Bell rates... Oktoberfest 2011

event: Munich Oktoberfest
place: Theresienwiese, Munich, Germany
date: Sep 17 – Oct 3

The biggest beer festival in the world, Oktoberfest has been held almost every year since 1810 - only missing 24 years out of 201. We attended on Saturday 17th September and Sunday 18th, and had an excellent time on both occasions.

Having attended last year as well, I knew what to expect; great atmosphere, great beer (at high prices) and extreme difficulty in finding a seat unless you have a reservation.

The 'finding a seat' part is quite important, as you're unlikely to be served unless you're at a table. Last year we tried about four tents and their accompanying biergartens before we managed to squeeze in with some Dutch guys. This year, on the saturday, we managed to get into a tent in a closed-off section, which required a €3 entry fee (must have put a few tourists off as it was much quieter and we got a table no problem). €3 is quite reasonable, considering a table reservation has to be made well in advance and costs around €30. Beer served there was Augustiner, in proper stoneware steins, for an added authentic traditional element. Sadly, no tasting notes, and no individual review, as I lost my phone, so had no method of recording any details of the beer, and my memory was impaired by drinking strong Bavarian Lager by the litre.

Second day, Sunday, was very wet, and this seemed to put people off even more than an entrance fee, meaning the biergartens were all pretty much empty. We managed to get a table in the Winzerer Fähndl biergarten, serving Paulaner. Again, no tasting notes, but it went down well. Moved inside later, and enjoyed the band, who's ecclectic playlist included hits by Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Proclaimers.

Overall, the beer is great, and the atmosphere is great too. I'd recommend Oktoberfest to anyone who likes beer and a good time. make sure to take plenty of cash though, as a Maß (1 litre glass of beer) costs the best part of €10.

I'd also like to send my warmest regards to anyone I met, and also my apologies to them, as I no doubt rambled on and talked a load of pish. If you were there, I was the beard with an idiot attached, wearing a yellow Scotland shirt with 'Bell' and the number 76 on the back.

Especial shout out to Christine and her husband from Virginia, USA. Please send me some of your homebrew and I'll review it.

And so, onto the scores - this being an event and not an individual beer, it doesn't get the SCT rating, but instead an AVB... not to be confused with Alcohol By Volume, of course.

Atmosphere: Fantastic. Met people from all over the world, all of them out to have a good time. 4/4
Value: a Maß seems fairly expensive... and it is. But when you look at the volume of beer you're actually getting for the money, it equates to roughly £4.75 a pint, which isn't too unreasonable for a high-quality beer brewed specially for the festival. 3/4
Booze: Oktoberfest beers are generally Märzen lagers, brewed specifically for the Festival, although Weizens, wines and shots are available if you know where to look, so all bases covered. Beers generally excellent. 4/4

Overall: I'll be back next year, hopefully, and I'd encourage anyone to visit. 11/12

Bell rates... Guinness Original

type: Stout
origin: Ireland
ABV: 4.2%
location: house
served: 330ml bottle to a glass


There is some debate whether Guinness is a stout or a porter, and my good friend and mentor Mr AG McGhee BSc (Hons) insists that it is in fact a porter. Now, he's the biggest beer snob I know, and quite knowledgeable about alcoholic drinks made from fermented sugars... however it says 'Stout' on the label, so I'll rate it as such.

It should also be noted that the label on the back of this bottle also says 'Brewed in Dublin', which is important as the water used to brew the beer is one of the most important factors. Guinness brewed outside of Dublin is like the Irish football squad at the 1994 World Cup. Or one of those fake Irish theme pubs. It's just not the real thing.

This is though. Good body, good aftertaste, good aroma, great looks.


Smell: roasted barley and hops coming through nicely. inviting. 3/4

Colour: black, with the creamy-white head. It's iconic, and it gets a full 4/4

Taste: a pleasant variety of warm, dry, chocolatey, roast flavours. good level of hops and bitterness, good aftertaste. 3/4

Overall: superior to the foreign stuff. 10/12