Breweries are often places for young adults to hang out, but in High Springs, everyone enjoys the scene.
The High Springs Brewing Co.’s Springstoberfest brought the community together Friday as children splashed in rain puddles, parents enjoyed a beer, and older adults took in the live band.
Dozens gathered at the High Springs Brewing Co. for Springstoberfest, this community’s spin-off of Oktoberfest, an annual German folk festival and beer celebration in Munich founded in 1810 and celebrated in late September to early October.
Since 2021, Springstoberfest has brought a local twist to the German holiday. Co-owner Chris Moebus, 50, said this event allows the business to play an instrumental role in the community.
“We’ve always wanted to be a thread in the fabric of the city of High Springs,” he said. “This was kind of our version while paying homage to High Springs, which is obviously known for its springs.”
As part of the Springstoberfest event, guests dress up in Oktoberfest fashion, such as lederhosen — knee-length leather breeches worn by men — and dirndls, traditional dresses worn by women.
Bryon Rye, 63, and his wife, Margaret, 61, dressed up in lederhosen and dirndl attire. The two started a tradition last year: They’d go to a local Oktoberfest event each year. Last year they went to an event in Vero Beach. This year, they chose Springstoberfest.
“It’s just awesome: the German beer, the German food, the traditions,” Margaret said.
Preparing for Springstoberfest doesn't happen at the last minute.
Kiffin Ayers, 52, High Springs Brewing Co.’s co-owner and brewer, said he starts planning two months before Springstoberfest to decide which drinking options will be available.
Ayers said one of the most challenging parts of the two-month preparation period before the event is deciding the malt-to-hop ratio: the balance of malt sweetness to hop bitterness.
“I’m always trying to be better than it was the year before, or the batch before,” he said.
This year, the brewer had 10 beers on tap, including a Märzen Springstoberfest beer, Half-a-Weizen and a traditional Oktoberfest-style beer. There were also canned beer options, nonalcoholic beers and sodas.
Art Withey, 61, said he’s been going to the brewery since it opened in 2019. He wanted to go to the event to see Moebus, his good friend. Withey ordered the Springstoberfest beer because he enjoys the Oktoberfest flavor, which tends to be heavier. He added that Ayers is the best – and only – brewer in High Springs.
“These guys have been doing this for a while," Withey said while holding his Springstoberfest beer. “They know what they’re doing.”
In addition to drinks, the brewery offers food through The Good Life Eats & Treats food stand.
Run by Brian Bredehoeft, 50, the food stand offered five types of German sausages, including veal bratwurst and a Vienna lager-infused bratwurst. For sides, Bredehoeft’s spot served German staples like Käsespätzle — Germany-style macaroni and cheese with caramelized onions — and sauerkraut.
Bredehoeft said Springstoberfest is the fifth Oktoberfest event he’s participated in in the last two and a half weeks. To prepare for these events, he and his team spent a full 18 hours in the kitchen while Bredehoeft spent an additional eight hours or so by himself.
Despite the long hours, the High Springs native said the hard work is worth it.
“When people enjoy what you’re doing and come back and tell you how much they enjoyed it, there is nothing better than that,” he said while grilling bratwurst on his Blackstone griddle. “It’s the best feeling. That's why I do it.”
For dessert, the brewery invited the Le Petite Beignet food truck for a second straight Springstoberfest.
Michiyo Johnson, 49, owns the food truck with her husband, Michael. The food truck offers New Orleans classic sweet beignets, beignet bites and beignets with savory fillings, such as cheddar jalapeño. For Oktoberfest, they offered limited special apple rum beignets.
“It’s good to provide something that people want,” Johnson said.
Crooked Council, a classic rock cover band in Gainesville, played live music starting at 7 p.m.
The live band is what brought Christina Smith, 41, and her husband, Kevin, to this year’s Springstoberfest.
“It brings a vibe,” she said. “You get to dance a little bit and can enjoy yourself, and if the conversation's not too good, you can get into the band.”
As the sun set Friday, the crowd in the patio area filled up and sang along to American classics from the 1980s and 1990s, bringing the High Springs community together to start the weekend.
“We knew the High Springs community was very tight knit … we just wanted to be another part of that,” Moebus said.