Alburgh based Grain Brewery recreates the atmosphere of a German beer hall at annual Oktoberfest

There was a real taste of the continent at the weekend when a brewery and taproom held its annual Oktoberfest.

It is the second time Grain Brewery, based at South Farm Tunbeck Road, Alburgh, has held the event, which recreates the atmosphere of a German beer hall.

The taproom serves as a community hub for the village, regularly holding events.

For Oktoberfest, which began on Friday and continued through Saturday, locals were invited to dress up in Bavarian costume.

Brewery boss Phil Halls said: “We call it our Late Oktoberfest as the one in Munich is a little earlier.

“It started slowly on Friday, but the main event on Saturday went down really well.

“We had Bavarian oompah music as well as a German-themed playlist with everything from Kraftwerk to David Hasselhoff, who was very popular there.

“Around 80 people came together and about a dozen of those were in costume.

“Everyone really got into the spirit of things.”

Grain Brewery sells its multi-award winning beers through casks, kegs, bottles and pubs.

Earlier this year, it scooped four top accolades at a Society of Independent Brewers’ BeerX national awards ceremony.

For Oktoberfest, there were three German beers on offer, as well as the brewery’s own Dunkel Weiss wheat beer and pilsner larger.

“The beers were served in large maß (mass) glasses, rather than steins, and went down really well, ” added Phil.

“We also had a chef onboard serving currywurst hotdogs, which people enjoyed.

“There is no pub in the village so we like to fill that gap by holding events, with any excuse for a party, really. It’s great to celebrate with local people.

“It’s been a good year for us so far, with growing customers and the brewery reaching capacity.

“We are focusing on producing even more interesting beers and looking into malting the barley direct from the farm next year.

“Thanks to everyone who came along.”