Strassenfest today, along with other New Albany events.

Strassenfest is today at New Albany's Riverfront Amphitheater, 1 -10 pm: Beer, food, music, community ... and a quiet bridge without cars.

You CAN get here from there. Parking for Strassenfest is at the foot of Pearl Street, by the levee. From Louisville, take I-65 N to I-265 W to I-64 E. New Albany's Exit 123 into downtown is open. From the ramp, go straight, and then left on Main to Pearl.

Also, both I-65 N and the Clark Memorial (2nd St) Bridge can be taken to State Road 62, which becomes Brown's Station Way and Spring Street into downtown New Albany. From Spring Street, go left on Pearl and you'll see the amphitheater roof on the horizon.

The NABC beer lineup for Strassenfest is Keller Pils and our first-ever Strassen Brau (Oktoberfest style), both brewed with Andechs yeast from Germany; Jenever; Bob's Old 15-B Porter; and Smoked Abzug. Also, a special gravity-pour Anstich keg of Schlenkerla Eiche (oak-smoked lager) from Bamberg, Germany, will be tapped at 1:00 p.m. and poured from the tabletop.

Food is being prepared by NA Exchange and R & P Dogs. Music starts at 1:00 p.m. with Roz Tate and Chris Shireman, followed by German Dance Troup, Miltary Band, Waitin' for Dave and Hugh E. Bir and the Concrete Canyon Cowboys. Vendors will be on site for shopping.

Elsewhere in New Albany, the weekly Saturday morning Farmers Market is up and running at the corner of Bank and Market, and it's also the day for the Midtown Neighborhood Festival & Yard Sale at Ritter Park (13th and Oak).

Ideas for Strassenfest? It's coming to the Riverfront Amphitheater on Saturday, Sept. 17.

This much is clear: New Albany’s second annual Strassenfest will be held on Saturday, September 17 at the Riverfront Amphitheater. Once again, admission is free.

New Albanian Brewing Company (NABC) is coordinating beverage catering for this date, and we’re going to be doing something we haven’t done before: Using genuine Bavarian yeast from Kloster Andechs to make Helles and Marzen (Oktoberfest) lagers. As with last year’s Strassenfest, there’ll be a tie-in with Louisville Craft Beer Week. There’ll also be wine, and perhaps an inaugural tasting of German schnapps. Other components of the day, including music and food, are still in the planning stages.

It is instructive to note that while many Americans instinctively associate the concept of Oktoberfest with the Bavarian style of its celebration, other locales in Germany are less bound to the template. An autumnal harvest fete can take numerous forms, and with Bavarian-style beers providing the consistent thread, there’s plenty of room for us to improvise in New Albany, especially seeing we have no German heritage organization in Southern Indiana the equivalent of the Celts on the River group.

What can be done to expand New Albany’s embryonic Strassenfest beyond the stereotypical Oktoberfest party, while retaining sufficient German themes to make the day worthy of the name? Even I’m not sure, but the possibilities intrigue me, and ideas are welcomed.

If we could just get Kraftwerk to headline … at any rate, as you brainstorm, here’s a September/October calendar check:

September 11
Sandkerwa NA begins at NABC’s Pizzeria & Public House. It is our annual draft-only homage to German beer styles, including American craft brewery interpretations.

September 16 – 24
Louisville Craft Beer Week, with events throughout Metro Louisville

September 17
Strassenfest at New Albany’s Riverfront Amphitheater

October 1
Harvest Homecoming Parade in New Albany

October 6 – 9
Harvest Homecoming Booth Days (and NABC’s 4th Annual Fringe Fest at Bank Street Brewhouse)

October 28
Reverse Recycling & Decommissioning Party at NABC Bank Street Brewhouse. Leticia Bajuyo will be dismantling her temporary Bicentennial Art Project sculpture, “All Bottled Up,” and recycling components

Strassenfest today!

Last night's cask conditioned kickoff for the inaugural Louisville Craft Beer Week was a success. The parking lot at BBC on Shelbyville Road was filled tents, tables, food vendors and the main attraction: Naturally carbonated firkins and pins.

Day Two of LCBW is all about German beer culture as viewed through the lens of craft beer, with Strassenfest at New Albany's Riverfront Amphitheater beginning at 3:00 p.m. It's shaping up to be a beautiful day, so stop in for a beer and a brat. We'll be serving beer and food (from Steinert's) until last call at 10:30 p.m. The event is designed to be for all ages, and there'll be music, art, storytelling and fun for the kids, as is the custom at similar gatherings in Central Europe.

It could be the start of a fine new pre-Harvest Homecoming tradition in New Albany. Hope to see readers there, some time this afternoon and evening.

LCBW's Strassenfest on Day Two, at New Albany's Riverfront Amphitheater on Sept. 25.

My own poster for Strassenfest on September 25 at the Amphitheater.

I designed my own "from the beer perspective" poster for Strassenfest this Saturday: Strassenfest in New Albany. It borrows artwork from others, including Tony Beard. I don't do graphics. However, it's always nice to have publicity ahead of time.

Enter the baking contest at the LCBW/New Albany Strassenfest on Saturday, September 25.

Saturday, September 25: Strassenfest in New Albany

Thanks to Sandra Terrell for organizing the contest, and stay tuned for further information about Strassenfest next Saturday. Questions? Ask me, and I'll get them into the proper mailbox.

NA Event Watch: Lousville Craft Beer Week's Strassenfest at the Riverfront Amphitheater, September 25.

The first-ever Louisville Craft Beer Week will run from September 24 through October 2. LCBW is a cooperative venture organized by Louisville area brewers and purveyors of craft beer, designed to, "Educate ... Inspire ... Imbibe."

There'll be big beer events every night during the week, and numerous smaller happenings around the metro area staged and hosted by pubs, restaurants and package stores. The majority of American craft brewers with a presence in Louisville will be represented at some point during the week.

Facebook page with schedule
August 9 LCBW golf scramble details

Craft beer fans in New Albany should mark their calendars for Saturday, September 25, when the Strassenfest already scheduled for the Riverfront Amphitheater will partner with Louisville Craft Beer Week to produce an Oktoberfest-style party with German-themed draft beers from participating LCBW breweries, both local and regional, along with appropriate food and music.

NABC is happy to host this Sunnyside Strassenfest on behalf of the LCBW, and thanks go to the riverfront committee for so eagerly embracing the concept. It's a natural conclusion to the amphitheater's summer season and just as obvious segue into Harvest Homecoming (kickoff parade on Oct. 2).