With the actual Oktoberfest back up and running in Germany, it only made sense for just about everyone else to start doing their own versions of the annual beer-filled event all around the world. In New Mexico, this weekend alone will see five different Oktoberfests in five separate towns, so we figured it behooved us to do a more expansive preview than just the quick event listings in The Week Ahead in Beer.

Take note, the order in which we list the events is not any sort of ranking. All of these should be great festivals, and since they are so scattered about, we imagine most people will make their choice based on geographic proximity. Since we know most of our readers are in the Albuquerque metro area, we are listing the five celebrations from the closest to town to the furthest away.

All of these celebrations take place Saturday, except for Los Alamos, which starts tonight (Friday) and continues Saturday.

Rio Rancho Oktoberfest

Brew Lab 101 and the Rio Rancho Chamber of Commerce organized the return of this event in Burque’s biggest ‘burb, so naturally it will be held outside the brewery under a tent in the parking lot at Country Club Plaza, 3301 Southern Blvd. NE.

Tickets are $5 at the tent for general admission (kids get in for free), and the event runs from 2 to 9 p.m. There will be food trucks serving up German-inspired dishes, plus local vendors, games for kids, a photo booth, and more.

Music will be provided by the Black Smoke Blues Band (2-3:30 p.m.), Road Runner Brass (4-6 p.m.), January Storm (7-9 p.m.), and DJ Batboy will handle the after-party inside Brew Lab 101 after 9.

Brew Lab 101 called upon neighboring Turtle Mountain and Albuquerque’s Canteen and Tractor to also provide the beers for the event. Here are the lists that we received:

• Brew Lab 101: Labtoberfest, Sexi NuMexi Mexican Lager, Wicked Pissah Hazy IPA, Peachy Keen Cider
• Canteen: Oktoberfest, Exodus IPA, North 14 Pale Ale, Cabana Mexican Lager
• Tractor: TBA
• Turtle Mountain: Oktürtlefest, Hopshell IPA, Zeus Effect Session IPA, Por Mi Vida (Key Lime Mexican Lager)

Additional beers, ciders, and cocktails will be available inside Brew Lab 101.

“Should be a fun event; we are expecting a few thousand people,” wrote Brew Lab 101 owner/brewmaster Scott Salvas.

In other words, get there early, and utilize a ride service, designated driver, or carpool.

Sierra Blanca Oktoberfest

The Moriarty brewery brings back its annual celebration in its half-acre beer garden from 2 to 7 p.m.

Tickets are $15 at the door for anyone 11 and up, while 10 and under are free. Adults get a traditional German bratwurst dinner, while children can opt for a hot dog and chips.

There will be live music from ‘Merican Slang, plenty of pints of Sierra Blanca’s Oktoberfest lager (as well as their other beers), and even a juggling act for the kids at 4:30 p.m.

Los Alamos Oktoberfest

Boese Brothers Brewing has helped organize this celebration, which will be held at Ashley Pond, 145 Central Park Square.

Tonight will feature a concert starting at 5 p.m. featuring Garry Blackchild & The Ghost Train, followed by Igor and the Red Elvises. It will run until 10 p.m., and tickets are $10.

The main event will run from 2 to 10 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets for adults are $25.

Food will include jumbo pretzels and freshly grilled bratwursts. Music will be provided by Swing Time Polka, DK & the Affordable, and Katy P & the Business.

In addition to cocktails from the Long Pour, there will be beers from five local and regional breweries.

• Bathtub Row: okTUBerfest, Caldera Kolsch, Ctrl-Alt-Repeat (Dusseldorf Altbier), Hoppenheimer IPA
• Boese Brothers: Oktoberfest, Mexican Lager, Hazy IPA
• Santa Fe Brewing: Oktoberfest, 7K IPA, Santa Fhazy IPA, Social Hour, NMX Standard, All Ripe Cider (Cherry and Strawberry), Cholla Fizz Seltzer (four flavors)
• Sidetrack: Oktoberfest, Basecamp IPA, Irish Red, A Tribe Called Kolsch
• Tractor: TBA

Tickets will be available at the door and online.

Ruidoso Oktoberfest

Downshift Brewing will host this event in Midtown Ruidoso, 2408 Sudderth Dr., from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for adult general admission, $10 for military and first responders, and free for children. There are also special VIP tickets for $100. You can purchase any of those online here or at the door.

There will be plenty of food, plus costume contests, a Chicken Dance contest, and a stein-holding contest. The extensive live music lineup will include plenty of polka, plus The Hamiltons Show, Fungi Mungle, Feline Fox, Spivey, Doso Dirtbags, and the Ultimate Open Mic Jam.

Downshift will have the beer flowing, including its new Oktoberfest and Helles lagers.

Carlsbad SeptemBEER Fest

Milton’s Brewing will host this event at the brewery from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

A gold ticket costs $20 and gets you one beer of your choice and a limited edition pint glass to take home. A platinum ticket costs $60 and gets you two beers of your choice and a limited edition gold stein to take home. You can also add a commemorative T-shirt to either ticket for an extra $25.

Music will be provided by Matthew Palmer Band, Beer Cousins, Chris Baker, CW & The Longhairs, and That Captain.

Got any questions? Contact us or the breweries directly via their social media pages.

Prost!

— Stoutmeister