Oktoberfest pops off at Trailside Carmel Valley.

When Stuart Thornton gushes, it's good to take note.

My longtime colleague scours the greater West seeking out character-rich restaurants, lodges and swimming holes for guide books, as I detailed with a piece about his first "Marina’s Stuart Thornton taps a ton of adventures with Moon Coastal California."

He was texting furiously this weekend after he heard live music emanating from Trailside Cafe Carmel Valley (298-7453) and promptly stumbled across a mini Oktoberfest explosion:

"Been to the beer garden? Recommended. Not sure how long Oktoberfest is going but has real awesome German beer menu, German food, live music."

The well-executed German food includes knockwurst, brautwurst and pretzels.

The German-style beers include Dunkel out of Munich, Doppelbock from Bavaria and more than a dozen more.

The heads up served as a reminder Trailside has:

1) a standout beer selection, with a ton of drafts and bottles;

and

2) a new outdoor beer garden out back to go with the earnest grub and welcoming setting inside.

(Read more with Weekly contributor Shiho Fukushima's review of Trailside's debut last summer.)

In fact, the Oktoberfest experiment went so well, beer-loving owner-operator Sean Allen is extending the specials to cover every weekend through the end of next month.

Beers run $5.50-$7.

Drafts are also available in liter mugs ($12), and the mugs themselves are for sale ($20 filled, $30 filled three times).

Those that try all six featured German drafts get a half-liter mug.

The Oktoberfest specials fit into a pattern of weekend promotions that have included IPA Fest.

Upcoming events include a Belgian festival, Oregon beer spotlight  and others.