Say “Prost” To Upland’s Oktoberfest, A Party That’s Wholly Hoosier

Adam’s Responses In Bold

Settled under the scattered canopy spanning Indy’s Military Park, the state’s third-largest brewery secured a small corner close to the canal, fenced it off, and threw a great party. As they have done in recent years, Upland Brewery offered its staple beers: Dragonfly IPA; their eponymous Wheat beer; their acquisition from Terre Haute’s pre-prohibition past, Champaign Velvet Pilsner, and their own version of the event’s namesake, Oktoberfest. And as Upland has also done in the past, visitors faced a choice: an afternoon of $5 pints or the chance to spring for enormous glass stein ($23 that included your first fill) and enjoy the kind of $7 refills which only the worthy can handle. Based on the way several happily-dancing patrons were banging their glassware against the same mugs wielded by band members who leaned over from the edge of the stage—waves of beer flying through the air with each “prost”—I’d say that plenty were worthy on Saturday.

The glass mass, pronounced like “moss,” is definitely the way to go, if what you care about is looking cool (what the hell else is there to care about?), but the $5 pints might have been the best route for enjoyable drinking. One litre is a lot of beer for anyone, and I found myself dumping the last few ounces of each pour after the beer became flat and warm. Definitely a me-problem, and one that could have been avoided had I focused on not looking so cool.

Because of its seasonal variety, I always find myself gravitating to Upland’s version of Oktoberfest when I can. Like probably a lot of Hoosiers, I’m lucky in that Upland distributes to my local liquor store, and a six-pack will be available almost any day I walk in. But the festival offered me the chance to drink it from a tap, and seeing it in my cup reminded me why I like Upland’s in particular. As the Oktoberfest variety has grown in popularity, more breweries have been trying their hand at the recipe. Although not a seasoned German beer drinker, I have discovered that I prefer Upland’s concoction over others…often much darker…sometimes as brown as the bottle as they’re poured from. Upland’s light color, sweet taste, and even-bodied texture make a nice fall drink. Even if fall isn’t particularly feeling like fall just yet.

Upland has one of the better Oktoberfest beers around. It’s not an exceptionally exciting beer in terms of style or innovation, but Upland’s take is a beer I actually look forward to drinking this time of year. Notable former-Germany resident Drew Ogborn says, “It tastes similar to the delicious Bavarian beer named Spaten, but with a hint of southern Indiana.” The lightly-roasted grain might add to that, as well as make this a beer accessible and drinkable to all.

With ample food options, thanks to the cursory row of food trucks, and an impressive array of “fest-themed” musical acts on stage, only one thing dared put a damper on the day. Alas, during at least three junctures, the rain fell. While it was never enough to wash out the event, it was probably enough to drive down this year’s attendance.

Who can resist a pretzel from Der Pretzel Wagen? ESPECIALLY at an Oktoberfest? The polka bands selected for the day kept people moving, although I wish one act followed through with their take on Metallica’s “Sanitarium” (I was probably the only one). And rain sucks, but beer is better, so the short showers did nothing to dampen the spirits (or lederhosen) of the revelers. Military Park is not the most aesthetically pleasing venue for festivals, let’s be honest for a bit. It feels very open, lacking in tree coverage and picnic tables while surrounded by the gray IUPUI limestone and without a view of the Canal Walk. But what it lacks in looks it more than makes up for in logistics. Ample parking garages are just minutes away, with street parking just far enough away from the circle to actually be a viable option, and the ease in which you can arrive from nearly any direction or highway makes for a quick drop-off and pick-up. Hopefully as more events and festivals continue to utilize the space we’ll start to see some more greenery added. I know folks at Microbrewers Festival would appreciate the added shade…

Nonetheless, many of us were able to find shelter, in our case under the thick cover of a tall maple, enjoy the band, and drink good beer. Upland’s genius has long resided in its beer, but I think its best move has always been the way they managed this festival. We Hoosiers who attend it are for the most part simple people: We enjoy the friendship, the music, the camaraderie with total strangers sharing a nice day. We have never needed the Munic-esqe parades, a row of people dancing in lederhosen, or heaping piles of sausage. Upland’s Okterbest at Military Park doesn’t try to be something that it’s not, but it fully embraces who we in Indiana are. That’s what made it a pretty fantastic day…the rain be damned.

Having been a fan of Upland since before I was legally allowed to drink, I agree wholeheartedly that they know how to and love to throw a damn good party. When Drew and I took a carriage ride around the circle with a number of their employees upon arrival, you could feel the excitement for a great event with great beer radiating off them. And so we who attend the festivals to not work but instead drink the fruits of their work feel that excitement too. Donovan’s right: we don’t need the fanfare or lederhosen (someone PLEASE tell Drew that) to throw a great Oktoberfest party. Just some Polka, some great Indiana beer, and some great Indiana people…the rain be damned