Colorado doesn’t really need a reason to drink beer, but give us one and we’ll throw a festival around it.

A new IPA release? Call the band! A sunny Saturday in January? Set up the tents! So it makes sense that when Oktoberfest season hits, breweries across the Front Range don’t only raise a stein — they raise several. With more than a dozen events stretching from Fort Collins to Denver and everywhere in between, Oktoberfests this year come stacked with sausages, stein-holding contests, questionable lederhosen and plenty of German-inspired beer, all with a Colorado twist.

Some celebrations span full weekends with music stages and kids’ zones. Others feel more like backyard hangouts that happen to have a killer rauchbier on draft. Fritztoberfest in Niwot falls into the latter category.

“

See Full Page