STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
It’s quaffing time.
Sawtooth Brewery will stage its 8th annual Ketchum Oktoberfest Friday and Saturday, oct. 20-21, at Ketchum Town Square.
Thesnowreport.com called it “a real-life version of the movie “Beerfest” in its just-out article “Top 5 Oktoberfests You Should Attend this Fall.”
“Where else can teams of four compete in the Beer Olympics for the coveted title of Das Boot?” asked the article, which also hoisted a stein to the Oktoberfest parties at Mount Snow, Vt.; Mountain Creek Resort in New Jersey; the two-month festival Snowbird, Utah, Oktoberfest and Steamboat Springs’ OktoberWest.
Ketchum’s Oktoberfest kicks off with the tapping of the firkin by Ketchum Mayor Neil Bradshaw at 4 p.m. Live music from Spike Coggins will follow from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.
The 500-square-foot Beer Garden will feature German beers on tap. Among the beverages available: Sawtooth Brewery’s Oktoberfest, Cold Springs Pilsner, Rebecca’s Private Idaho Queen’s Kolsch, Sawtooth Valley Gathering Helles Lager, Belgian Wit, Standhope Dopplebock, hard cider, Buck Snort Root Beer and wine by the glass.
There’ll be more beer garden games than ever, including Hammerschlagen, chicken bingo, giant jenga, beer pong, corn hole, plus a photo booth and beer puppets.
Mark Mueller strikes up the music at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Beer Olympics start at 3 p.m. Saturday with teams of four competing at beer puppet, stein hoisting, corn hole and volume chug.
Registration is $40 per team and includes beer and a pint glass for everyone. Register at the Sawtooth Brewery Tap Room at 110 N. River St. in Hailey. The winner wins the 2L Glass Boot.
There’ll be plenty of bratwurst, along with other German-inspired pub fair accented with a local flair.
The beer garden will serve as the finish line for the Wood River community YMCA Sun Valley Half Marathon for those who want to feel as if they earned their brews.
Anyone can attend the event free of charge. But your ticket to drink comes in form of Sawtooth mugs and steins. Pints cost $5 and liters, $8.