Beer & Food: Prost! A Plethora Of Fall Beer Events On Tap In Austin

Bats & Beers Cruise
Sunday, Sept. 25, 7pm - 10pm
We never turn down an opportunity to sing "I'm on a boat!" while actually on a boat, which is why we love this monthly sunset suds cruise on Town Lake sponsored by You Stay Hoppy Austin and Capital Cruises. The September edition will feature a new, as-yet-unreleased beer from Austin Beerworks along with sausage pairings from Frank. Bonus: the sunset cruise is one of the best spots for viewing the Congress Bridge bat colony. Tickets are $21.50, available here.

Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg
Sept. 30 - Oct. 2
Texas has one of the largest populations of German Americans in the U.S., and few places take their German heritage more seriously than Fredericksburg, TX. Fredericksburg's annual Oktoberfest celebration routinely sells out every hotel room in town, and for good reason -- it's three days of the best German beers and food around, plus local craft brews, special activities for der kinder, a group chicken dance, and lots of live oompa music, including -- wait for it -- OkTubaFest. Tickets are only $6 per day or $15 for a three-day pass.

Flying Saucer's Fourth Annual Fall Beer Festival
Saturday, Oct. 1, 2pm - 9:30pm
The Flying Saucer in Triangle Park is setting up five beer tents where festival-goers can choose from 40 different craft brews that fall under the categories of East Coast, West Coast, Texas, Captain's Picks and Out of This World. Tickets are $25 in advance online or $30 at the door, and include 10 tastings as well as a commemorative glass. They'll be tapping rare and limited release beers throughout the day, and brats, kraut and Bavarian pretzels will be available for purchase, along with a selection of full-pour beers.

New Belgium's Tour de Fat
Saturday, Oct. 22, 10am
When the New Belgium Brewery (maker of Fat Tire beer) brings its "Tour de Fat" to Austin, it is consistently one of the best days of the year. After all, it incorporates three of life's greatest joys -- beers, biking and outrageous costumes. The day begins with a five-mile group bike ride around town wherein all the riders wear the most outlandish get-ups they can still manage to pedal in. The ride ends back at Fiesta Gardens where everyone enjoys New Belgium brews and food truck noms galore, as well as old-school vaudevillian entertainment. Proceeds from beer and souvenir sales at this free event benefit local cycling organizations.

Buda Beer & Polka Fest
Saturday, Oct. 22, 11am to 10pm
Buda's version of Oktoberfest features all the great Deutsch-y stuff you'd expect -- lots of German beer and food, Bavarian dancers and authentic polka bands. They'll also hold several unique competitions throughout the day, including a stein-holding competition, sexiest Fraulein costume contest and a sausage eating contest. Admission is $10.

Austin Beer Week
Oct. 22 - 30
Tired of beer yet? No? Us either. Happily, Austin Beer Week is keeping Austin beered through the end of October with a week-long series of events that's kind of like the SXSW of beer. Details are scarce as of yet, but we're already clearing our calendar because we know we won't want to miss it.