This year marks the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest, and Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas’s celebration will run from September 18 through October 31. Highlighting the festivities is the unveiling of the Oktoberfestbier, the very same brew created for the Oktoberfest in Munich. Celebrity guest keg tappings take place every Friday at 7:00 p.m. with Sigfried and Roy presiding at the opening ceremonies on September 18. Bands from Germany are imported, providing nightly sing-a- longs. Hofbräuhaus Las Vegas is located at 4510 Paradise Rd. across from the Hard Rock Casino.

  Other Oktoberfest celebrations in Vegas include Big Dog’s Brewing Company’s Dogtober Beer Brat Fest & Brat Party on October 2, from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. On tap will be a line- up of more than 25 brews, including Big Dog’s Oktoberfest beer, some limited availability bottled beers, German beers, Oktoberfest beers and featured styles from breweries in the Southwest region. German-fare (knackwurst, bratwurst frankfurters, Bavarian-style kraut, and Bavarian-style pretzels) and music from three bands will help keep the party hopping. Admission is free, but a special edition Dogtoberfest mug for $2 will be required for tastings, with tastings starting at one token (or $1), depending on sample size and style. A starter package will be available with 30 tokens and a mug for $30. Dogtoberfest will take place outside at the Big Dog’s Draft House location at 4543 N. Rancho Rd., just north of Craig Rd. Steiner’s Pub can always be counted on to commemorate this beer holiday. Its location at Buffalo and Vegas Dr. will host a bash on October 9 from 3:00 to 11:00 p.m., with a live band, and food, beer and gaming specials.

  With near perfect weather, fall is an ideal time to visit Las Vegas, and a visit to Vegas would be incomplete for any true beer lover without a stop at Freakin’ Frog. Owner Adam Carmer recently informed me that his beer list has now surpassed a grand, with 1,007 beer choices, the largest of any establishment west of the Mississippi! With such a huge inventory, your best bet is to ask one of the Frog’s beer tenders to give you a tour of the cooler, which should be listed as one of the city’s treasures. If that’s not reason enough to check out the Frog, in November it’ll be the only establishment in Nevada serving Arteveld Grand Cru from the Huyghe Brewery in Ghent (makers of Delirium Tremens) as well as Dogfish Head World Wide Stout. New deals include all-you-can eat pasta for $5, and if you order any food item you can obtain a bottle of beer for $2, with multiple choices to select from. Freakin’ Frog is located just a few miles from the Strip, at 4700 S. Maryland Pkwy., across the street from UNLV.

  Ever wanted to go to camp…in Las Vegas…to drink beer? Our illustrious editorTom Dalldorf is leading a pilgrimage to pay homage to some of Vegas’s hoppiest shrines. At press time, on the schedule are tours and parties at Triple 7 Brewery, Big Dog’s Brewing, Freakin’ Frog and Aces & Ales. The dates for camp are October 15-16 and the theme of the gathering is, “What happens in Las Vegas…uh…never happened!” For details, go to <www.celebrator.com/beercamplasvegas>. Also going to beer camp is Dave Forrest, from Henderson, Nevada, who was one of only 20 chosen to attend the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp, and the only winner from Nevada. Dave will spend two days living his dream, brewing on the Sierra Nevada grounds. This year is the first time the beer camp has been open to the general public. Winners were selected based on the creativity of their submission, explaining why they should be one of the lucky ones to attend. All of the highly entertaining winning entries can be viewed at <www.sierrabeercamp.com>.

  Tenaya Creek’s new bottling line is expected to be operational by October 1. Initially, two beers will be rolled out in 22 oz. bottles, the Hop Ride India Pale Aleand the Calico Brown (formerly Nut Brown Ale). Both are adorned with colorful labels depicting local natural landscapes and wildlife of Southern Nevada, with a mountain bike and rattler at Bootleg Canyon for the Hop Ride and a hawk and the red sandstone of Calico Basin on the Calico Brown label. Look for them at major liquor store outlets in Southern Nevada and at the Tenaya Creek brewery.

  Northern Nevada has a new brewing company, Knee Deep Brewing. Its first brew, Hopstar IPA, was recently launched with a kickoff celebration at the 775 Gastropub in Reno. This brew was recently the runner up for the People’s Choice award at the Bistro IPA Fest in Hayward, Calif., and is now available at several pubs in the Reno area, including Chapel Tavern, Ole Bridge Pub and Shenanigan’s. Owner Jeremy Warren reports that he is currently contract brewing his beer, with plans to build his own brewery in the Reno area. He will soon be bringing out a Tahitian Vanilla Bean Porter and a Red Ale. Southern Nevada brewers are hard at work making sure we can enjoy the beautiful fall weather with a beer in hand.

  Todd Cook at Boulder Dam Brewing has Blackjack Stout, an Irish stout conditioned with bourbon barrel oak, and his Oktoberfest Marzen, modeled after the Oktoberfest beers of Munich. On October 30, the 3rd Annual Bolder Damn Halloween Bash will feature live music, costume contests, raffles, prizes and drink specials. By the way, the name of this event is not misspelled, but reflects the type of party you can expect.

  Anthony Gibson and Tim Etter at Tenaya Creek will tap their Monsoon Double IPA, which is dry hopped with Tim’s homegrown hops cultivated in his backyard. In October, Jon Christiansen at Joseph James Brewing will release the 9.2%Oaked Red Fox, a version of the brewery’s regular Russian Imperial Stout that’s been aging in bourbon barrels for six months. Joseph James will be competing in the GABF Pro-Am competition. A BJCP regulated event held at the brewery choseWeston Barkley’s California Common as the best-ofshow winner; Weston will help brew his beer on the Joseph James 20-barrel system, and will receive the honor of picking the name of the beer, which will be available in 22-oz. bottles. As always, great beer happens in Vegas!