IF you couldn't get to Oktoberfest, then let Oktoberfest come to you.

The official event in Munich ended two weeks ago, with around six million visitors having drunk 7.7 million litres of beer.

But an echo of the Bavarian spirit is rumbling on in York.

At several of the city's smaller bars, German beers are very much the order of the month. So if you want to try something new and join in the fun, here's where to go.

If you really want to embrace the Bavarian stereotypes, then head to the Stein Bier Keller in Toft Green, for all the Oompah-style music, stein-swinging singing and German beers you could shake a stick at. The beer range here is excellent, always with a selection from the UK and United States as well as Germany.

York Press:

Sarah Shipley at The Attic, with some of their Oktoberfest beers

For Oktoberfest specials, The Attic, above Café Harlequin in King's Square, is a good place to start, slap-bang in the city-centre They are selling the bottled Oktoberfest beers from Spaten, Löwenbräu and Paulaner, as well as other German options including Paulaner original in both bottle and keg, and Augustiner Helles in bottle.

Just down the road, at The Fossgate Social in Fossgate, German beers are dominating the blackboard. Options include Hacker-Pschorr's Oktoberfest Märzen; Hofbräu Oktoberfest; the same brewery's Dunkel; the lager and the rauchbier from Aecht Schlenkerla; and Augustiner Helles again. They also have FlyingDog Dogtoberfest, a worthy American contribution.

At Vahe Bar in Goodramgate, the aforementioned Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu and Paulaner options are again available in bottle, while German keg options include Paulaner original, Köstritzer black lager and Berliner pilsner.

Over in Stonegate, The House of The Trembling Madness has the best selection of the lot. There are the bottled Oktoberfest specials from Paulaner, Erdinger, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu and Spaten, as well as a spectacular range of German beers more generally. As ever, if you can't find anything you like in the upstairs bar, then anything bought in the downstairs shop can be drunk upstairs for an extra £1.25.

And as for which beers to try?

  • Spaten Oktoberfestbier is pale golden with an easy-drinking malty body.

York Press:

Picture: By Bernt Rostad on flickr, used under licence 

The Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier is similar in appearance, but with a crisper, more impressive finish.

The Hacker-Pschorr Märzen is more chestnut in colour and is a heavier beer, packed with toasted toffee and nut flavour, my favourite among the bottles.

 

York Press: The Hofbräu Oktoberfest is a brass-coloured bitter beer, well-balanced and enjoyable, although not the most flavoursome of the options.

For something completely different, try the Erdinger, a wheat beer with bready aromas, and a fruity and spicy taste.

And if, frankly, you'd rather stick to beers you know, thank you very much? Then forget Oktoberfest all together, and instead head along today to Coptoberfest in Copmanthorpe.

The mini festival is spread between St Giles Church and the Royal Oak pub. It began on Friday and continues on Saturday with around 30 real ales and ciders from within 25 miles of York. Admission is a fiver, which includes a festival glass and a half pint. Proceeds go to the church, St Leonard’s Hospice, the Panda Playgroup and Praise and Play.