COOP Ale Works featured at Choctaw Oktoberfest: A first for local beer
For the first time in the 19-year history of the event, a locally made beer will be tapped as the ceremonial keg to kick off Old Germany Restaurant’s 2009 Oktoberfest.
The tapping of the first keg is a ceremony borrowed from the annual Oktoberfest event in Munich, Germany, where the mayor of the city of Munich taps the ceremonial keg to begin the festivities. Following that tradition, the COOP Ale Works Oktoberfest lager keg will be tapped by Choctaw mayor Randy Ross at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9th.
As many as 50,000 attendees are expected at this year’s festival.
COOP Ale Works, a new microbrewery based in Oklahoma City, provided the ceremonial beer for the 2009 event. “Old Germany is proud to have the COOP Ale Works Oktoberfest for the ceremonial tapping of the keg,” states Mike Turek, owner of Old Germany Restaurant and organizer of the festival. “We requested this beer because it’s an excellent quality brew. It is faithful to its German origins but offers a local twist.”
Chase Healey, Head Brewer for COOP Ale Works, describes the Oktoberfest beer as “a very popular style, especially for traditional light beer drinkers who prefer a crisp flavor.”
“We brewed the first batch of the Oktoberfest lager in February of this year,” said Healey. “The beer being poured at Choctaw’s Oktoberfest was brewed in early summer, giving it enough time to age and develop a full-bodied flavor.”
COOP Ale Works Oktoberfest lager follows the traditional German beer purity law of reinheitsgebot, which dictates the use of only barley, hops and water in the production of beer. COOP Ale Works co-owner JD Merryweather describes the lager as “a fitting way to say goodbye to the long, hot Oklahoma summer.”
“It is a seasonal release, so when it’s gone, it’s gone!” said Merryweather.
Choctaw Oktoberfest will last through Saturday Septermber 12th. Admission to the festival is free each day before 5:00 p.m. For more information on the festival, visit www.oldgermany.com. For more information on COOP Ale Works, visit www.coopaleworks.com or contact JD Merryweather at (405) 833-0516.
