Pop-Up Oktoberfest Celebration At The Blind Tiger Brewery
The Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant is bringing a taste of Bavaria to Topeka with a 10-day Oktoberfest celebration, running Friday, Sept. 25 through Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, at 37th Street and Kansas Avenue.
The celebration will feature German-style beers brewed on-site, traditional German food specials, festive decorations, German music and servers dressed in traditional dirndls and lederhosen.
The festivities officially begin at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, with the tapping of the first keg of Blind Tiger Oktoberfest Beer and the traditional Bavarian cry, “O’zapft Is!” — meaning “It is tapped!”
10 German-Style Beers on Tap
Throughout Oktoberfest, guests can choose from 10 German beer styles brewed at the award-winning Blind Tiger Brewery:
Oktoberfest — A Capital City favorite
Maibock — Four-time award winner
Munich Dunkles — Gold Award winner at the World Beer Cup
Capital City Kölsch — A lighter style originating in Köln (Cologne), Germany
Blind Tiger Bock — Traditional German-style bock and four-time award winner
Where The Helles Butte — A lighter German style brewed with Montana ingredients
KMC Hefeweizen — Unfiltered for rich flavor
When In Bamberg — Bamberg-style Rauchbier with smoked character
Smokey Follow Beauty — A traditional Rauchbier-style beer
Helles — The lightest of the featured German beer styles
For the celebration, beers will be available in multiple sizes of traditional German glassware, including the one-liter Masskrug stein traditionally associated with Munich’s Oktoberfest.
Traditional German Food Specials
The Blind Tiger kitchen will also offer a special menu inspired by traditional German favorites, including:
Oversized German Soft Pretzels served with Brewmaster’s German Mustard or beer cheese dip
Traditional Schweine Schnitzel featuring a hand-breaded boneless pork chop served with spaetzle, onion brown gravy and a side dish
German Bratwurst boiled in Blind Tiger Oktoberfest Beer, grilled and served over sauerkraut with a side dish
German Potato Salad served hot from a German family recipe
Black Forest Cake with layers of whipped cream and cherries topped with chocolate shavings
A Bavarian Celebration in Topeka
For 10 days, the entire Blind Tiger Brewery will become a biergarten, complete with Bavarian-inspired decorations, German music, traditional attire and plenty of opportunities to experience the food and beer associated with Oktoberfest.
The celebration begins with the ceremonial keg tapping at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25 and continues through Sunday, Oct. 4.
Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant
37th Street and Kansas Avenue
Topeka, Kansas
Oktoberfest: Why Does It Start in September?
Although its name suggests otherwise, much of the traditional Oktoberfest celebration takes place in September.
The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese. The celebration included food, beer, music, parades and horse racing and became an annual tradition.
Over time, the festival was moved earlier to take advantage of September’s longer days and warmer weather. Today, Munich’s Oktoberfest traditionally begins in September and concludes in early October.
In 2026, Munich’s Oktoberfest runs Sept. 19 through Oct. 4, overlapping with Blind Tiger’s Topeka celebration.
About Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant
Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant is a locally owned brewpub combining a craft brewery and family restaurant under one roof. Located at 37th Street and Kansas Avenue, Blind Tiger has been brewing and serving craft beer in Topeka since May 1995.
The brewery produces approximately 1,000 barrels of beer each year and offers at least 20 craft beers on tap daily, ranging from light to dark, mild to strong and malty to hoppy.
Blind Tiger beers have earned 33 national and international awards over the years.
About Brewmaster John Dean
Topeka native John Dean has served as Blind Tiger’s brewmaster since 1999. During his tenure, Blind Tiger beers have earned numerous national and international honors, including recognition at the World Beer Cup.
“John Dean is a treasure, brewing is an art, and we have Rembrandt!” said Jay Ives, majority owner of Blind Tiger Brewery.
Ives added, “The competition is incredibly stiff at the World Beer Cup with amazingly great beers from more than two thousand breweries from all over the world. It is a real tribute to John Dean and Alvaro Canizales, Head Brewer, that the Blind Tiger Brewery has been chosen for all these prestigious awards.”
