Oktoberfest is about beer. Sometimes it looks like an imbiber dancing late at night with a street cone. Sometimes it looks like a man losing his car keys in a manhole. The good news, for those who love variety, is that it won't look the same way twice at any local celebration this coming month. There are at least a half-dozen events in Pittsburgh, all inspired by the 1810 wedding of Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Pittsburgh nuns will use Oktoberfest to raise money to renovate a convent kitchen. Meanwhile, a steakhouse, a church-dwelling brewery and other beer houses will be celebrating Oktoberfest with their own flourishes. The real Oktoberfest takes place in Munich and features millions of people making a pilgrimage to that city's cavernous beer halls. Deutschtown's Penn Brewery hosts this city's oldest Oktoberfest, and probably its most authentic. Brewmaster Tom Pastorius, who has lived in Germany, began his event in 1989. On Vinial Street, there are oompa-band musicians and polka dancers. Tents house Marzen beer, bratwursts and sauerkraut. On a weekend night, the place is like New Year's Eve at midnight -- for hours. Sing-alongs to I don't want her, you can have her, she's too fat for me! and chants of Here were go, Steelers! Here we go! are sometimes louder than the bands. David Gates, 65, of Wilkinsburg, likes that there's nothing fancy at Penn Brewery. That's where, come Oktoberfest time, a men's restroom is a curtain-blocked metal trough in the garage. "It's a good real thing," Gates said. Dorothy Wolfe came from Warren, Ohio, to sing with the band Heimat Klang (which means "homeland noise") at the festival. Wolfe said Penn Brewery captures the spirit and camaraderie of Germans. "If you aren't German when you come, you're German when you leave," she said. At Rock Bottom Brewery at the Waterfront, it's brewmaster Matthew Carroll who takes center stage. Carroll said "Rocktoberfest" is one of his favorite beers, and he takes about six weeks to brew the traditional Oktoberfest beer. "If you're going to emulate something that has been around for centuries, you don't want to screw it up," he said. Connoisseurs of the handmade beer will notice an "herbal spiciness" that is "almost grassy," Carroll said; the four malts he uses give it its "toastiness." The actual beer is slightly bitter, even though it uses caramelized malts, he said. Carroll isn't all business. "I had to get my leder on to get my liters on," he said about his lederhosen garb. For the Sisters of Divine Providence, in Allison Park, selling Oktoberfest beer has been a smart business proposition. Fund-raising director Patricia Malinowski said her convent switched from chicken dinners to an Oktoberfest four years ago as a main fundraiser. The funds tripled, she said. This year, the nuns hope to raise $32,000. Polka-singing Wolfe said her Germans friends are amazed Pittsburghers celebrate Oktoberfest. She isn't. "Pittsburgh is the only town where you can walk in lederhosen and people don't look at you funny," she said. Okoberfests Penn Brewery Where: 800 Vinial St., North Side When: 5 p.m. to midnight tonight and Saturday; 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday Specials : At the outdoor food tent, along with Penn Oktoberfest Bier, there is grilled wurst and chicken, pretzels, pulled pork sandwiches, sauerkraut and apple strudel. Two German bands, Heimat Klang and Alpen Glow, perform nightly in the fest tent. Details : 412-462-2739 or www.pennbrew.com . Church Brew Works Where: 3525 Liberty Ave., Lawrenceville When: Today through Oct. 2 Specials: Pumpkin bisque, house-smoked pork chop, wiener schnitzel, green peppercorn spaetzel, Oktoberfest pizza (with Russian dressing!), malted pumpkin bread pudding, and of course, pumpkin marzin ice cream. Details: 412-688-8200 or www.churchbrew.com . Sisters of Divine Providence What: The nuns throw their own Oktoberfest Where: 9000 Babcock Blvd., (between La Roche College and UPMC Passavant Hospital), McCandless When: 1 to 6 p.m. Oct. 9 Details: 412-635-5401 'Autumn Beer Flight' Where: Morton's, The Steakhouse, CNG Tower, 625 Liberty Ave., Downtown When: 6 p.m. Oct. 13 Specials: Morton's steakhouse features special hors d'oeuvres, paired with Samuel Adams Octoberfest Details: Call 412-261-7141 or visit www.mortons.com .

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