Fall Line Oktoberfest

Review Date 10/17/2025 By John Staradumsky

Helen Oktoberfest 2025! It’s here at last! It was the 15^th of October (two days ago as I type this review) and we arrived in my brand-new Chevy Blazer EV around noon. I had charged to 91% before we left, and we made it there with 71% still left after the 53-mile drive. There are chargers in Helen, though we would not need one to get us back home.

Anyway, you are here to read about beer, so let’s talk about beer! We had lunch at Old Heidelberg, a perennial stop so I can get my fix of Weltenberger Asam Bock. I can only ever find it there, and on tap to boot. You can see a photo of it below next to my pin-studded hat and all that delicious German food.

Next up we hit the Chatt Street Tap Room. They had had Hofbrau Delicator Doppelbock on tap (I had been stalking their draft list on Untappd for a week), but the keg kicked several days before I got there. More’s the pity because this happened to me in line to order the beer at the Festhalle many years before. The guy in front of me ordered one and the keg started sputtering as they poured his half glass. The good news was that I did find a few bottles of Hofbrau Winter Spezial at Alpine Bottle Shop an hour later.

I consoled myself with a Dogfish Punkin’ Ale, and as I did I noticed a flight of beers sitting on the bar that had been there for some time. The heads on them seemed to be holding up pretty well, too well in fact. Upon inspection, they were determined to be-plastic beers! What will they think of next?

We made our way to Alpine Bottle Shop, then back to the motel to check in, and before we hit Betty’s Country Store we stopped by the Two Tire Tavern where I enjoyed a pint of Fall Line Oktoberfest. This is, of course, the subject of this review, despite the meandering I have done to get here. Fall Line Oktoberfest was the reason I came here, although I joked with my sons that we had walked so much I was Too Tired to go any further.

Anyway, I had seen an ad on Facebook for Two Tire Tavern stating they were the only place in Helen to have Fall Line Oktoberfest on tap, and since I had never tried this local Märzen, I was determined to get a pint. Georgia is fortunate to have many excellent locally brewed Oktoberfests, and this is one of them.

Fall Line says:

Made with authentic German hops and lager yeast that gives this beer that old world taste of Munich, Germany during Oktoberfest. Pair it with a bavarian brat or soft pretzel and before you know it you’ll be wearing a pair of lederhosen and listening to Polka music.

No mention of authentic German malts, the heart and soul of a good Märzen, but the beer sure tasted like it was brewed with them. The can label says "Beer that tates like Polka." Gotta love that. I love polka. And of course, beer.

Fall Line Oktoberfest has an alcohol content of 5.6% by volume and I paid $8.29 for a pint at the Two Tire Tavern. It runs $12.99 a six-pack at Total Wine here in Georgia.

My pint of Fall Line Oktoberfest was served a brilliant orange amber color with a moderate head of foam and a nose of toasted nuts and a hint of caramel. Taking a sip, the beer bursts with those toasty nutty notes, and I reveled in its Munich malty oomph. It finishes balanced with a gentle kiss of grassy, slightly bitter hops.

Seeking this one out was a wise decision on my part, and it is a beer I will surely drink again. It was not the last beer in this year’s Helen adventure, as my son John wanted barbecue so we hit The Pink Pig where I enjoyed a draft Paulaner Oktoberfest. Then it was off to the Festhalle, for a giant pretzel, German music, and more beer: A Hofbrau Oktoberfest, Hofbrau Dunkel, and finally a Pilsner Urquell. The latter is not German, but it is European and was truly magnificent.

 Glad I tried it?  T