Five fantastic beers to look out for at Hawker House’s Oktober Feast

Back for its second year, Oktober Feast has quickly (and arguably) become London’s biggest celebration of German October beer antics. Too big, some may say. With a billed 50 beers on show, you’ll definitely want to narrow that down to just a few – unless you’re up for swigging them all and ending up in the nearby canal.

Well, say no more, because we’ve picked out five brews to get you nice and prepped for Hawker House’s big beer bash. Prost!

Oktoberfest-Märzen from Hacker-Pschorr 

What’s a Märzen, you ask? Think about what you know as a lager. Then throw that image out the window – Märzens are traditionally bigger on the hops to last aging from March (believe it or not, they didn’t have fridges in 1553), and with their amber/brown hues they fall right in with those autumnal colours. That’s what we call seasonal fashion. Anyway, Hacker-Pschorr’s Märzen is the real deal, and here’s your chance to try it.

Millionaire from Wild Beer Co. 

What do we have here? A chocolate and salted-caramel milk stout? Yes, it’s decadent. Yes, it’s a bit over the top. No, it has nothing to do with Oktoberfest. But this is London, not Munich, so what the hell. If you wanted a beer that screams ‘gloriously overindulgent pudding’ after all that jerk sausage and southern-fried chicken, this is it right here.

Calypso from Siren

See the words ‘Berliner Weisse’ on a bottle and you know you’re going to receive a reasonable dose of sour. Siren’s Calypso, however, is not so much a sour beer as a punch right in the teeth (uh, in a good way). Armed with citrus and some tropical notes, this is your beer of choice if the usual German styles don't do it for you.

Blonde from Schneider-Weisse

Schneider’s ‘Meine helle’ Weisse sounds more like a particularly bad day at the office rather than a delicious, understated wheat beer. But the latter it is. While traditional wheat beers are generally good introductions to beginner drinkers, Schneider’s blonde is especially so – it’s not cloying, it’s not tangy, and it’s not full-on. Keep in mind for when you’re bored of all the German lagers that’ll inevitably be thrown at you.

Grapefruit from Schofferhofer 

Let’s get this straight. You came to a beer festival, and yet you have a particular disdain for beer? Lucky these guys have you covered. If you close your eyes, Schofferhofer’s grapefruit wheat beer isn’t that far removed from a fruit punch. And it’s only 2.5% ABV. Go on. Give it a go.

Oktober Feast takes place September 29 to October 1 at Hawker House, Canada Street, SE16 2XU. Get your tickets here.