On a typical week, we look to feature a dish and drink separately – a dish that looks to squelch those pangs of hunger and a drink that showcases the many places around the lake to whet your whistle. But this week we are changing up a bit and combining forces to give you great options to help you kick off October festivities.

Whether you’re German by descent, or really any kind of heritage, I’d be willing to bet that when I mention the word Oktoberfest, you most likely have a good idea of what’s entailed. The annual festival in Germany is essentially a two-week party so whenever you see iterations of it across the world, you’re probably in for a good time. And generally speaking, those good times involve food and beer – just like this week’s features.

So, if Oktoberfests are your jam, we’re giving you a daily double and featuring both a food and a drink item, all in one place.

---

---

Let’s start with the food.

Pork Schnitzel and Mash: Starting with a thin-pounded piece of pork loin, it is seasoned with salt and pepper before getting an egg wash and dipped into a panko breadcrumb mixture. It is fried to perfection and placed upon a bed of roasted garlic red potato mash. Once placed, it gets drenched in a house-made Jager Sauce, topped with sauerkraut, and served with a side of garlic-sautéed green beans and a lemon wedge.

---

---

The Jager Sauce is fairly traditional, consisting of mushrooms, bacon, red wine, cream, and beef stock. But, traditional doesn’t mean boring. In the case of this dish, it’s the co-star of the show. SLBC might want to think about putting this sauce on tap, because I’d take a growler to go.

The other co-star is the pork. The panko exterior is the epitome of crispiness. It has that superior crust and texture but never letting the Jager Sauce break it down to where it gets soggy, all while keeping the pork inside tremendously juicy,

The sauerkraut and lemon squeeze add a touch of brightness and the garlic mash is a perfect partner if you have any of that Jager Sauce leftover. The green beans are a perfect crisp tender and just the right amount of seasoning to keep it light where you don’t feel overindulgent.

To pair this dish with a beer, there are several options, but this one takes the cake.

Märzen German Amber Lager: You don’t have to twist my arm to drink an amber beer, or in this case, “bier.” It’s probably my favorite type of beer to drink so once I got that crisp malty aroma; my senses were on full alert.

If you’ve had a German beer before, there’s a distinct taste that let’s you know. I’m not sure if it’s German malts (Weyermann Munich malts are used here) and I’m not exactly sure how to describe it, but when you taste it, you know. As your neighborhood brewer and I bet they can answer that question with ease. Nevertheless, that taste nugget drops in on the front end of the sip right on the heels of the malty notes, and then it dissolves into super clean finish.

With notes of toasted bread and richness, you might think that it drinks heavy, but it doesn’t. It’s light and airy and compliments the flavors of the food exquisitely without ever feeling too heavy. At 6.2% ABV it hits right in the sweet spot for an amber.

Much like the German celebration, the food menu is only available for two weeks, so you might want to enjoy it while it lasts at the Libation Lodge. Or, if you’re more looking for a celebration-style atmosphere,

Saturday, September 30, starting at noon the festivities (think steins, lederhosen, yodeling, and chugging) begin at the main brewery. Prost!

South Lake Brewing Company has two locations in South Lake Tahoe: The food-serving Libation Lodge at 4000 Lake Tahoe Blvd. #26 in the Village Center and the Brewery at 1920 Lake Tahoe Blvd. For beer, food and brewery information visit them online at southlakebeer.com or reach the Brewery at 530-578-0087.