Bucks/Lehigh Valley Beer and Wine Trail

Oh no, are we getting to the end of another Meetup summer? Looks that way, but we'll keep the summer vibes going with this event at Lost Tavern Brewing's Allentown Tap Room at Pickleball Lehigh Valley's Court 25.

Located on a converted basketball court in the St. Luke's Sportsplex/Pickleball Lehigh Valley where Routes 309 and 22 meet in South Whitehall Township, Lost Tavern's Allentown Tap Room is a unique space where sports and recreation are promoted along with the beer.

With this in mind, we will have our very first meetup ping pong tournament. Apparently, you can play beanbags there too and soon, perhaps by this meetup, a golf simulator as well. If you want to play pickleball in the adjacent space, you certainly can (for a fee) but those of us who will be drinking reserve the right to heckle you.

I'll have more details as we get closer but sign up now for a fun way to cap off the summer.

See you there!

By popular demand, we're heading to Montco on this day to take part in the Carriage House Restaurant & Pub's annual Oktoberfest event.

The Carriage House is located in a converted farmhouse that dates as far back as 1745. It's been a tavern or restaurant for at least the last century. A Mediterranean restaurant called Campagna used to be here. Before that, it was the Millside Inn. The restaurant is in East Greenville (Upper Hanover Township), Montgomery County, in the heart of the "Four Corners" region of eastern PA where NE Montco, NW Bucks, SW Lehigh and SE Berks counties all come together.

McAllister Brewing Co., in North Wales, PA, acquired the Carriage House in 2023, then relocated its brewing and taproom operations to the Carriage House. Under the leadership of husband and wife team Mike and Kate McAllister, they've maintained some of the Austrian and German cuisine that the restaurant was famous for under its previous owners, Bob and Donna Schultheis. Now the Carriage House boasts a pretty good selection of local microbrews as well, making it the perfect host for an Oktoberfest.

So join us for a late lunch that will feature plenty of Austrian and German options. The Oktoberfest will follow from 5 to 10 p.m. and will feature live music, authentic German food & drinks such as bratwurst, soft pretzels, schnitzel, and steins of your favorite brews⁠, an epic steinholding challenge, a keg-rolling competition, games, prizes & all-around Oktoberfest fun⁠.

When you sign up, please indicate if you are coming for lunch at 3 p.m. (yes) or just the Oktoberfest from 5 p.m. on (No).

Wir sehen uns dort! That's German for see you there!

For the first time, our group is going to check out the Celtic Classic, an annual weekend-long celebration of Celtic (mostly Irish and Scottish) culture, music, sport, food and more in the Lehigh Valley.

We'll meet up late in the afternoon on Saturday to see what's what. Here are some of the things that will be happening during that timeframe:

• Caber toss competition
• Massed pipe bands
• Border collie demo
• Irish dancers from O'Grady Quinlan Academy
• Music from the Rogue Diplomats, Kilmaine Saints, The Ogham Stones, Screaming Orphans, Seamus Kennedy, Pilgrims of Deep Run, Steel City Rovers, On the Lash, Emish and Gerry Timlin
• Celtic storytelling

And of course there will be beer, including Guinness, Harp, Smithwick's and Magner's (cider) plus Miller Lite, Smirnoff Ice products, Bailey's Irish Cream and Teeling Irish Whiskey.

We'll meet starting at 4 p.m. in the Tavern in the Glen space, close to Sand Island. I have another meetup earlier that afternoon so that's the earliest I can get there. If you'd like to start earlier and help organize this event, let me know and I'll make you an event organizer.

Feicfidh mé ann thú! That's Irish for see you there!