"It's our 10th anniversary," says Andy Pavicich III, who co-owns the cavernous tavern with his father, Andy Jr., and brother, Paul. "This is a big one. We really want to kick it off right and make an annual event of it."

Two large tents will be stretched across the back of the building bordering the Wells Fargo parking lot. One of them, measuring 30-by-100 feet, will house picnic tables, where guests can enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet. The cuisine will be a blend of German and American favorites: a 40-pound lamb roasted on a spit, as well as traditional German sausages, large slabs of tri-tip and pork ribs barbecued out front, accompanied by garlic bread, hot corn on the cob and Caesar salad.

A special treat will be the choucroute allemande (German sauerkraut), made with bacon, sausage and boiled potatoes in a beer sauce. Tickets for the food can be purchased for $30 in advance or $35 at the door—the price includes a commemorative mug. Young folks ages 13 to 20 are $10, and kids under 12 are free.

Specially priced drinks will include a variety of beers brewed on the premises in a process involving 11 big tanks and kettles, which can be seen through glass windows behind the long bar. Among the thirst-quenchers will be a pilsner—the familiar traditional, straw-colored lager; the Oktoberfest—an amber, slightly bitter lager also known as marzen with a smoother, caramel-colored "roastiness," according to manager Kelly Harris; and Hefe Weizen—a German-style golden, unfiltered wheat beer. Harris says there also will be a seasonal beer—a cask-conditioned ale of lower carbonation, served in the British style at room temperature. Sports fans can watch their favorite games on strategically placed TVs.

The staff will be outfitted in Bavarian lederhosen (leather shorts with suspenders) and brightly colored dirndl skirts, examples of what Pavicich hopes guests will wear. As an inducement for the crowd to dress up, prizes will be awarded to those guests wearing the best traditional German festival attire.

The band, dubbed "The Internationals," is a well-known German group that includes a troupe of dancers among its 15 members.

Longtime locals are familiar with the big Pavicich family, which had a graduate in each of the Los Gatos High School classes of 1989, '91, '93 and '95. Andy Jr. was in real estate development prior to the family's purchase of the brewing company and, subsequently, of A.P. Stump's, a restaurant in downtown San Jose. Stump's was named for co-owner Jim Stump, the executive chef for both restaurants.

The "American comfort food" at Stump's includes pastas, chicken, baby back ribs, Australian lamb, oysters and rib-eye steak.

The Los Gatos Brewing Company occupies a grand building inhabited from 1926 into the '50s by an automobile dealership and in the 1960s by a yacht company. In 1974, it was the Noodle Palace, and in 1991 it became the site of the brewing company.

Los Gatos Brewing Company, located at 130-G N. Santa Cruz Ave. in Los Gatos, will host its Oktoberfest celebration on Sept. 29, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 408.395.9929 or visit www.lgbrewingco.com.