GAVIN AITCHISON enjoys a true taste of German beer without having to leave York.

THE beer halls of Munich have to be seen and heard to be believed. Cavernous and convivial, loud and proud, they are captivating monuments to beer and Bavaria. Tinkling tankards and a cacophonous camaraderie create an endless background noise and the good beer-drinkers of Munich lap it up.

The food is good as well, if you like sausages anyway. When I visited in May, I was in my element. Granted, my vegetarian, beer-shunning wife was less enamoured, but we visited Munich's best chocolatiers and cafés too, so this was my reward.

York is 680 miles from Munich and The Attic in King's Square is a million miles from those Bavarian beer halls. But if you want a taste of Bavaria and can't make it to Munich, head here instead because every Friday and Saturday this month, The Attic is holding its own Oktoberfest, in tribute to the renowned Bavarian beer extravaganza that draws millions to Munich each autumn.

We last visited The Attic in January, when I described it as one of York's best hidden gems and praised its bottled beer range. Since then it has relaunched. As of last weekend, it now boasts a range of keg beers as well, along with a simple new menu of burger, veggie burger or hot dog.

Its hours have been extended until 10.45pm on Fridays and Saturdays, rather than 8pm, and it remains a fantastic place to go for those who want good beer on a Friday or Saturday evening, away from the hordes of hen and stag parties.

Last Saturday I found myself enjoying a German-style hot dog that actually consisted of bread from Bishophill and a sausage from London, washed down with four fabulous half-pints.

Augustiner Lagerbier Hell is a perfectly crisp, clean, dry, refreshing beer – the epitome of what a lager should be, and an illustration of how far short of the mark some mass-produced pretenders fall. The beer tasted as fresh as if the hops had been picked that afternoon.

Hofbräu Original was more rounded, with a sweeter, honeyish flavour and a malt-biscuity body, an excellent beer in its own right, even if overshadowed slightly on this occasion by the others.

FlyingDog Dogtoberfest Marzen was from across the pond (Maryland to be precise) but was worthy of inclusion. It was dark maroon and oozing rich flavours – malt loaf meets rye bread meets thick caramel.

Finally Veltins Kellerbier was a smooth, buttery beer that was light bronze in colour and came with a tempting whiff of burnt sugar. It was one of those beers that you wish would never end. All four beers were superb, but the first and last stood out in particular for me.

This is obviously a minuscule imitation of Oktoberfest, the real thing being on an astronomical scale these days. Last year’s event, according to the German media, drew 6.4 million visitors, who collectively drank 6.7 million litres of beer and ate 114 oxen. But you will get served considerably more quickly here, and the beer range is authentic and impressive. As well as those mentioned above, other German beers available included Maisel’s Weisse, Paulaner and Löwenbräu.

The Attic is not the only place to join in the Oktoberfest fun. Various pubs are stocking genuine German beers or English imitations.

The Ackhorne in St Martin’s Lane has Abbeydale’s Dunkel on its “coming soon” board, and The House of The Trembling Madness has a vast selection in its shop, all of which can be enjoyed in the bar too.

And, as of tonight, York also has a new German-style bar of its own. As regular readers will have seen midweek, the Stein Bier Keller will open next to the new Fibbers in Toft Green this evening, promising Bavarian decor, world beers and “interactive oompah bands”. It sounds intriguing, so we’ll take a proper look once they’ve found their feet. Until then, cheers. Or rather, Prost!