Munich's Oktoberfest beers

I am writing this on October 1st, and if you hurry you will still catch the world famous Oktoberfest in Munich, which ends on October 3rd. The beer festival is almost 200 years old, as the original 1810 festival commemorated the royal marraige between Price Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Not that the crowds that flock to this two-week long riotous affair pay much heed to that more sober history.

If you cannot afford the time or money to jet over to Munich however, you can still get into the swing of things: beneath are a couple of reviews of special Oktoberfest 2004 beers, available right now in UK shops. You can also live the Oktoberfest vicariously, as beer-pages contributer Ian Stewart is hot off the plane having just survived at trip to Oktoberfest for the first time. Before the beer reviews, Ian's brief festival-goer's guide:

Attending Oktoberfest 2004

Four of us made our first ever trip to Oktoberfest last weekend. Never having been before, we weren't quite sure what to expect.

We didn't realise that the festival is actually held on a huge fairground site, so as well as the 14 "tents", in which 100,000 people are crammed, there are thousands more milling around the fairground site, although I can't imagine why anyone would want to go on any of the rides after quaffing all that ale.

It was so busy we couldn't get in to any of the tents on Saturday night, despite queuing for a while, so we gave up and did some of the pubs instead. Mind you, the atmosphere in some of these pubs had to be seen to be believed. The joints were jumping and, as a result, we needed a slow walk along the touristy trail on Sunday morning to clear our heads. Some coffee listening to trad jazz helped us and we decided by 1.00 pm that we could go and see if there was anything happening at the festival.

What a shock we got - all the places were jumping already and, although we managed to get in OK this time, it took us 30 minutes to find a seat, and another 10 minutes before we got a drink. Of course, it's obligatory to buy a silly Bavarian festival hat and we duly obliged (quite contemplation of the beers shown left, with Ian on left of picture). Unlike CAMRA beer festivals, Oktoberfest isn't about trying a variety of different ales - it's much more about just drinking a lot and just having a good time.

Each of the tents is either sponsored/owned by a brewer or features one brewer exclusively, and they each have a festival beer, so the selection process is very simple and it's based purely on quantity!

We had originally planned to do a couple of hours there on Sunday afternoon, then go back to the hotel for a short break/kip before heading out again in the evening, but we were enjoying ourselves so much we just did a straight 10 hour session, visiting 2 other tents in the process. I've never seen so many people standing and dancing on tables and chairs!

Weekends are very busy, and booking a table is possible if there are ten of you and you're willing to pay. For the ordinary punter, getting there as early as you can is the only way. All the tents have bands in them and they're not all "oompah" bands either.

Definitely the biggest knees-up I've ever seen!

two Oktoberfest 2004 beers

These beers are available during October, or whilst stocks last.

L?wenbr, Oktoberfest Bier (Germany) This has a light yellow/gold colour and foamy, dense white head. On the nose it is very crisp, citrussy and fresh, with sweetness, some background spice and a nettly, hoppy edge. On the palate it is particularly creamy-textured and thick, with a caramel sweetness at first, then a nicely sour raft of herbal and underripe pear flavours fills in. There is a bittering dryness on the finish, though a little biscuity richness keeps it quite full. A very nice lager-style beer, though perhaps a little too sweetly flirtatious. 6.0% ABV, 50cl, ?1.29 - ?1.59, Majestic, Morrisons, Sainsbury's.

Paulaner, Oktoberfest Bier (Germany) Light-medium yellow-gold with a dense, creamy white head. Intense, sweet citrus nose, with notes of tangerine orange and orange peel, a yeasty creaminess and a slight wheatbear character. Like the L?wenbr?u, this Oktoberfest lager has plenty of body and texture, with a slightly more rounded, smooth and harmonious palate of earthy and fruity flavours and a nice bitter tang into the finish. Perhaps less complex than the L?wenbr?u, but a more substantial beer too. 6.1% ABV, 33cl, ?0.89, Majestic.