Oktoberfest TODAY plus a triple-shot of Oktoberfest 8 with Brian Eichhorn, Chuck McCoun and Noel Wessely

Oktoberfest is here! Folks are busy getting the VFW ready (I myself will head down as soon as I post this) and in a few hours the taps will start pouring. Hope you already ordered your tickets because we've sold out YET AGAIN! Thanks to everybody for their support!

To get you in the Oktoberfest spirit, we've got three brewers to profile for our final edition of Die Oktoberfest 8(I meant to save one for today, but discovered two others in by inbox that I had previously missed). But enough excuses... let's see what Brian Eichhorn, Chuck McCoun and Noel Wessely have to say!

1. Where do you live and what do you do (when you're not brewing, of course)?

BE: I live at Irving Park Road and California (South of Devon though!) and work in Insurance in the real world.

CM: Canaryville, the ugly step-child of the 11th Ward. Master Carpenter/ Handyman, if I can't fix it, it's broke!

NW: I live at 36th & Halsted and I'm a metallurgist at a local forge.

2. How long have you been in HOPS!?

BE: I joined hops this past spring after meeting some of the members at Rock Bottom and judging a couple of comps with them.

CM: Almost 1 year.

NW: Joined HOPS in November 2009.

3. What got you into homebrewing?

BE: I started homebrewing as the next logical progression after exhausting myself and my wallet chasing down every craft beer I could get my hands on. Started all grain from the beginning and never looked back.

CM: My friend Nada got me into brewing back in 1990 in Oakland CA. Her future husband had all the equipment we needed to get started and was not using it, so we did.

NW: My brewing buddy, Patrick, asked me if I wanted to brew beer. Being unemployed at the time and having nothing else better to do, I figured why not?

4. What did you brew for Oktoberfest this year and why should people try it?

BE: I brewed a multi-grain saison & Biere de Garde for Oktoberfest and people should drink it because it will make you happy.

CM: I brewed 2 beers for Oktoberfest. Canaryville Creme Ale and Bronzville Black IPA.

The Creme Ale has been my go to party beer this summer because it's cheap and quick to produce, plus it taste awesome! The Black IPA or Cascadian Ale is a beer I brewed just for the Oktoberfest because I wanted to do something unique that people may not have tried before.

NW: Patrick and I brewed our latest American pale ale, which placed 3rd in its flight recently in Mundelein this past Independence Day weekend. We'll also have our spiced apple ale, a refreshing, yet warming, autumnal seasonal which will be perfect for this year's Oktoberfest, regardless of the weather. Everyone should try our beers out because we love brewing beer for others.

5. What's the weirdest ingredient you've ever used in a beer?

BE: Nothing really weird has been used in any of my beers aside from Piloncillo (raw Mexican Sugar) and orange peel.

CM: Last Fall my former brew partner, Bryan (R.I.P.) and I decided to use pumpkins as a mash tun (pumptunkin) and as fermenters (Fermunkins; see picture above--Bryan's on the left, Chuck's on the right). We used a Irish Red Ale recipe. As un-sanitary as this sounds the beer came out awesome!

NW: Nutmeg's probably been the weirdest thing I've used so far.

6. What do you like to listen to while you brew?

BE: I tend to listen to NPR when I brew. Usually, This American Life is on or Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! If not, I tend to listen to whatever is on XRT.

CM: Black Metal or Hardcore Punk!

NW: Metal. But I also listen to that when I'm not brewing.

7. What's your favorite local beer?

BE: Asking what my favorite local beer is like asking which kid I like the best. Though my first love was Alpha King...

CM: Bells Two Hearted Ale.

NW: I'd say it's a tie between Three Floyd's Alpha King and Half Acre's Daisy Cutter.

8. If I put you on a charter plane that would take you anywhere in the world to drink for 24 hours, where would you go and why?

BE: I'd go to Franconia in Northeast Bavaria. It is one of the last bastions of the rustic German beers, from Rauchbier to Landbier. Every town has a brewery and every brewery has a town.

CM: Munich's Oktoberfest! Why? Because it's Munich's Oktoberfest!

NW: California. I really like hops.

Thanks to Brian, Chuck and Noel for taking the time to answer our questions. And now, on to Oktoberfest!!!