I have not managed to escape to Nod Hill this season, and they have been featuring gravity kegs throughout their weeks-long Octoberfest parties in their Biergarten. I did manage to get there last year and got to sample a couple of the gravity kegs, a couple of cask pours in the taproom, and several mixed culture bottle-pours as well… it’s a cool place.

I had a busy beer week this last week, with a return visit to Fifth Hammer for the live music, a pie and several pints in JWF, two Octoberfests, and a hike out to Gowanus to help Wild East celebrate their birthday… well, my wife was out of town, and it was just too quiet in the house.

But back to those Octoberfests…

I attended the event in the Grand Delancey on Saturday and chose option #2 above.

They really went out of the way to provide plenty of lagers to choose from, with 20+ taps dedicated to festbiers, martzens and other classic German lager styles; lagers from both Germany itself and locally from the US, featuring such stalwarts as Human Robot (PA), Fox Farm (CT), The Seed (NJ), Wheatland Spring (VA) and Schilling (NH).

But what did I do?

After navigating to the bar and threading the needle between the Reserved signs and the Meetup signs, I grabbed the only “available” seat and then promptly ordered a pint of the Coniston Bluebird bitter. Well, I do have certain standards to uphold, and it is from the old country (not Germany).

I did the same last year when I went to the Delancey Octoberfest, but that time the cask was at least a festbier from Singlecut.

I did get into the festy spirit for my subsequent rounds, with a full-pour of a Grodziskie from Fox farm; a lovely beer and one of my favorite (non-cask) styles, done really well.

And before trekking out to Wild East (it was miserable, pub-crawling weather … loved it) I sampled one each from the breweries listed above; all excellent, especially after I let them warm awhile.

The menu looked awesome, but I did not eat, I had places to go.

Sunday’s event was in total contrast to the sophisticated (well, until folks started ordering Das Boot) nature of the Delancey, it being Torchfest at Torch & Crown in Union Square Park.

This was option #4 all the way!

It was a chaotic, rollicking gathering, held outside on a beautiful sunny dry cool Fall Day, with music and contests and sausages and stuff.

Again, I did not eat, I just forgot to do so, caught up in the joyful silliness.

I did have a beer or two, or maybe four.

The brews were all from Torch & Crown themselves, with their High Brau (festbier) and Low Brau (helles) fulfilling the Octoberfest duties, and several other styles for the non-observant.

I stayed with the High Brau, having four pints all served in plastic “glasses” (High Brau meets low brow?) and all very tasty regardless; malty, full-bodied, with a dry crisp finish.

I was there for about three hours and had a real ball, despite the lack of cask options.

But that is not the point, is it?