Oaktoberfest in the Dimond

Fasntastic beer,
friends,
so much variety of FOOD
music,
shopping,
promotional booths with FREEBIES (highlighters, photo booth, totes)…
o my gosh!
a day of FUN.
$ 8 for lonnnng sausage which you can add your own toppings/​condiments for that perfect bite.
$ 10 for a medium sized dish of seafood paella. Impressive how that is prepared/​cooked in the humongous skillets right there!
Buy tickets online to avoid the wait in lines.
Lines get long and this is a crowded event. Really wanted to try the spiral fries (amazing how they make it!), but the wait was 25 minutes. I walked by it twice and decided nooo I cant wait that long for fries– if I can be getting some beer instead! SO many breweries.
Interesting beers:
–chocolate
–basil honey
–coffee based
The bay needs more community events like this. Great THANK YOU to those who organize.

Date: 10÷3÷2015 Time: 12:00 Noon 69° Sunny
It’s my first time attending Oaktoberfest. Parking at this event sucks big time — one could be driving around in circles, trying to find an available spot. My husband got frustrated with the parking situation, dropped me off at the event and headed on home to Alameda. I should have followed another Unilocaler’s tip — get there early to find parking.
There are several local breweries at the event (Faction Brewing, Drakes, Linden Brewing, Line 51 Brewing, etc.). I don’t imbibe in either a stein of beer and/​or ales. There was a root beer float booth; that’s okay, too, because I don’t drink sodas either. Then, why would I even attend such an event?
I enjoy going to street fairs, festivals, outdoor events, etc., to see what food vendors are around, the different arts ‘n crafts, the various fundraisers by private schools, free entertainment by musicians and the freebies I can get from the banks, local businesses and local politicians (Assemblyman Rob Bonta, County Supervisor Keith Carson).
Highlights: Charlie Frank and his various small sweet potato pies (2 for $ 9.00) and his key lime pie ($ 7.00?). I haven’t seen him since the 2014 Eat Real Festival in Jack London Square. It’s always a pleasure talking to him. The drum corp and dance troupe doing some Samba Funk. Party/​partee time down Fruitvale Avenue. Getting a freebie canvas tote bag from the Keith Carson booth. Safeway was handing out free 1-​ounce bags of Kettle Brand Potato Chips (Maple bacon, salt & vinegar and sriracha).
The only unpleasant experience I had was the glaring eyes, bad and sour attitude of a vendor who thought I was going to take photos of her hand weaved baskets with my cell phone camera. I apologized for the faux pas, but she was still glaring at me. Then I realized she displayed the same attitude with other people at the event, so it wasn’t just me.
I will return to this event next year, as I did not do a complete tour of all the vendors on Fruitvale Avenue heading in the direction toward the MacArthur Freeway.
Finally, Flavor Brigade was selling beer flavored ice cream in front of the business. I passed on it, but I headed indoors (at the suggestion of the owner) to see what flavor Italian ice they had on hand.

What a horrible experience. Over two hours in lines and every line ran out of beer before I or my friends got to the front. Refused to give refunds even though they clearly oversold tickets above the amount of beer they had. Don’t go to this til they learn how to better run a festival.

Amazing! Second year and it has yet to disappoint :) tons of beer options and delicious food to choose from. Prost Oakland!

Second year attending this event and it was amazing! So many friendly breweries/​Brewers, vendors, people and an immense assortments of tasteful and hoppy beers. If you haven’t gone I would extremely recommend it. One of the best events I’ve been to in the Bay Area.

Overcrowded
Endless Lines
Endless Wait
Oversold Beer Tickets
Refused Refunds

Tons of fun. Amazing food, great entertainment and of course, tons of beer. For someone who doesn’t even drink beer, this was a great way to spend my Saturday. Highly recommend and will definitely be coming back next year.

It was my dad’s birthday weekend and because I am an *AMAZING* daughter, gf, and sister, I volunteered to be the DD.
Don’t fret because I did have about 3 rootbeer floats from the Root Biergarten. No shame in my sugar game.
As you would expect for an event like this, finding parking was a total pain. I was lucky enough to find parking in a residential area about 10 minutes from the event. Although, it did feel more like a 20 minute walk because of the heat! It was so hot that I wanted to give up my DD duties and drown my sorrows with a cold one. There’s always Über! haha
My dad, boyfriend, and brother all had a blast tasting different types of brew. However, by the time we got there (around 2 pm), some of the breweries were already running out of beer. They got to discover some new breweries and even got to speak with some of the homebrewers. Also, since homebrewers are not allowed to sell their alcohol, they were just giving away half pour samples of their stuff! I’m surprised people did not set up camp by their booths! lol
Being the DD, I only had one thing to look forward to: food. I was pretty disappointed with the food selections. The choices reminded me of fairground food booths. It was your typical funnel cakes, corndogs, tacos, brats (which we’re disappointly just okay… come on now!). There was a vendor who was selling paella and it looked amazing, but with the scorching sun I didn’t want to wait in a long line.
Overall, I had fun because there was so much going on. I liked that they had a special section for the kids. Although, I didn’t understand some of the people bringing babies and newborns to this event. I hope that they will have more options when it comes to food next year!

2014 Festival Review
I did some growing up and guess what?! Drinking beer in the morning and afternoon is A-O.K. now! Why?! Because Oaktoberfest said so! This is not your typical festival, it was more like an open-​air pub. There’s beer to the right, beer to the left, beer here, beer there, beer, beer everywhere. To get access to this beer, you had to buy a $ 5 stein mug and if you want, you can buy beer tickets @ $ 5 a pop, this will get you a full filling of your favorite beer. Otherwise, there’s plenty of vendors with free tasting, all you need is that stein to get you buzzed in the hot blazing sun.
Our Chinese radars were trying to detect German food and drinks. It was quite a challenge since most of the vendors were your typical vendors and food trucks serving non-​German food. If you looked hard enough, a few German inspired vendors popped up like a needle in a haystack! But we found those few needles!
1) Brotzeit — Munchen beer — it was a refreshing beer with hints of honey, very pale and it screamed out Munchen.
2) Brotzeit — Bratwursts — this is the best I’ve ever had. The sausage had a crunch texture with a juicy porkish flavor. Topped with hella good home made sauerkraut and a fat drizzle of hot mustard. Everything about this bratwursts was so good.
3) Mad Zymurgists — they get 10 freakin’ stars first hand for handing out free sips of samples! But OMG! I discovered my inner German blood from them… I HEART their Dopple Moulder, which, by the way, won 2^nd place in beer category of its kind (whatever that may mean, but whateve’s! it was good stuff)!
This festival is larger from prior years, its family friendly, even with all those beer guzzling folks (ie: me). I don’t know what happened to this old hood but it’s not the same as it use to be. It’s different and the people are more diverse now. But just like the previous years I’ve attended, I had fun. Last time, I didn’t get a drop of beer into my system and called myself a loser but this year, I drank until I was slightly buzzed! I win this year :)
See you again, Oaktoberfest!

This event was better then what i thought it would be! ;) I was alittle discouraged at first because of parking. But luckily I was able to find parking between the houses. Near the exit of the freeway. Mind you it was a hot day today. The lines were long as …:/​but i arrived at 2pm.
The music was nice! People were dancing w
As I was walking in which was nice to see the older individuals enjoying themselves. I walked in and noticed the long line to purchase tickets to drink wine, beer or cocktail. For $ 20 dollar’s I received a glass and 4 tickets to drink any beverage. yayy (Pretty good deal). There was nice venders and pretty good food. I didn’t eat much so I can’t talk much about that. I was happy to see Wing Wings there from San Francisco.
The drinks were pretty good. I ended up having 2 vodka shots and 2 vodka &cranberry and it hade pretty lite. Lol .
I enjoyed the ice cream and root beer floats and I received another cup ;). It was near banks so perfect location as it seemed like everyone there received cash only.
I would definitely come back next year as I realized that this is a one day event only on the first Saturday of October.
I would recommend to come early especially as to day was hot as hell and lines were long

Lots of beers, musical acts, dancing, food, and nice people. Tons of security detail and a variety of musical performances and booths. Had a great time watching hip hop moves from students. Acessible from Bart. Best Oaktober fest! Street parking. Free!!!

Just good olé’ fun! It’s pretty awesome being able to consume beer in the middle of the street. Is this an authentic Oktoberfest experience? No, but I don’t think the event organizers market it to be so don’t compare it to the real thing. This was my first time attending and I would attend again next year.
The longest line I waited in was probably 15 people deep but it moved quickly. You can also get mixed drinks if you’re not into beer.
Tips:
1. Try to get there before 1PM. By 2PM some breweries were running out and the lines were getting long.
2. Try a sample. A lot of the breweries will let you sample and I discovered some new beers.
3. Try to wash your mug (they call it a stein but its a mug) when you get it because it comes straight out of the box.
4. There’s a couple of ATMs around so don’t worry if your low on cash.
5. Don’t try walking from the Fruitvalle Bart station. It’s a lot further then you think.

I was very excited when I heard about this one passing by the San Francisco Oktoberfest experience for something a bit more homespun. All in all it was a fun time but don’t go if you want to celebrate Oktoberfest, do go if you want a decent enough beer fest. First off, while there were quite a few beers present, there were only a few German beers. The reason I gave this rating a third star is because one of the Alameda beer restaurants brought beer from Klosterbrauerei Andechs. Andechs is a monastery brewery outside of Munich and to many of us is the holy Grail of beer which you can’t buy in the US… usually. Hats off.
Now for the food — «Oh look, there is bratwurst, and there and there and there, its German food! Whatever and blah. Only one place had decent brats and knockwurst but none of the other fixings. But there was lots of pizza to go with the non German beers. Went to Leopolds in the city afterwards to address my yearnings for German food but that is another review.(amazing place)
Now for the part that bugged my ¼ German side the most and that was the music consisting of a multi piece German band stuck in the corner way down at the end of the block with 10 people listening to them. No singing, no toasts, just a tired sad band playing to the few. Felt like Oktoberfest in the geriatric ward. I left and watched the kids break dancing which is where everyone was. Lame if you want an Oktoberfest experience. Fun brew fest. Depends upon what you want.

Bites and brew go hand in hand especially when you’ve got an array of beers to sample and choose from ranging from IPAs, lagers, stouts, ales — you name it. What somewhat disappointed me about this year’s Oaktoberfest was the limited food selections. Nearly every food vendor sold the quintessential street food fare — corndogs. I probably ran into 5 different corndog /​fish and chip /​chicken tender stand. Honestly, while lines are a good indicator of «likeability,» I could not distinguish the difference between one stand and the other. I was hoping for more variety in the food selections, or at least more food trucks present at this festival.
Otherwise this event was great. It was nice to see a bunch of my fellow Oakland A’s and Raider fans out there to bask in what was a great weekend of Oakland sports. Now while the website indicates that Oaktoberfest is a family friendly event — which it really is — I was quite puzzled seeing parents push a stroller with one hand, with a beer in the other. But hey, you do you. I bet parenting is tough so I hope you enjoyed your brew or brews… plural.

I have been wanting to put on my own beer event for a few years now. To do so, I felt I had to work a beer event to get a feel for what needs to go on. After working OAKtoberfest this year, I now know the kind of event I want to put on, but I doubt it will be as cool as Mike, Dan, and Dave’s.
I feel any beer event must start with the beer. This seems simple enough, but the Lafayette Art and wine festival or the Clayton Oktoberfest do not seem to grasp this. However OAKtoberfest does. Right on the corner of Fruitvale Ave and MacArthur is where the beer takes center stage. The mainstays of most Bay Area Beer festivals are there, but the real allure is across the way. I am speaking of the row of homebrewers who are only too excited to let you taste their creations. That was the real allure of Mike, Dan and Dave’s event. The fact that I could enjoy samples of homebrew along with the well established craft beer from the area. Nothing made me happier.
Unlike those festivals that are through the tunnel to conservative land, OAKtoberfest features local vendors that fit right in with the Dimond neighborhood. The food also fit this traditional German event. Sausages galore, hearty pizzas, classic and avant garde style corn dogs and pizza, and a full bar on the street featuring couches? That was a site to see.
Families had plenty to do at this event The root beer tent, the children’s zone, and stage activities featuring live entertainment and breakdance lessons were just so much fun to watch.
So, if this was such a great event, why only 4 stars? Well, I worked the event, I saw the behind the scenes, and I when I am so involved, I can’t give it a perfect score. Seems like a conflict of interest. Still, I think there should be a beer hall, I think there should be a wider choice of beer, I think that there should be a charity auction that features copious amounts of the homebrew that was present. All of these are mere quibbles compared to the fun time I had.
So, would I bring a whole crowd with me next year to the Dimond District of Oakland for OAKtoberfest next year? You bet! Will I spend time helping MIke, Dan, and Dave put this show on? In a heartbeat. Do I think that OAKtoberfest is a great way to spend a Saturday in October? Without question.

This is a fantastic community event that brings out all of the best of Oakland. There are plenty of events for kids and families, an amazing array of craft beers, and music and dancing.
Oaktoberfest is about celebrating the diversity of Oakland and it’s German heritage. So come enjoy what makes Oakland exceptional.

Had an awesome time today at the Oaktoberfest in the Dimond. Walking around the Street Festival and sampling various brews was the right way to spend the first weekend in October. Arrived early, which turned out to be a good idea, since the lines weren’t as long as when we were leaving. Parked really close too which was a bonus.
Enjoyed the Bay Area Mashers Club and Mad Zymurgists Hefeweizen. Also liked Linden Street Brewery and Triple Rock brews too. Ate a Giant Bad A$$ Sausage, garlic fries and washed everything down with a root beer float from Dryers. Went to La Farine Boulangerie Patisserie for some goodies to take home. Lastly, met Leia and Meredith from the Raiderettes.

I was at home getting ready to Roll to the Oaktoberfest when I turned to the Discovery Channel and they had Oakland Gang Wars 2 on this features East Oakland’s Gang Wars. I laughed to myself as this reminded me to bring my Lucky Rabbits foot with me.
I jumped in the Weekend Whip cranked some Jimi Hendrix and rolled to Oak town I was able to find parking on Fruitvale Ave 2 blocks away from Oaktoberfest easily and Street Hiked to the Info Booth.
I picked up my Drink Package and went to the Beer Tent and got into line. I was then engaged in a Conversation which made the line wait pretty quick. I was able to get a Pour of Linden Street Brew one of my local favorites and it was tasty.
There were a lot of Beers to choose from like –Drakes, Linden Street, Oakland Brewing, Trumer, Gordon Biersh, and a few others.
The Crowds werent bad and everybody was pretty Mellow and Open to Conversation. It Reminded me of a giant Block Party. I had a Great Time
The Hip Hop Dance Groups and the Djs were off the Hook and the Zedeco Band was Jamming.
I Drank so much Beer I got pretty Blasted LOL.
Lots of Food Vendors my favorite was the Fried Catfish and Wings with the Garlic Fries and the Funnel Cakes YUMMMY!!!
Ill be back next year!!!

I finally got my self-​together and finally ended up at the Oaktoberfest at 3:00 pm. The original plan was to head to SF and go to the festivities on Pier 48 but the gf and I had too many things planned. So time for plan B. When we arrived it seemed that the large crowd was having a great time and the dogs were well behaved too. Those pit bulls got along with those small terriers just for this one day.
I thought the bier garten with the different beers was a great idea even though the lines were long. Nice selection from the Linden Brewery, Anchor Steam, Truman Pils, Stone Creek, Drake and others. Four beers tickets for $ 20.00 wasn’t too bad. In terms of food the booths offered a large variety but I think they could have focused more on the different kinds of sausage, kraut, pickle beets, potatoes and other German favorites. I saw this couple eating Mickey D’s next to me.
I guess I came too late for the German Ommpa music but I must admit that Zydeco group had people up their shuffling their feet and stomping. There were three different music locations. Thank goodness for the many chairs and tables set-​up to sit and relax. I heard that this venue was twice the size as the year before and they had a large activity area for children.
A fun Saturday afternoon…

Going early to Oaktoberfest 2011 definitely made a difference.
–the lines were shorter.
–it wasn’t so crowded
–still, lots of dogs, kids to avoid, and standing bikes everywhere.
positives
–more food vendors,
–more activities for children
–more beer outlets
negatives:
–no authentic german food.
–expensive «sausages» (7)