Happy Oaktoberfest!

October brings to mind several things: hockey season, beautiful fall colours, Halloween and Oktoberfest! If you can't make it to Munich, there's an alternative that's a lot closer to home. Kitchener-Waterloo's Oktoberfest is actually the second-largest in the world and has been around for a solid 45 years. If you've never gone, I highly recommend checking it out. You don't have to be German to enjoy the spirit of "gemütlichkeit" - an abstract German noun that roughly means "a situation that induces a cheerful mood, peace of mind, with the connotation of belonging and social acceptance, coziness and unhurry." (Source: Wikipedia)

There are nearly 20 different "festhallen" to choose from, each offering a different atmosphere. For the most authentic experience though, I recommend buying a ticket to one of the venues housed in one of Kitchener-Waterloo's German clubs, such as Schwaben Club. The food is fantastic (think delicious sausage and schnitzel, the smell of fresh beer nuts roasting, and home-made apple strudel. Yum!) and there is no shortage of beer and schnapps.

Also worth noting is the GRT (Grand River Transit) offers free rides every evening during the festival to make sure everyone gets home safely. Just an hour and a half by car from Toronto (or a couple of hours via GO, Greyhound or VIA Rail), KW Oktoberfest is absolutely worth a visit.

If you can't make it, you can always make your own Oktoberfest at home with Black Oak's Oaktoberfest beer:

BEER: Oaktoberfest (Black Oak Brewing Company, Toronto, Ontario)

ABV: 5.0%

SERVED: 650 mL brown bottle poured into two Paulaner München 1L glass steins (one for me and one for my girlfriend, of course!)

APPEARANCE: The bottle has a nice label, with a beautifully-decorated beer stein and "Oaktoberfest" written in a German Gothic style font. The beer is golden copper in colour, with little head to speak of.

AROMA: The sweetness of the malts is quite pronounced. It's quite a pleasant, inviting scent.

TASTE: The sweet malt flavour captures my taste buds, leaving a very subtle bitter hop note in the aftertaste. Some of the sweetness lingers from sip to sip as well. This is very drinkable.

OVERALL: It's a shame this is only produced seasonally, as it's quite a nice beer. If you're in the mood for something refreshing, one of these might fit the bill rather nicely. Just be careful - while drinking one of these, you might find yourself having a sudden urge to put on some German polka music! 7.5/10

Roll out the barrel! (Note: that's before I've even had a sip. Just goes to show you how big those 1L steins are!)