Oaktoberfest in the Diamond
Oakland
Sept. 30 & Oct. 1
For lovers of Oakland, Oaktoberfest effectively concentrates the flavors, sounds, and spirit that made you fall for the town into one weekend-long, oversized block party.
Despite a participating brewery list that boasted national brands like Trumer and Ballast Point, and regional favorites like HenHouse Brewing and Altamont Beer Works, the longest lines at this year’s Oaktoberfest, the event’s 16th edition, were reserved for Oakland’s own.
This year’s Oaktoberfest event came at a fascinating time for the craft beer industry, both locally and throughout the country. Craft beer sales, which had been growing significantly year-over-year for two decades, are now relatively flat, as beer consumption overall is trending down. On top of this, the logistical costs of selling beer wholesale have increased significantly in the wake of the pandemic.
Meanwhile the Oakland area — which along with neighboring San Leandro, Alameda, and Berkeley was already home to more than two dozen breweries — has become a hotspot for satellite outposts for some of the most celebrated beer makers on the West Coast.
The financial fuel of Oaktoberfest has always been the sale of thousands of steinfulls of local beer, and for the past several years, Oscar Delgado has been the man behind the festival’s beer curation and procurement. Ask most any local brewer or taproom owner and they will tell you that Oscar is something of a patron saint to Oakland’s craft beer scene. While he still works a full-time a day job with Kaiser, Delgado has found his calling as a tireless advocate for Oakland’s small brewers. Oaktoberfest is just one of the three annual beer events he produces and his company CA Draft Tech does line cleaning, training and event logistics for local breweries, bars and restaurants.
As Delgado put it, “For us it is important that we keep this a community event, engaged with the city of Oakland. The focus is money from Oakland staying in Oakland.” Oaktoberfest’s attendees certainly shared this sentiment.
Mario Benjamin, co-owner of Hella Coastal, Oakland’s only Black-owned brewery, felt this focus firsthand as the overwhelming demand for his beer left the Hella Coastal’s booth dry before the festival had wrapped its first day. “Oaktoberfest is crucial for our brewery because it allows us to engage with our customers on a more personal level,” Benjamin said. We get a chance to share our passion for brewing, and creating memorable experiences. It’s not just about pouring pints; it’s about fostering relationships, building brand loyalty, and celebrating the spirit of togetherness.”
On Sunday, Dokkaebier took center stage. Dokkaebier is a self-proclaimed Asian-inspired craft brewery, distinguished by innovative flavor combinations, and a deftly-developed brand. The burgeoning brewery, which is owned and operated by West Oakland resident Youngwon Lee, recently opened their first taproom on 4th Street in the Jack London Square area. All Sunday afternoon the line for Dokkaebier remained more than double the length of any other brewery, as festival goers returned time and time again for steins full of the brewery’s Vienna Lager, Kim-Chi Sour Ale, Yuzu Blonde Ale, and an outstanding Mexican-style Lager brewed with lime.
“Oaktoberfest holds a special place in my heart. It was the first beer festival I ever attended. A few years later, not only do I own a brewery in Oakland, but I’m also proud to call this city my home.” Lee said. “It’s a hometown gathering where we share our unique brews and bond with the community.”
In-spite of the hyperlocal focus of the beer selection, the best beer I tasted came from The Foxtale Fermentation Project out of San Jose. The beer, titled “Somos Cultura,” was a rustic pale lager brewed with Peruvian purple corn, created in collaboration with East Palo Alto’s Brewing With Brothas. Foxtale is a tiny Chicano-owned brewery that recently sent shockwaves through craft beer circles when they were named Hop Culture magazine’s Best New Brewery for 2022, (a title which Hella Coastal enjoyed in 2021). In the glass “Somos Cultura” carries a fest-season-appropriate elevated ABV (6.0%), along with a remarkably elegant palate of cereal grains, dinner rolls, and fresh, subtle, citrus zest. It was being poured by the crew from the Laurel District’s excellent beer bar, Degrees Plato, who assured me that the superlative quality of this brew was to be expected from anything produced at Foxtale.
Also at the event, an entire parking lot devoted to turf dancing. Throughout the weekend, musical performances, curated by Oakland’s own Candi Martinez, bounced seamlessly from polka to cumbia to hip-hop, while the DJs were just as quick to play The Whispers as they were Mistah F.A.B. We ate oxtail quesabirria, and barbequed oysters topped with shrimp jambalaya. We stood in line to purchase “Pretzels Against The Patriarchy,” and the sandwich board in front of North Oakland based boutique, The Sag3 reminded us, “I like my candles like I like my people, non-toxic.”
East Bay beer drinkers today have more options than ever before when it comes to elite-quality, brewery-fresh beer. Finding ways to make your brand stand out and matter to those who drink it is now a make-or-break proposition for area breweries. Oaktoberfest offered brewers an extraordinary opportunity to demonstrate to drinkers that the craft beer we choose can be as much a signifier of our local affiliations as the songs we sing, the flavors we favor, and the ways we dance.
