Tapping the keg: North Haven Twelve Percent Beer Project carries out second annual Oktoberfest

Twelve Percent Beer Project in North Haven is holding its second annual Oktoberfest, having started Sept. 30 and ending Oct. 2 at 5 p.m.

Opening its doors in January 2020, Twelve Percent had a slow start due to the pandemic. They were unable to hold their first Oktoberfest until 2021.

“Last year, as things settled down (with COVID-19), we had our first Oktoberfest,” said Alex Blank, owner of Twelve Percent Beer Project.. “It was awesome. It was our biggest party of the year, like 1500 people came.”

Twelve Percent Beer Project is a collective of breweries, including local ones like Abomination, Fat Orange Cat and Skygazer brewing companies. 

“We’re a collective of about a dozen breweries, many of them local,” Blank said. “We make beer for those guys pretty much exclusively and we distribute their beer. But we have a taste room, so we sell it also out of the taste room.”

Andrew Horn from the “Harugari Schuhplattler Verein” (HSV) Bavaria dance group returned to Twelve Percent Beer Project’s Oktoberfest to act as Emcee, or organizer and host, of the event for the second year. He was also named the Mayor of Oktoberfest during the first day of events.

As the Mayor of Oktoberfest, Horn had the honor of “tapping the keg,” marking the start of the Oktoberfest festivities. Originally, Oktoberfest began as a celebration of the 1810 marriage between Prince Ludwig and Princess Teresa in Munich, Germany.

“They had their wedding and, as a result, they continued the celebration for several weeks. So, people from all over the world came to celebrate their marriage,” Horn said. “It’s a yearly tradition that is actually going on in Germany right now, and this is the last weekend of the Oktoberfest.”

The HSV Bavaria dance group formed in West Haven after World War II and has performed traditional German dancing across the world.

Food vendors include the Hop Häus Food Truck and the Meriden Turner Society. Both provide German cuisine, including bratwurst with sauerkraut, pretzels with beer cheese dip, ribbon fries and more. 

Multiple craft vendors also made appearances. She’s Crafty, Coast-art, Gypsy Bead and more set up tables during the event to showcase and sell their goods. 

Oktoberfest at Twelve Percent Beer Project will resume in North Haven Sunday, Oct. 2 at 12 p.m. until 5 p.m.