This weekend in Charlotte Beer: Mecktoberfest at Olde Mecklenburg; Good, Sour and Wild Tap Takeover at Good Bottle and Clips Beer & Film Tour at Independence Park

Before I get into this weekend’s Charlotte craft beer events, a quick word of good luck to NoDa Brewing, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and Triple C Brewing, all of which are entered at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. This is the pinnacle award for breweries, and here’s hoping Charlotte breweries can bring home some more medals on Saturday (the medals will be announced at 12:30 p.m. ET and broadcasted on The Brewing Network). On the homefront, here’s what’s going on in the local craft community:

–On Friday and Saturday, Olde Mecklenburg is hosting its annual Mecktoberfest. $10 gets you entrance into the brewery, along with one beer of your choice. OMB will also be serving German-style food throughout the weekend, and several live musical acts will be playing throughout the festival’s two-day run.

–Today (Fri.), Good Bottle Co. will turn into a sour beer lover’s dream with its Good, Sour and Wild tap takeover. All 12 taps are devoted to sour/wild beers, including local selections from Lenny Boy (Burn Down for What Sour Brown) and D9 (Viking Fraoch Sour), along with Wicked Weed Sour Pumpkin, Steel String Zupfen Gose (which was a big hit at Beer Camp Across America in Asheville), New Belgium La Folie and Natty Greene’s Gueze and 2014 American Sour.

All beers will be tapped at 5 p.m., except for Natty Greene’s Gueze and 2014 American Sour and Wicked Weed’s Sour Pumpkin, which will be tapped at 6 p.m. There will also be a lottery for those who wish to purchase bottles of Natty Greene’s 2014 American Sour.   

–Today from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Independence Park, Charlotte plays host as part of New Belgium’s Clips Beer & Film Tour. This festival combines sampling of New Belgium beers along with short films created by the brewery’s fans. A total of 17 beers from New Belgium will be available (including Gratzer, Le Terroir and La Folie), with three-ounce samples for $1.25 each and a full 12-ounce pour for $5. Proceeds will help benefit local nonprofit Charlotte Area Bicycle Alliance (CABA). Admission to the film festival is free, with the films starting around 9 p.m. Food will also be available for purchase from Roaming Fork and Mellow Mushroom.