October 5 | AleSchmidt Oktoberfest Celebration: On the last Saturday of Germany’s 16-day Oktoberfest season, AleSmith Brewing will put on a multi-faceted fete complete with live German-style music, a stein-holding contest, traditional culinary fare, do-it-yourself pretzel necklaces and, of course, the brewery’s annual autumnal offering, AleSchmidt Märzen Lager. | AleSmith Brewing, 9990 AleSmith Court, Miramar, 11 a.m.
October 19 | Collabapalooza: With tons of San Diego breweries working to create special, one-time-only beers specifically for this event, this may well be the county’s very best fest. In its third year and going strong, it embodies some of the core values the #SDBeer scene, industry and culture were built on—friendship, respect, cooperation and a love of the craft and what goes in the glass! | The Observatory, 2891 University Avenue, North Park, 1 p.m.
October 26 | Anniversary 7: Belching Beaver Brewery is getting in early on All Hallow’s Eve, folding a Halloween costume contest and hazy IPA called “What’s in the Hops?!” (a play on a quote from suspense thriller Se7en) into its seventh-anniversary festivities, which will also include the release of four other beers plus commemorative apparel and glassware. | Belching Beaver Brewery, 1334 Rocky Point Drive, Oceanside, 4 p.m.
October 26 | Rancho BEERnardo Festival: It’s a sleeper fest in a sleepy burg. While Rancho Bernardo doesn’t scream “craft beer”, the organizers of this fest do on a daily basis from in-town suds bastion, Urge Gastropub, and they take this annual event, now in its eighth year, very seriously. Expect lots of hoppy brews and other ale-and-lager offerings from some of SD’s finest. | Webb Park, 16826 Bernardo Center Drive, Rancho Bernardo, 2 p.m.
Don’t forget to check out our full events calendar for a regularly updated listing of even more beer-related events taking place in San Diego County this month and beyond.