We’re coming up on an annual rite of passage for beer drinkers. Yep, Oktoberfest is almost here. Break out your lederhosen and your funny feather hat. Almost a dozen events, large and small, will be happening within driving distance of DC in the coming weeks. (Check here later for updates on those.) But at least one of them will be stumbling distance from the Red Line. On September 22 and 23, Brickskeller will be hosting Uli Bennewitz, owner of the Weeping Radish Eco Farm and Brewery in Jarvisburg, North Carolina. The brewery specializes in traditional German-style beers brewed in strict observation of the fabled Rheinheitsgebot, meaning no funny additives; just water, hops, and barley.

We’ve never sampled any of Bennewitz’s beers—and, sadly, will be out of town while he’s here—but his list of brews looks promising. No huge surprises. After all, these are traditional styles. Don’t go looking for any super-hopped, raspberry infused, bourbon barrel-aged, NASA-tested, experimental beers at Weeping Radish. So why bother, you ask? Freshness. By the time most authentic German beers make it stateside, they’re well on their way toward expiration. Weeping Radish’s proximity to Washington means you’ll have a good chance of getting hold of one with its intended flavor intact.