As I flip my calendar over to September and that evening nip in the air reminds me summer is over (although the days are still quite lovely), I find myself contemplating the coming season’s beer happenings. Having been out of town for much of the spring and summer, I am looking forward to being anchored in town for the fall, despite the shorter days and cooler weather. However, there seems to be much happening to keep me in beer and busy over the coming weeks.

It seems two Alberta breweries are going German this fall with their latest seasonals, and a couple of interesting beer events are on offer as well.

September 8: Alley Kat is releasing both its latest big bottle release, Red Dragon Double IPA, and its fall seasonal, which is the return of Ein Prosit! Oktoberfest. I remember having Ein Prosit! a number of years ago and absolutely loving it. At the time it was the only Oktoberfest style available in town and I appreciated its bready malt. Very curious to see how it turns out this year. Plus any time of year is the right time for a Double IPA.

September 8: The same day down the Queen E. highway, Wild Rose is releasing their latest seasonal – a Marzen (for all intents and purposes an Oktoberfest by its spring name…). It will be a limited release, so I suspect you will have to be in Calgary to sample any of it. I wonder why they are calling it a Marzen instead of an Oktoberfest? I know some argue there are differences between the two, but for my money they are so similar as to be twins.

September 24: SHA-BAM returns! This (now) annual fundraiser for the Kidney Foundation, which is a blend of craft beer tasting and local artists, returns to the Mayfield Conference Centre. It is one-night only this year to concentrate the beer-y goodness. I am also told they are expanding it slightly to include other craft brewers from the prairies and Yukon (sounds a lot like the subject of onbeer.org…), so expect to see Yukon Brewing and hopefully Half Pints there in addition to our Alberta friends. Serving is from 5-10 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance/$25 at the door. Get them on line at the Kidney Foundation website (see above link). And remember, kids, this is for charity so round up a few friends and buy lots of tickets!

October 16: The latest Urban Diner Beer Dinner takes place, with an added twist this time. The featured beer will be Sherbrooke Liquor Store specialties, including Heatseeker and Bad Hare Day. The menu is still being planned, but they promise to incorporate the beer into the dishes, as usual. The added feature is that the evening will start with Sherbooke’s two efforts at spirits. Samples of their 13-year-old rum and their Jack Daniels cask whiskey will be served as a welcome. Tickets are $69 and available at Urban Diner on 109 Street.