Oktoberfest beers bring a sparkle of Bavrian sunshine, and help lift the autumn gloom

September was a pretty lean month as far as articles were concerned, with just seven posted on the blog, which constitutes the lowest monthly total for a long, long time. I’m not sure of the reason, especially as our trip to Northumberland provided plenty of material for blog articles, but if truth be known I ended up with a mild case of “writers block.”  

The rather sudden end to summer, also put a stop to some planned outdoor activities, including starting out on a couple of local, river valley walks. It also induced a general feeling of lethargy and loss of interest that probably has more to do with the changing of the seasons than anything else. I’m possibly working too hard as well, something that was almost inevitable given my current part-time working regime. Trying to cram five normal days into just three, was always going to be challenging, and at times it can be quite hard, even if it does have its rewards come Wednesday afternoon.  Life goes on though, and the world of beer and pubs never stands still.

In Munich, the world-famous Oktoberfest is getting into its second and final week. I haven’t seen the attendance figures, although they wouldn’t mean a lot to me anyway, but here in the UK, as in many other parts of the world numerous "copy-cat" events have been taking place. I have written about some of these before, so I won’t be repeating myself, as whilst a small number of home-grown Oktoberfest happenings are taking place locally, most tend to be rather kitsch, stereotypes of what the organisers imagine this "Bavarian Folk Festival" to be.

I’ve so far managed to steer clear of these faux events, and for good reason, but local beer café Fuggles, who have outlets

in both Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells, have been running their own Oktoberfest tribute-cum-promotion featuring Märzen style Festbiers from both home-grown brewers, and also from Bavaria itself. Most importantly, and in a tribute to the main event, they have featured a rotating range of the genuine Oktoberfest beers imported directly from Munich. Ranging in strength from 5.7% to 6.3% abv, these are not beers to be trifled with, even if you drink them by the pint. For the brave-hearted, or foolish, the beers are also sold by the one litre Maß, the traditional measure at Oktoberfest, as well as other parts of Bavaria.

Fuggles are retailing these beers at £7.00 a pint, but considering their strength, and the lengths that to which Fuggles have gone to obtain them, then it’s probably not too bad, all things considered. At Oktoberfest itself, all beer sold at the event must be brewed within the city limits of Munich, and the "Big Six" breweries that supply the festival are: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten. All the Oktoberfest beers will be good, full-bodied, well-rounded and with the right balance between malt and hops.

There are tie ups between certain members of the "Big Six", as Hacker-Pschorr are part of the same group as Paulaner, and the same applies to Löwenbräu and Spaten. Augustiner are still family owned, whilst Hofbräu are owned by the state of Bavaria. Other brewers have tried to get round these limitations by opening breweries within Munich, but the city council moved the goal posts by stating only those established before 1970 could supply beer to Oktoberfest.

I’ve been slowly, and I mean slowly, working my way through the beers on sale at Fuggles, and as they haven’t all been available at the same time, it’s been an enjoyable and interesting exercise. So far, on three separate visits, I’ve enjoyed Oktoberfest beers from Paulaner, Spaten, and Hofbräu. I had planned on calling in today, but that didn’t quite work out (I was too early, if truth be known, but as a consolation, I picked up three short-dated bottles of Schlenkerla Rauchbier, from the nearby, well-stocked Organic Market store. This establishment sometimes has bottles of Samuel Smith’s, on sale, and I did spot a few bottles of Pure Brewed lager on the shelves, but this time around, Bamberg’s finest, won out.

Returning to Oktoberfest for a while, the Bailey family attended the event, back in 2017, albeit only for half a day. We were en route to Regensberg, a city we had visited the previous year, and had spent the night, and part of the following day in Munich. Having arrived early at the Wiesn (Oktoberfest site) things were pretty quiet. But we were still able to get a “feel” for the place.

The first thing to note is, the event is free. Obviously, you will have to buy your beer and food, but unlike most British beer festivals, including the “look alike” Oktoberfests, there are no admission charges. The costs involved in providing the “temporary” infra-structure (the so-called tents), paying the staff and the all the other ancillary charges involved in putting on this mammoth festival, are recouped by the price of the beer (and to a lesser extent the food).

We visited the Hacker-Festzelt, which can accommodate up to 9,300 people, a similar number to the other large “tents”. There are fourteen of these; seven of which are operated by the breweries, and the rest by independent landlords. There are also around 10 smaller “tents”. We actually sat outside, and whilst we perhaps missed out on the feel of the event, it was very pleasant sitting out in the warm, late-September sunshine, taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the general ambience.

It is worth noting that unless you have a seat; either inside or outside one of the tents, you will not be served. There is none of the vertical drinking common at UK beer festivals, and you will not be allowed to wander around carrying your mug of beer. By “seat” I mean a long bench, in front of an equally long wooden table. Typically, there will be room for 10 average sized people, on each table (five along each bench.).

Our waitress brought two foaming Maβ Krugs of Hacker-Pschorr Festbier for Matt and I, plus an equal measure (and an equal price), of alcohol-free beer for Mrs PBT’s. We also had something to eat a plate of local (Fränkische), sausages, with potato salad for Eileen and I plus roast pork in gravy, with one of those spongy potato dumplings (Kartoffel-Knödel) for Matthew.

At Oktoberfest, you pay for your food and drink when they are brought to your table; unlike the practice in most German pubs and restaurants, where you pay before you leave. This makes perfect sense, given the high numbers of people coming and going, and I prefer this anyway, as it saves hanging around waiting for the final bill to appear.

There is a lot more to the event than the drinking of copious amounts of beer. We enjoyed just walking around, looking at the stalls selling snacks and souvenirs, the various side-shows, shooting galleries plus other fairground attractions. We personally steered away from the latter, as none of us enjoy being spun round at high speed, turned upside down or dropped from a great height, but if this sort of thing floats your boat, then do give the rides a try – preferably before you’ve had a skinful of beer and a roast pork knuckle! The main thing we discovered about  Oktoberfest was just how accessible the whole thing is and,  having now “learned the ropes”, I would definitely go again but this time spend a bit longer there.