Newsletter | Harvey's Huntersville

October is when the ads start. The beer shows up in August. If you're waiting on tents, costumes, and a pretzel in the parking lot, you're late. Fest beer is a late-summer beer. Breweries ship it when nights start cooling off, not when Instagram decides it's lederhosen season. What you want is malt. Toasty, a little sweet, clean finish. Not pumpkin spice. Not a candle in a can. If the label is screaming OKTOBERFEST and it tastes like a novelty, put it back. Starbucks rolling pumpkin lattes out early isn't helping anybody either. The real style is Märzen. Brewed a little richer so it can sit, then you drink it when the weather actually cooperates. American versions start hitting coolers in August because that's when they taste right. Great Lakes already has theirs out this month — 6.5%, Munich malt, no costume required. If your shop has a solid local Märzen, grab that. Ask what's new. Don't try to memorize a list that'll be wrong by Thursday. Two dates if you're around Lake Norman: Town Brewing's Blocktoberfest — Sept 12 Primal's Huntersville Oktoberfest — Sept 19 That's neighbor stuff. Go if you want to. This weekend, quick: Friday 7 p.m. ET — last Panthers preseason home game vs Houston. Games on at Harvey's in Huntersville (harveyslkn.com), Barley Market Cornelius (shopbarley.com/home), and Barley Market Hickory (shopbarley.com/barley-hickory). Saturday — UNC vs TCU from Dublin at noon on ESPN, NC State at Virginia at 3:30. App State and Charlotte don't kick off until Sept 5. Huntersville Growers' Market last Saturday of the year is Aug 29, 8 a.m.–noon at Veterans Park. After that, weeknights get better again. If you want the textbook version in the fridge, get Great Lakes Oktoberfest: greatlakesbrewing.com/beer-finder If you want the glass that beer was built for, get a 0.5 liter Willi Becher. Not a novelty stein. https://www.amazon.com/Paulaner-Willi-Becher-Willi-Pilsener-Lager/dp/B07KX4C851?tag=barstoolsboar-20 (Affiliate links. We may earn a cut if you buy through them.) Reply and tell me the first fall beer you actually liked this year. Or forward this to the person still waiting until October.