While Oktoberfest doesn’t take over the entire City of Madison like it does in La Crosse, we do have our fair share of celebrations each September (and October). Here’s a look:
| Event | When, where | Of Note |
| Thirsty Troll Brew Fest | Sept. 9, Mt. Horeb | How long can you hold a stein? Try the Masskrugstemmen contest. |
| Dogtoberfest | Sept. 10, Capital Brewery | A fundraiser for the Dane County Humane Society, complete with a dog costume contest. |
| OktoBEERfest | Sept. 16, Breese Stevens Field | Includes reindeer ring toss and a wine tent for some reason. |
| VRBC Oktoberfest | Sept. 20, Quivey’s Grove | This event is put on by the Verona Road Business Coalition and features beer from Wisconsin Brewing Co. |
| Fall Beer Taste | Sept. 21, Downtown Sun Prairie | Enjoy beer and cider from 26 businesses, plus roaming entertainment, in Sun Prairie. |
| Essen Haus Oktoberfest | Sept. 23, Essen Haus | Includes a brat-eating contest and a bier-drinking competition. |
| Gear and Beer Fest | Sept. 24, East Side Club | Buy, sell, and trade musical instruments, recording equipment and vinyl records while drinking beer. |
| Quivey’s Grove Beer Fest | Oct. 7, Quivey’s Grove | Includes live music and more than 100 beers to sample. |
The 
Entrees run from $16-$30. I would not hesitate to order again the short rib stroganoff ($20). The fresh tagliatelle pasta is perfectly al dente, and the short rib is full of flavor. I also enjoyed the roasted shiitake mushrooms scattered throughout the dish.
I don’t recall ever hearing so many people rave about a buffet, but the word on the street is that 
Some items not generally found elsewhere include full fish fillets (tender and flaky), kimchi (not too spicy or sour), chicken balls (tasted just like a pork meatball) and stuffed crab shells (unfortunately, stuffed with imitation crab). There’s also a carving station and stir fry station. I appreciated that there was an employee on a radio regularly updating the kitchen on what needed to be refilled.
