The best of Oktoberfest in Melbourne

Hofbrauhaus

17 Sep-14 Oct

Achtung! Hofbrauhaus is not doing things by halves this year, as they will celebrate Oktoberfest for the actual duration of the festival in Germany. We challenge you to take part in the schnitzel eating challenge, which involves downing 1.5kg of pork schnitzel, a litre of bier and a bowl of chips in 45 minutes. If that seems a bit intense, come along to Tuesday's normal-sized schnitzel night and try some Bavarian cocktails. How about a Dirndl Remover? Apple and peach schnapps with passion fruit syrup and apple juice is served tall and icy – just like a domineering hausfrau. The closing night is also sure to be a celebration of Bavarian proportions, with a special Oktoberfest menu, bier tasting, face painting for the kids, and live entertainment.

German Club Tivoli

13-14 Oct

During the final official weekend of Oktoberfest, the German Club Tivoli will pull out all the stops. There will be German and Australian beer, wine and schnapps available, some knees-up folk dancing, as well as plenty of food stalls serving wieners and kartoffelpuffers (traditional potato pancakes). We bet they would go splendidly with a stein of Schöfferhofer. The German Club Tivoli is a favourite amongst German expats so this is going to be as traditional as it gets.

European Bier Café

5-12 Oct

Raise your steins to a week-long celebration of Oktoberfest at the European Bier Café. While it may be a bit more expensive than the other festivals about town at $40 a ticket, that bill gets you entry into the bier hall, a traditional bretzel (bready pretzel), and a litre of beer. The best bit? You get to keep the stein you drink from! Eat, drink and dance to your hearts content to the sounds of the traditional live oompah band. There are over 50 European beers to choose from, and with 20 of those on tap. Prost to that. 

Local Taphouse SpecTAPular

3 Oct

Some of the imports you have to look forward to at this years Oktoberfest SpecTAPular include Spaten Oktoberfestbier, Hofbräu München Dunkel, and Erdinger Oktoberfest Weissbier, amongst many others. For something a little bit easier to pronounce, the Australian brewed beers on offer include Buxom Wench from Neilenbrau, Prickly Moses Oktoberfest lager, and Sunshine Coast Munich Dunkel. It’s just a gold coin donation to get in, and that sounds pretty fantastisch to us! 

Lucky Coq

27 Sep-7 Oct

The boys and girls at Lucky Coq are dusting off their dirndls and leaping into their lederhosen to bring us some serious Oktoberfest celebrations. As well as their usual excellent local beer selection, German imports include Schöfferhofer and Tucher’s Oktoberfest lager. They’ve even scrounged around for a German cider for those who can only handle so many litres of hop suds. Sundays during Oktoberfest at the Lucky Coq will also include free barbecue and resident DJs. Wunderbar!