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).

Life is hectic.

22-oz bombers of Jaxon, Yakima and Tunnel Vision are going to Cavalier Distributing in Indianapolis, and to River City Distributing in Louisville. Next up: Kentucky at-large. More on that, coming soon.

Louisville Craft Beer Week begins Friday at BBC St. Matthews, and Strassenfest is taking place on New Albany's riverfront on Saturday.

We're making plans for Fringe Fest 2011, amid the usual bedlam of New Albany's Harvest Homecoming.

There is other news to report -- something about a li'l ol' bridge thingy -- but we have too much to do to pay very much attention.

More on Strassenfest, coming on Saturday, September 17.

A while back, I offered a preview of this year's second edition of Strassenfest.

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

Obviously, we're almost there. Early on, the committee took the understandable position that lacking a strong German heritage group in the Falls Cities, one that might take a governing interest, perhaps the best strategy to pursue for Strassenfest was to make it a diverse community festival more than a strict celebration of Germanic heritage. The beer and some of the food will be along the traditional lines. Other aspects will not. We merely hope for a good day and a nice gathering to greet the advent of autumn. Following are a few updates.

Time
NABC will be set up to serve beer from 1:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. I'm guessing the food vendors will be there much of this period.

Beer
Our NABC beers will be Keller Pils and the first-ever Oktoberfest (both brewed with Andechs yeast); Jenever; Bob's Old 15-B Porter; and Smoked Abzug. Also, a special 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
In addition to the committee's sausage purveyor, who often can be seen vending outside the City County Building, NA Exchange will be on site cooking during the day.

Music
Roz Tate will perform in the beer garden at intervals throughout the period 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. In addition, I'm considering regaling guests with my collection of German pop music: The In-Kraut. The committee will have bands playing on the stage after that.

Sandkerwa NA 5 at the Pizzeria & Public House begins on September 12.

NABC’s Sandkerwa NA is our Bavarian-themed draft beer “tap takeover” festival. It originated five years ago as a tribute to Bamberg’s annual late August street festival of the same name.

In the beginning, our aim was to source imported specialties from Bamberg and Franconia, and by doing so, to celebrate the Bavarian brewing and stylistic heritage at the Pizzeria & Public House. Like most other such endeavors, Sandkerwa is evolving, owing both to intent and circumstance.

Two years ago, the Shelton Brothers importing company made Anstich kegs available for the first time, and we repeated the Anstich emphasis in 2010. It’s hard to imagine a better way to honor Franconian brewing than Anstich kegs, which are gravity-pour barrels. The innovative Shelton program made it possible to obtain freshly filled kegs from small Franconia breweries that otherwise didn’t export, or exported very little.

Unfortunately, Shelton and Cavalier Distributing have not yet been able to completely iron out their various issues, although I’m told that talks are ongoing to get Shelton’s unparalleled line back into Indiana. I’ve asked whether any choices from the forthcoming Anstich shipment have a chance of reaching us for Sandkerwa’s 5th edition, and the reply: Not likely.

Seeing as there’s no sense in crying over spilled “ungespundetes” Lagerbier, we’ve adapted Sandkerwa to fit what we can do, as opposed to what we can’t do.

The starting date will be Monday, September 12, at the Pizzeria & Public House. In addition to our usual Schlenkerla, Eric and Ben have pre-ordered Oktoberfests from America and Germany, and as augmented by beers representing other Bavarian (and greater German) styles, these will comprise the bulk of the Sandkerwa program for 2011.

On Saturday, September 17, the NABC will take the occasion of Strassenfest at the New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater to debut our first-ever batches of Helles and Marzen, both brewed with Andechs yeast. There’ll also be Keller Pils, and possibly Smoked Abzug.

As an added bonus, we’ll tap an Anstich keg of Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche – delicious oak-smoked Rauchbier, which comes to us from the B. United importing firm, which still is going strong in Indiana.

Shelton’s absence from Indiana hurts, but it does not kill, and therein lies a valuable lesson. As much as we miss Shelton’s wonderful portfolio, and wish for it to return, there are so many fine beers available nowadays that the wait is far from intolerable.

Ideas for Strassenfest? It's coming to NA's 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

Scenes from Strassenfest at the Riverfront Amphitheater on Saturday, September 25.

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.

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

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.

Strassenfest on September 25 at the Amphitheater -- here's the beer list (so far).

Here's the beer list for next Saturday's inaugural Strassenfest at the Riverfront Amphitheater in New Albany. It's a joint venture of sorts between NA and Louisville Craft Beer Week, and intended as a family-friendly homage to similar fests in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Strassenfest is Saturday, Sept. 25, with beer sales starting at 3:00 p.m. There'll be German-themed food from Steinert's, entertainment, and activities (including a baking contest). I'm in charge of the beer. Imagine that.

Confirmed Draft Beer List

All of the following are Oktoberfest style beers, except for NABC, which will be pouring Keller Pils and Abzug, both golden lager variants.

Bell’s, Kalamazoo MI
BBC, Louisville KY
Browning’s, Louisville KY
Cumberland Brewery, Louisville KY
Goose Island, Chicago IL
NABC, New Albany IN
Schlafly, St. Louis MO
Sun King, Indianapolis IM
Upland, Bloomington IN

There may be others, as well as a few surprises, depending on the success of foraging. Stay tuned, and mark your calendars.