This is the time to enjoy Oktoberfest brew. Check out these 11 places to get beer in the suburbs.

Cathy Kozlowicz
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Main Street Liquor in Mukwonago has a display window of 16 kinds of beer for the Oktoberfest season.  They are one of the liquor stores in the Milwaukee suburbs  to have Oktoberfest beer.

What does German beer brewed especially for Oktoberfest taste like?

It depends on who you ask. 

"It is a darker beer; it is more sweater than general beer ... more like dark caramel and like dark chocolate," said Tej Singh, owner of The Bottle Shop of Grafton.

Marty Johnson, owner of Main Street Liquor in Mukwonago, said that German Oktoberfest beer has different hops and grains and a different taste compared to the ones brewed in the U.S.

"It is hard to answer what it tastes like," he said.

Probably your best bet would be to head out to taste them for yourself. 

Tosa Liquor

Oktoberfest beer from Great Lakes Brewing Co. is among the offerings at Tosa Liquor.  

Another popular one is Leinenkugel Oktoberfest beer.  According to Leinenkugel Brewery's website, this beer is characterized by "a toasted malt flavor and subtle, spicy hop notes." 

For more information, find Tosa Liquor on Facebook.

Hours and location:  Tosa Liquor is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is at 6607 W. North Ave.

Waukesha's Discount Liquor

Among the 10 to 15 breweries' Oktoberfest beer it carries, Waukesha's Discount Liquor features Doktoberfest, produced by Waukesha's Raised Grain Brewing Co. The name of the beer is a tip of the hat to the fact that Raised Grain is owned by two doctors.

Discount Liquor also has Oktoberfest beer from a variety of other breweries, including New Glarus, Lakefront and Wisconsin Black Husky.

Hours and location: Discount Liquor is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and is at 507 S. Grand Ave. It also has a location in Milwaukee, at 5031 W Oklahoma Ave.

For more information, visit www.discountliquorinc.com.

Sussex Liquor

Sussex liquor has German beer with Warsteiner and Spaten beer being two of the most popular. 

They also have Oktoberfest beer from Great Lakes Brewing.

Hours:  Sussex Liquor is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays at N64 W24310 Main St.

Flannery's II Liquor Store

One of the Oktoberfest beers that Flannery's II Liquor Store in Oconomowoc has this time of year is the Märzen beer.  Brewed from Bells Brewery in Michigan, it is a beer, according to the brewery website, "with herbal hop aromas, this balanced amber lager focuses on lightly toasted malt that lends body without too much sweetness."

"Not as many people are aware of that," said owner Todd Pedersen.

He said he also carries the Doktoberfest beer from Raised Grain Brewery Co.

Hours and location:  The hours of Flannery's II Liquor Store is 8:45 a.m. to 8:55 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 8:45 a.m. to 6:55 p.m. Sunday and Noon to 8:55 p.m. on Monday.  The store is at 1071 Summit Ave.

For more information, call 262-567-1780.

The Bottle Shop of Grafton

The Bottle Shop of Grafton has a selection of imported beers from German breweries for the Oktoberfest season.

They include Bitburger,  Erdinger and Spaten beers. "So many breweries make them (beer for Oktoberfest)," said Singh.  "Most only brew for this time of year.  It is a kick for the fall season."

Hours and location: The Bottle Shop of Grafton is open from 9 am. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday and is at 1237 12th Ave.

For more information, visit www.graftonbottleshop.com.

Pekar Liquor 

Pekar Liquor in St. Francis has many of the traditional Oktoberfest brands of beer:  the Staghorn brewed in New Glarus, Leinenkugel's from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company in Chippewa Falls and Warsteiner beer which is brewed in Germany.

Two German-brewed beers that is available year-round and popular during Oktoberfest are the Hacker Pschorr and Paulaner beers.

For more information, find Pekar Liquor on Facebook.

Hours and location:  9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, and they are at at 3080 E. Layton Ave.

Falls Liquor

Falls Liquor, which just opened July 9, in Menomonee Falls, will be joining in the Oktoberfest spirit, by selling a plethora of German craft beer. Some include the Staghorn, Shiner Goose Island and the Märzen Lager.

Hours: Hours for Falls Liquor is  9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Main Street Liquor

Main Street Liquor, in Mukwonago, boasts 16 different flavors of beer for Oktoberfest

"We have a big variety in a small store with 125 customers a day," said owner Marty Johnson. "We have a wide variety as opposed to a large quantity of any kind."

He said they have Oktoberfest beer from Point and Great Lakes Breweries, the Spaten, Paulaner, the Warsteiner and the Leinenkugel.

Hours and Location: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 411 Main St.

For more information, find Main Street Liquor on Facebook.

Muskego Beer, Wine & Liquor

Muskego Beer, Wine & Liquor has a wide variety of Oktoberfest beer.

They include the Hacker Pschorr, Spaten, Schofferhofer, Weihenstephaner, Paulaner,  Bitburger, Becks, Kronenbourg,  Krombacher and Franziskaner.

For more information, find Muskego Beer, Wine & Liquor on Facebook.

Hours and location:  9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, S75 W17308 Janesville Road.

Waukesha's Discount Liquor

With Oktoberfest beer from 10 to 15 different kinds of breweries, the Oktoberfest beer produced from Waukesha's Raised Grain Brewing Co.

The Oktoberfest beer brewed from Raised Grain Brewing Co. is called Doktoberfest because Raised Grain Brewing Co. is owned by two doctors.

They also have Oktoberfest beer from breweries including New Glarus, Lakefront, Wisconsin Black Husky breweries.

Hours and location: Discount Liquor is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday and is at 507 S. Grand Ave.

For more information, visit www.discountliquorinc.com.

Brews, Wine, & Spirits

Now only does Brews, Wine & and Spirits in Pewaukee have Oktoberfest beer, they also have free beer tasting on Fridays.

On 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday Sept. 10, scheduled is the Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest beer tasting and on Oct. 9, Revolution Brewing company from Chicago will provide their Oktoberfest beer.

They have the Märzen which is brewed from Bells Brewery in Michigan as well as the favorites from the New Glarus and Eagle Park Brewing.

Hours and location:  Brews, Wine, & Spirits is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday and is at 1256 Capitol Drive, Suite 600. 

For more information, call 262-567-1780.

Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kozlowicz_cathy.