I spent Labor Day laboring on the trail. I’m kidding of course. A bad day on the trail still beats a good day at work. Nothing at Hiking Upward was grabbing my fancy, so I created my own hike. I started at the Beahm’s Gap overlook just north of the …

The Labor Day holiday marks the traditional end of Summer. And the cool, wet weather we’re having certainly emphasizes that. One thing I do like about this time of year is the appearances of the Oktoberfest beers. Oktoberfest doesn’t start until September 17 and Fall doesn’t officially start until September 22, but we’re kicking both off a little early.

I make an effort to try as many different Oktoberfest beers as I can each year. A dinner out at BJ’s Restaurant was the start of the 2017 Oktoberfest season for me.

BJ’s Oktoberfest pours a bright, transparent reddish-orange. The advertising glamor shot to the contrary, there was but a thin ring of head at the top of the glass. The beer itself is extremely low in carbonation with a flat mouthfeel. The flavor was a rich maltiness with very little bitterness.

I’d rank BJ’s Oktoberfest as average. Not bad, but not exceptional. Surely, it will be just the first of many Märzen style beers I enjoy in the next couple months.

It was disappointing to see those words jump out at me from my inbox. I was looking forward to the road trip with a friend tomorrow to shoot the September IDPA match at Sanner’s Lake in Maryland. But alas, inclement weather has brought those plans to a…