Since football season has begun, and Oktoberfest is just a week away, I thought it was high time I visited the newest Capital Ale House location in Midlothian Village Square.

Like it’s sister locations in Innsbrook and downtown, the Capital Ale on the Southside features over 300 beers, from microbrews to the best imports from Europe, the U.K., Canada and Japan.

The new location opened in the spring and has been cranking out brats and beer ever since. Since it was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, we sat on the large, covered back patio, which is going to be a huge hit in the coming cooler days when they crank up the outdoor fireplace.

Since all of the Ale House locations will be throwing their 6th Annual Oktoberfest bashes on September 19, I just had to try one of the German specialties.

The Stuffed Pretzel Sandwich, filled with kielbasa and sweet sauerkraut and served on the Ale House signature pretzel bread, is one of the most popular items on the menu. Of course, my selection begged for a good accompanying brew and my server suggested one of the Sunday specials, a Sam Adams Oktoberfest, at the bargain price of $2 a pint.

The kraut with caraway seeds was excellent and, in addition to my hearty sandwich, I received a pile of fries. Billed as Belgian frites, the fries came with a yummy garlic mayonnaise dipping sauce, but any relationship to real Belgian fries ended there.

We also tried the Steak and Blue Cheese Panini, but substituted a potato croquette for the fries. I love blue cheese so the medium rare flank steak on the crispy, grilled bread that was loaded with the pungent cheese tasted great to me.

The croquette, which is served with many of the available brunch items until 3 p.m. on Sundays, was a deep-fried, golden round of creamy mashed potatoes. All sandwiches, including the popular Crab BLT, come with fries and run from $7.49 to $10.99 for the lump crab take-off.

Huge German pretzels come three ways: plain with dipping mustard, with cheese, or loaded with both sausage and cheese, and you can design your own sausage platter, choosing from kielbasa, bratwurst, or knockwurst, with kraut, sweet and sour red cabbage, warm German potato salad and pierogies as sides.

The mega platter ($19.99) features three cheeses, three sausages, a giant pretzel and fresh fruit, while a plain pretzel with dipping sauce is $5.99.

Although the Ale House offers one Veggie Sandwich, there isn’t much selection if you’re not a carnivore. The dinner menu is filled with hearty steaks and pork dishes, a Würst platter, crab cakes and a salmon option with prices from $14.99 to $29.99 for filet mignon.

I loved the beer pairings advice on the menu, with suggestions for everything from the best brews to have with hot wings to which Belgian lambics pair well with dessert.

Service was über-friendly and genuine, and you could tell that this is a really fun place to work, as well as to visit. Another boon for Southside residents is that they serve until 1:30 a.m. every night, a rarity in the heart of suburbia.

Unbelievably, for Oktoberfest the Capital Ale House is bringing in even more beer, with 15 German beers on tap and an additional 30 in the bottle. Every guest will receive a souvenir 1-liter Oktoberfest stein on Friday the 19th and Saturday the 20th.

Festivities in the giant tent begin at 5 p.m. with German dancers, bands, and more. If you can’t make the big celebration, you can still score free barware at the regular Tuesday night "Steal the Glass" promotion.

Each week, different logo glassware from breweries all over the world is yours to keep, just pay for the beer and start your own international collection.

Beer Advocate calls Capital Ale House "one of the world’s most brilliant beer bars," and if you’re a suds aficionado, you’ll find your favorite here.

I’m sure Southside residents are over the moon about having their own personal Ale House, and even though I live downtown, I’ll definitely be checking out that fab patio this fall, as well as the Oktoberfest tent party. Prosit!