Oktoberfest Hop Crawler pours into Fraser Valley

Sean McAlindin/Sky-Hi News
It’s time to get the lederhosen out of the closet again.
Germany’s beloved tradition of Oktoberfest is returning to Grand County with celebratory pours for those willing to make the crawl between five breweries in the area.
The sixth annual Oktober Fest Hop Crawler will run from Friday, Sept. 19 to Sunday Sept. 21. Participants can walk, take their bikes or grab a ride on the Lift bus to travel to different breweries in Fraser and Winter Park.
Tickets are $32.50, which include a free 10-ounce pour at each of the breweries during the event, an official Hop Crawler Medal and a 16-ounce souvenir pint glass.
Participants have all weekend to get their free pours, but Saturday will be highlight of the event, with the breweries hosting contests. This year’s breweries include: Camber Brewing Company, Fraser River Beer CO and Hideaway Park Brewery in Fraser, and Vicious Cycle Brewing Company and Big Trout Brewing Company in Winter Park.
“We call it the Hop Crawler, but six years in we’ve learned by stop three it’s more of a stagger, which is why we encourage celebrating the whole weekend,” Camber Brewing Company owner Nick Crabb told Sky-Hi News. “Take the bus and split it up into a two or three-day event and everyone has more fun. If you haven’t done it before, it’s an amazing time, filled with the valley’s finest German style beer, questionable lederhosen choices, and the best people in the world.”
Each business will have German style beers on tap, in addition to their other beers on tap. Participants may pick up their Hop Crawler official medal, as well as the pint glass at the Winter Park & Fraser Chamber at 78841 U.S. Highway 40, Winter Park. Tickets can be purchased at through Eventbrite.
Big Trout: Stein relay 12:30 p.m.
Hideaway: Keg Rodeo at 1:40 p.m.
Vicious Cycle: Stein holding contest at 2:50 p.m.
Fraser River Beer: Pretzel Eating Contest at 4 p.m.
Camber: Boot Chug at 5:10 p.m.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism
The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.
Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.
If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.