Your Complete Guide to Celebrating Oktoberfest Near You

Get ready to raise your beer steins and embrace the Bavarian spirit because Oktoberfest is almost here! But wait its only September!? Well, despite its name, Oktoberfest actually kicks off in September each year, and carries on for just over two weeks so get a move on with the planning!

Originally a Munich celebration of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese’s marriage in 1810, this colossal beer bash now has folks around the world celebrating with a hearty "Prost!"

Sprawling tents with thousands of merry-makers, millions of litres of beer being guzzled, German music filling the air – if you want a slice of the biggest beer festival on the planet then don your finest lederhosen and find yourself an Oktoberfest near you with our guide below.

Or… host your own Bavarian bash and serve up some stunning Oktoberfest foods and drinks (also listed below!)

What should you drink at Oktoberfest?

No surprises here, it’s all about German Beer. 

So many German producers will release Oktoberfest specials, but we like the hoppy, fruity profile of Hofmeister, made in the heart of Bavaria.

Erdinger is another that you can’t wrong with, in particular their Weissbier with its gentle spice and lively flavours.

For Alcohol-Free Oktoberfests, we have to shout out Lucky Saint, a classic, refreshing lager with a hoppy, citrus finish and they’re German too.

Not everyone likes beer of course, and why should you miss out on all the Oktoberfest fun? Well, sticking with the German theme, get stuck into their Pinot Noir. Did you know that they are the third largest producer of this varietal, labelling it Spätburgunder – it is so distinct. Also, that way, if anyone has a go at you for drinking Pinot at Oktoberfest, you can tell them it’s Spätburgunder and they’ll probably accept it. It’s a cool-climate red berry wine, with lots of crunch, acidity, tartness and we find it so refreshing and easy drinking – give it a go!

What should you eat at Oktoberfest?

Bratwurst is a must. Grilled onions, brioche buns, good German mustard, sauerkraut on the site – mouthwatering… and the best thing is, it all goes so well with hearty, refreshing German bier.

Other than that, Schnitzel is traditional, as our roasted almonds (often sugared as a kind of candy), all kinds of potato dishes, Currywurst and Pretzels.

Where should I go for Oktoberfest around the UK?

Oktoberfest UK, the largest tour in the country is coming to the following cities in the SOUTH OF ENGLAND, bringing authentic German bier, live oompah bands, bratwurst on the sizzle and some of Europe’s biggest Oktoberfest tents:

Chelmsford – Central Park – Friday 6th and Saturday 7th October
Crawley - Southgate Park - Friday 6th & Saturday 7th October
Guildford - Stoke Park - Friday 13th & Saturday 14th October
Milton Keynes - Campbell Park - Friday 13th & Saturday 14th October
Southend - Priory Park - Friday 20th & Saturday 21st October
Beverley - Beverley Racecourse - Friday 20th & Saturday 21st October
Colchester - Lower Castle Park - Friday 27th & Saturday 28th October
Plymouth - Central Park - Friday 27th & Saturday 28th October

For more information click here.

In BRIGHTON, there’s Oktoberfest Bottomless Brunch at Post Cook & Bier Haus every Saturday throughout the celebrations, with oompah, DJs, tables dancers and three litre sizes of Bavarian beer.

For more information click here.

LONDON obviously has a tonne of Oktoberfest events such as:

Craft Oktoberfest:
-        E&C Brewgarden (Friday 6th October and Saturday 7th October with 12+ craft beers in London’s biggest beer garden)
-        Kraft Dalston (Saturday 21st October with Korean-German fusion before Berlin techno until 2AM)
-        Mayfair Cyrpt (Saturday 14th October for the first time, a full meal and drink package for Oktoberfest).

For more information click here.

There are so many Oktoberfest events across London, like Oktoberfest At Pergola Paddington, Oktoberfest Brixton, Munich Cricket Club, Craft Beer Cruise, ALToberfest and Camden Oktoberfest, from budget options to lavish blowouts. Find one near you and Lederhosen up!

In MANCHESTER, the sprawling Freight Island will host an all-singing, all-dancing beer half on Friday 29th September and Saturday 30th September.

For more information click here.

In SHEFFIELD, Stein Haus offer a complete Bavarian offering with all the bands, dancers and live DJ sets you could wish for on Saturday 14th October.

For more information click here.

Honestly, as a nation we’ve fully embraced Oktoberfest and we can’t list every event here, so if you’re not in one of the hubs above then don’t worry, because there’s almost certainly somewhere transformed into a beer hall near you offering Oompah bands, bratwurst, schnitzel, and sloshing steins.

6 Marvellously Modern, New Beers

Words by Helena Nicklin

To celebrate International Beer & Pizza Day on the 9th October (yes, it is a thing!) we’ve rounded up some delicious new beers with great stories to tell.

Hiver Honey Blonde Beer - 4.5% abv

Inspired by founder and superwoman Hannah Rhodes’ admiration for London’s beekeepers, this easy-drinking, refreshing British blonde beer is brewed using three types of honey and unpasteurised to maintain its elegant, floral notes and subtle hints of heather, honey and baking bread. It’s silky smooth and flavoursome without being too sweet or bitter; the perfect all-rounder beer that’s easy to love and quite possibly a game-changer for those who might more usually reach for a white wine. Also try their Hiver Honey Ale: a more hoppy, brown ale with a tasty roasted malt flavour. 10% of all profits got to pollinator charities and urban space projects too! 

Find them at Waitrose for £2.50 or hiverbeers.com

Crumbs Bloomin’ Amber - 4.8% abv

Crumbs is brewing with a big heart, using leftover artisan bread from their friends at the Chalk Hills Bakery in Reigate. They currently produce four very different beers, each based on the three styles of bread they are passed and one with coffee grains too. We love the Bloomin’ Amber, a light beer based on a vienna style but with an extra kick from ale yeast. Also try their Sourdough Pale, which is light and hoppy and their Rye coffee porter for something dark and brooding with powerful notes of mocha. 

Find them at Waitrose for £2.65 or Crumbsbrewing.co.uk

Fabal Lager - 4% abv

Another brilliant, British beer, named in homage to generations of craftspeople, or ‘fabals’, from the people who brought us Hiver above. This is a fantastic, premium lager that’s crisp and dry with a delicate fruitiness to the malt and fine bubbles, which make it reminiscent of sparkling wine. In a UK first, some of Fabal’s barely has been steamed and rolled rather than roasted, which helps keep its refreshing style. There’s something old school and wholesome about it. Highly recommended. Vegan. 

Find it at hiverbeers.com for £2.50

Bellfield Craft Lager - 5.2% abv

Bellfield is a small, independent brewery in Edinburgh who quite simply, want to ‘make beer that everyone will enjoy’. Their craft lager, made with both home grown and imported hops, has  a little more weight than some of their others, with a comforting weight and texture and flavours of crushed malted milk biscuits. Also try their Czech style Bohemian pilsner and their a floral and hoppy, American IPA style, Lawless Village IPA.

Find them at BellfieldBrewery.com for £1.95 

Ardbeg ‘The Shortie’ Smoky Porter - 6.2% abv

Staying in Scotland, we had to mention the recently released Ardbeg ‘The Shortie’ Smoky Porter from Islay. Not for the faint-hearted, this treacly, flavoursome, smoke bomb is a must-try for Ardbeg whisky fans. Named after the distillery dog and mascot ‘Shortie’, it’s malty and dark with classic Ardbeg notes of iodine and peat. If that wasn’t tempting enough, it’s a collaboration with Brewgooder to raise funds to create clean drinking water in Malawi. (You can donate here brewgooder.com/gathering).

Find it at masterofmalt.com for £3.50

…And for International Beer and Pizza Day!

Show Me The Honey!

Chicago Town, the frozen pizza company, is celebrating the launch of its brand new Stuffed Crust Takeaway Sweet Honey BBQ Salami pizza by launching a beer inspired by the same flavours: tomato sauce, sweet honey BBQ sauce,mozzarella, red cheddar, salami and red onions  Made in partnership with craft brewery SEVEN BRO7HERS Brewing co. the ‘Show Me The Honey’ beer blends savoury and sweeter flavours, focusing on a perfumed honey note on the finish. Find the pizza at mosts supermarkets including ASDA, Ocado and Tesco for £4.50. Guilty pleasure!

Find the beer at SevenBro7ers for £3.50

Like this? Why not try Jubel: the exciting new fruit beer, or Would You Invest in Vagina Beer?

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