of the top Oktoberfest celebrations will be held at the American German Club in suburban Lake Worth. (Gary Coronado / The Post)

The Beer Guy’s Oktoberfest Six-Pack | More Oktoberfest events
Recipes mentioned below | More on American German Club’s celebration

Oktoberfest, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

There’s something about the annual German celebration that gives the Beer Guy a warm, fuzzy feeling inside and seems to bring out the gemutlichkeit (good fellowship) in all who participate. I mean, it’s pretty much impossible to do the Chicken Dance and be in a bad mood at the same time, right?

Since its origin in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Bavaria, Munich’s Oktoberfest has grown into the largest beer blast in the world, hosting about 6 million thirsty revelers who down 1.8 million gallons of German lager over 16 days each year. This year’s event tapped out on Sunday.

Lucky for us, though, Oktoberfest is just getting started in our area and this year there are more ways to celebrate than ever. As a public service to my beer brethren and sisters, I offer the ideas below.

Party at the American German Club of the Palm Beaches:

It’s the 36th year for the event on Lantana Road, and the best local alternative to hopping on a plane to Munich — and it’s certainly less expensive. This Lake Worth bash claims to be one of the largest in the country. There will be traditional German beer, food and live bands, direct from the Munich Oktoberfest. Be sure to try Hofbrau, the beer that saved Munich. That’s right: During the Thirty Years’ War, 362 buckets of Bockbier from the Hofbrauhaus helped to placate the invading Swedish army, who decided to not destroy Munich after all. Whew!

Celebrate, Home-Brew Style:

The Palm Beach Draughtsmen home brewing club is hosting its 16th Oktoberfest party at Okeeheelee Park on Oct. 24. It’s a mini version of the American German Club’s bash but still a zer gut (very good) time. The Draughtsmen offered eight different styles of home brew to sample at their 2008 event, with plenty of grilled brats and other German fare, along with live music and fun for the kids. This is a small club event and although guests are welcome, walk-ups are not. Tickets must be purchased in advance on the club’s Web site, www.palmbeachdraughtsmen.com. None will be sold on site.

Five-Course Beer Dinner:

You get Beer Guy-style points for attending this one. Chef Ryan Launer of Jupiter’s Tabica Grill is hosting an Ayinger Brewery Beer Dinner on Friday, Oct. 16. Chef Ryan will serve a different Ayinger beer to pair with each of the five courses, which range from braised pork and smoked duck breast to roast lamb. I have attended several of Chef Ryan’s beer dinners and can assure you of a gastronomic adventure you won’t soon forget.

Oktoberfest Beer Dinner, Part II:

It’s Oktoberfest year-round at Little Munich in Lake Worth. You can feast on authentic German beer and food anytime at the Lake Avenue restaurant — well, anytime they’re open. Owners Peter and Gabi Kachler are the real deal. They owned a restaurant in Munich for years before coming to our area. Also the real deal: Little Munich’s selection of German beers on tap, including Spaten Oktoberfest. The Kachlers are flying in a band from Munich near the end of October to ramp up the celebration.

Oktoberfest ‘Staybration’

OK, so I made up the word. It’s something like a “staycation,” only more beer-obsessed. The concept here is to make your own Oktoberfest food at home and pair it with the appropriate Oktoberfest-style beer. If this seems a bit daunting, do not fear. Chef Ryan of Tabica Grill has provided a recipe for bratwurst sliders that is easy and delicious. I sampled these tasty little burgers at a recent beer dinner at his Jupiter restaurant and was so impressed I lobbied him for the recipe. Likewise, Little Munich’s Gabi Kachler agreed to part with her recipe for traditional wiener schnitzel. It’s a schnap!

As for the beers, I sampled six different Oktoberfest styles available in our area with fellow beer lover and home brewer Greg Pope. We paired the beers with a German sausage combo platter from Little Munich, and let me tell you, it made for one of the tastiest “stay-happy hours” I’ve ever had.

Any or all of these options should get you in the Oktoberfest spirit. Of course, I plan to hit them all by the end of the month. That’s just how the Beer Guy rolls. Besides, Oktoberfest comes around just once a year.

OKTOBERFEST 2009 EVENTS

36th Oktoberfest
American German Club of the Palm Beaches
5111 Lantana Road,
Lake Worth
When: Oct. 9-11 and 16-18
Friday: 5 to 11 p.m.
Saturday: Noon to 11 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 8 p.m.
Admission: $7 (children under 12 enter free)
Web: www.americangermanclub.org
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16th Palm Beach Draughtsmen Octoberfest
Tuskeegee Pavilion, Okeeheelee Park
7715 Forest Hill Blvd., West Palm Beach
When: Oct. 24, Noon to 6 p.m.
Donation: $25 (must be purchased in advance on Web site)
Web: www.palmbeachdraughtsmen.com
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Oktoberfest 2009 Beer Dinner
Tabica Grill & Ayinger Brewery
901 W. Indiantown Road, Suite 1, Jupiter
When: Friday, Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $50 per person
Reservations: (561) 747-0108
The Menu:
First course
Pickled wurst salad with sweet mustard vinaigrette and pretzel crouton
Beer pairing: Ayinger Jarhundert
Second course
Beer-braised pork and onion stew with pumpernickel crouton
Beer pairing: Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel
Third course
Cherry wood-smoked duck breast with plum dumplings and candied carrots
Beer pairing: Ayinger Celebrator Doppel Bock
Fourth course
Slow-roasted lamb with dill cucumber sour cream, parsley potatoes and charred asparagus
Beer pairing: Ayinger Oktober Fest Marzen
Fifth course
Caramelized sweet banana and lemon pudding
Beer pairing: Ayinger Brau Weisse
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Oktoberfest Year-Round:
Little Munich German Restaurant
806 Lake Ave., Lake Worth
Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Friday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Sunday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Phone: (561) 932-0050

Fellow beer lover and home brewer Greg Pope and I rated six of the season’s Oktoberfest beers. We list them from bottom to top and rate them on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the top of the class.

Oktoberfest beers are dark gold to deep orange-red in color with a rich, German malt aroma, initial malt sweetness in flavor with a slightly dry finish. They should be clean, smooth and rich with a complex malt character.

No. 6: Michelob Marzen, Anheuser-Busch Inc., Missouri

I decided to give A-B its shot here and I have to say, Michelob Marzen didn’t do too badly. Both Greg and I tasted some decent malt flavor in this beer, but the aroma and finish are not distinctive. My suspicion is that this is Michelob with a little Munich malt added and nothing more. It did go well with the German sausages, though.
Score: 3.5

No. 5: Left Hand Oktoberfest, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, Colo.

Let me preface this review by saying the American micro Oktoberfests were all good and very close to each other, stylistically speaking. In our beer taste test, we were looking for malt to be the star, with hops in a supporting role. Left Hand’s brew was darker than the rest with a good dose of malt in the flavor. But we agreed that the finish was a little sharper than the others. There could have been more malt aroma.
Score: 5.5

No. 4: Stoudt’s Oktoberfest, Adamstown, Pa.

We noted a good, malty aroma and nice balance in Stoudt’s fest effort, which has won five medals at past Great American Beer Festivals. As I said, these beers were all very close in quality. If anything, we felt the Stoudt’s brew could have used a touch more malt body.
Score: 6.5

No. 3: Penn Oktoberfest, Pittsburgh

We admit to a bit of controversy on this one. I felt it was second-best of the bunch, mostly because of its very smooth finish. Greg, however, thought it was weak on aroma and body. We did agree on one thing that forced the tie for third place: Penn is a very smooth, drinkable beer.
Score: 6.5

No. 2: Brooklyn Oktoberfest, Brooklyn, New York

Brewer Garrett Oliver, no relation to the Beer Guy, went to the trouble of having the malt for this season’s Oktoberfest brew prepared in Bamberg, Germany. His efforts pushed this contender over the top of the America micros. It has a malty, bready flavor and excellent balance. And it goes very well with the grilled bratwurst and sauerkraut we scarfed down.
Score: 7

No. 1: Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany

Once we sampled this beer, we decided all the others proved to be pretenders to the throne. Then again, I suppose, when you’ve been making this kind of beer for a few hundred years, you ought to know what you’re doing. Hacker-Pschorr certainly does, offering a beer with an incredible malt aroma up front and a nutty sweet malty flavor and smooth, balanced finish. Yes, the competition was tight, but we found this one to be a more elegant beer than the others. Simple as that.
Score: 10