Grab a Stein at West Sixth Oktoberfest, No Ticket Needed

West Sixth Oktoberfest is the one-day Oktoberfest West Sixth Brewing throws at its taprooms every fall, and the Lexington one is right at the brewery, 501 West Sixth Street. In 2026 it was Saturday, October 10, with German-style beers, fill-and-keep glass steins, Smithtown food specials, polka lessons, a stein hoisting competition, a tuba band and the UK game on the big screen. No ticket needed to walk in and buy a stein, though the scheduled events are another story, more on that below. It was my third stop of the day, after the South Elkhorn Fall Festival and Barktoberfest in Hamburg, so we got there around 3:30 in the afternoon.

Parking

We parked just down Jefferson Street on the side, about a 5 to 8 minute walk. They have a parking lot of their own, but it is packed most of the time for events.

The steins

We got two nice glass steins that included the fill of beer, and they were $12 apiece. And even though the online website says nine dollar refills, the refills were actually five dollars.

The beers

My wife got the Michlerweisse. It's a hefeweizen. I had the Charming Pilsner, and we shared the House Fire, which is very good and very unique. The menu says it's an approachable smoked beer with light caramel and toffee notes, balanced by the rustic wood-smoke character that doesn't quite fall into barbecue territory. Complex, yet easy drinking despite its strength, a collaboration with Gravely Brewing. It has a nice smoky flavor to it, and it's very good. If you like anything smoky, you'll like it. It's one of the better beers I've had in a while.

The Charming Pilsner was brewed with the Breeders' Cup in honor of Silver Charm, the 1997 Kentucky Derby winner, which is a nice touch with the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland three weeks away.

The schnitzel

I got the pork schnitzel sandwich from Smithtown. The sandwich was good. The pork was hot and crispy and the sauerkraut and mustard created a nice tang. I asked if they'd cut the sandwich in half so we could share and they did. My wife and I split things quite often because it just makes sense. Sometimes we're starving and sometimes we just want a light snack. And you save money in the process.

The specials board at Smithtown, the kitchen at West Sixth, listed it at $18, on a bun with sauerkraut, pickled pepper mustard and pickles, served with kettle chips. Mine came with fries and rang up at $18 all in.

The schedule and reservations

They had reservations you could make, and they had events all day. I heard one guy say they had a stein carrying competition. But to see these things you needed reservations. I didn't book a table because I couldn't get there early enough from being at the day's two other events, so here is what the schedule looked like, from West Sixth's own post.

• All day. Oktoberfest German-style beers, a stein and fill for $12, refills $9
• All day. Smithtown food specials
• Noon to 3 p.m. Pumpkin painting party with FoodChain, all ages
• 1 to 2 p.m. Free polka dance lessons from Bluegrass Ballroom
• 4 p.m. Combo FoodChain and West Sixth tour
• 5 p.m. Stein Hoisting Competition
• 5:15 p.m. Free polka dance lessons from Bluegrass Ballroom
• 6 to 8 p.m. Live music from Small Batch Tuba Band
• 7 p.m. UK vs. LSU on the big screen

Six percent of the day's sales went to FoodChain. Table reservations were booked through westsixth.com/oktoberfest.

The UK game that was on the big screen turned out to be the 35 to 34 overtime win over LSU, and you can see what that did to Kentucky's spot in my SEC bowl race.

More October fests

• Christ the King Oktoberfest
• Parktoberfest at Ashland
• Barktoberfest in Hamburg

If you live downtown or anywhere near Jefferson Street, this is a Saturday to keep every October, and it costs nothing to walk in. The stein is the only thing you have to buy.

The Details

• What. West Sixth Brewing's Oktoberfest, German-style beers, fill-and-keep glass steins, Smithtown food specials, polka lessons, a stein hoisting competition, live music and the UK game on the big screen, with six percent of the day's sales going to FoodChain.
• When. A Saturday in early October, with events from noon to 8 p.m. In 2026 it was October 10.
• Where. West Sixth Brewing, 501 W 6th St, Lexington, KY 40508. It runs the same day at West Sixth NuLu in Louisville and West Sixth Farm in Frankfort.
• Cost. Free to walk in, no ticket needed for a stein and a seat at the bar. A glass stein with the first fill was $12 and refills rang up at $5. The stein hoisting and the other scheduled events took a reservation, from what I was told there.
• Parking. The brewery lot fills up, so figure on street parking down Jefferson Street and a five to eight minute walk.
• Neighborhood. Downtown.