.Music: Fest first

It’s about to get sour, bitter and loud

By Charlie Swanson

Sour and hoppy beers are sharing the stage with a lineup of funky jazz bands at the first-ever Fünkendänk Oktoberfest, happening next month at SOMO Village Event Center in Rohnert Park.

Gordon Biersch co-founder and HopMonk owner Dean Biersch and RateBeer.com founder Joseph Tucker conceived of the idea, a twist on the traditional German harvest celebration, as a way to spotlight what are today the two most innovative craft beers in the United States.

“We think they’re great companions, not only because they’re the two most popular styles of beer right now, but they’re also balanced flavors,” says Tucker of the sour and hoppy selections. As he explains, sour beers cleanse the palate after hoppy brews coat the tongue, and hoppy beers smooth out the prickly flavors of the sours.

Contrasting the German practice of precise beermaking, Biersch adds that the event is taking a page from Belgian brewers, where wild yeast produces more random flavors in the beer. “You don’t expect to taste exactly the same beer every time around,” Biersch says. “I think that’s appealing to the small-batch beer culture happening right now; rather than looking for the same flavor every day, [people are] looking for the nuance.”

Fünkendänk Oktoberfest not only highlights these flavors from brewing companies like HenHouse, Lagunitas, Marin Brewing, Russian River and many others—it also boasts a lineup of nationally touring bands to add to the party atmosphere.

Headlining Fünkendänk is New Orleans institution Galactic, a funky favorite of the Crescent City. Also from New Orleans, Big Sam’s Funky Nation mixes everything from hip-hop to rock ’n’ roll into their jazzy grooves. Brooklyn afrobeat soul band Pimps of Joytime make their way to the North Bay for the show, and local trad and gypsy-jazz groups the Dixie Giants and Royal Jelly Jive will also do their thing.

“These are jammy bands, great technical bands and super fun,” Biersch says. “The focus is to get the party started and make this an annual event.”

Fünkendänk Oktoberfest; Saturday, Oct. 22, SOMO Village Event Center, 1100 Valley House Drive, Rohnert Park; 2pm; $40 and up; 21 and over; somoconcerts.com.

Pacific Sun
The Pacific Sun publishes every Wednesday, delivering 21,000 copies to 520 locations throughout Marin County.

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