OktoBURfest on tap downtown

A little bit of Bavaria comes to Burbank this weekend when an outdoor biergarten opens Saturday on San Fernando Boulevard between Olive and Angeleno avenues downtown.

It’s the return of OktoBURfest, featuring 60 varieties of craft beer for tasting and special menus from Burbank restaurants. Early admission begins at noon, with regular admission at 2 p.m. Festivities run until 7 p.m.

“It’s a pretty casual 21-and-up way to hang out in downtown Burbank,” said Marissa Minor, an economic development analyst for the city who helped coordinate the event, which is sponsored by the Downtown Burbank Partnership.

About 30 beer-makers and local restaurants are slated to participate in the autumn celebration, bringing together L.A.-area and Southern California craft brewers, as well as one of the world’s oldest continuously operating breweries in Germany.

Several downtown restaurants, including Story Tavern and Gordon Biersch, will be offering specials Saturday for OktoBURfest attendees with event passes both during and after the event, Minor said.

Gary Calamar, KCRW disc jockey and Grammy-nominated music supervisor for the HBO series “Six Feet Under,” will be DJ’ing the event.

Up to 700 attendees are expected, Minor said, more than double the number at last year’s inaugural event.

Brian Slaught, owner of Story Tavern, said he’s expecting “absolute bedlam” as people crowd into downtown to sample brews like Ballast Point’s Dead Ringer Oktoberfest beer and drafts from Van Nuys-based newcomer MacLeod Ale Brewing Co.

“All the breweries that are participating in this event are exceptional,” Slaught said.

Regular admission is $45, and includes a souvenir beer sampling glass and a goody bag with snacks, coupons and other souvenirs. For $55, craft beer enthusiasts can get early admission passes with all the same benefits as regular admission, plus early entry to the biergarten beginning at noon.

Both regular and early admission passes come with tickets for 20 beer samples, but more will also be available.

“It is technically unlimited sampling,” she said, but the goal of giving out 20 at first is to make sure everyone gets a taste.

Early admission also comes with a chance to chat with brewers and sample rare brews from Avery Brewing Company, Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits, Sierra Nevada, St. Archer Brewery and the Bruery.

Designated drivers can purchase a $10 pass for the event that includes the souvenir glass and swag, Minor said, but no beer samples.

The rideshare company Lyft is also offering a $25 credit for first-time users with a special event code, and Visit Burbank has arranged a special offer for OktoBURfest guests whether they’re coming from near or far.

Those who book a room at a Burbank hotel for Saturday night through www.visitburbank.com can reserve two free early admission OktoBURfest passes by emailing a confirmation number and the name of their hotel to info@visitburbank.com.

Minor said OktoBURfest will show off what downtown Burbank has to offer while playing off of what she called “the resurgence of craft beer in the area.”

Slaught said plenty of parking and a family-friendly atmosphere make the downtown area perfect for the typical craft beer drinkers, who he said are young parents.

“I think people are going to really see how great Burbank is,” Slaught said.