Beer festival puts the oomph in oompah pah!

Updated 2:46pm Friday 3rd April 2015 in News

By Gill Harris

Pic By Dave CoxSwindon 2014 German beer festival at the MECA.Pic – Eddie HenwoodDate 22/3/14 (22122779)

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

STRAP on your lederhosen and get you German phrase book ready – Swindon’s answer to Oktoberfest is back this month.

For the third year running, BeerfestUK will be filling out the MECA in Regent Circus on Saturday, April 18 for an evening of beer and bratwurst sampling to the sounds and stirrings of time-honoured oomph music with a spot of dancing thrown in in true Bavarian style

Following the same winning formula as last year’s extravaganza, the festival has made one slight change to its ale selection.

Erdinger has made way for Pilsner and a Benediktiner, a variety only available in Germany.

The festival is the brainchild of Philip Marsh, owner of BeerfestUK who was introduced to Oktoberfest and Germany beer-drinking culture while posted in the country as a 19-year-old in the armed forces.

In keeping with its German counterpart in Munich the festival is not aiming to be a beer testing event, but merely feature a small range of popular brews.

“This is our third year in Swindon and we are looking forward to our return,” he said. “We have held beer fests in venues across the South West and South Wales and many have been steady; but Swindon has been really busy every time.

“It’s sold out the last couple of years. People enjoy themselves and come back. We feel we’ve achieved something here. As long as there is demand we will continue to come to Swindon.”

It is while reminiscing about his German posting with his brother over a fresh pint in his native Southampton back in 2010 that the idea of bringing Oktoberfest to the UK blossomed.

“I did two yours of Germany, of two years each, and I really enjoyed the German lifestyle, the food and entertainment and of course I went to Oktoberfest.

“I was in a pub having a drink before a Southampton game with my brother and we were discussing our experiences of serving in Germany. It brought back memories of Oktoberfest and Schützenfest, which is a small shooting festival in Northern Germany.

“People fly out there, book a hotel and it’s quite expensive now. So we thought ‘Let’s bring it to the UK’. Rather than flying people can just turn up to MECA and we do our best to replicate the festival for them.

“We are keeping it traditional and maintaining the core values. We’ve got classic German music with the Alpine Stompers ompha band, fine German beers served by boys and girls in traditional costumes and bratwursts. That’s the very simple ingredients.

“Some people have said ‘Why don’t you add cider or fish and chips’. But that’s not what Oktoberfest is about. It’s about the costumes, the food, and the beer. And it seems to have worked.”

In 2011, BeerfestUK held its first two festivals in Southampton and Reading. It has now expanded its reach to the four corners of the South West and Wales including Cardiff, Salisbury, Bristol and Bath.

This year, the beer will be provided by the Bitburger brewery, which sits on the Luxembourg and Germany border.

Oktoberfest began on in October 1810 with the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig, who later became King Ludwig I. His marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen was celebrated in Bavaria. On October 17, five days after the marriage, a large fest was held in front of the Sendlinger Tor, one of the gates leading to Munich. Included in the festivities were horse races that became an Oktoberfest custom lasting until 1938. In 1811 an agricultural fair was added and by 1818 beer pubs were included along with performers. It became a great tourist attraction and a way for visitors to learn about Bavaria and its people.

In 1887 lederhosen and dirndls became the traditional garb of the attendees.

Last year the sell-out ale bonanza saw no fewer than 600 patrons fill MECA. Again this spring, bartenders sporting traditional lederhosen and Bavarian dirndl dresses will serve a selection of chargrilled bratwurst sausages and the obligatory steins from 5pm to 11pm,.

Although a celebration of Germany’s fine ales, the event is primarily a social event, one which Philip is keen to repeat each year in spring and around Christmas time.

“We are not just a large German beer tent,” he added. “It’s also social event for family and friends to have something to eat, drink and have a laugh. It’s not just a beer festival.

“We want to make this an annual event in Swindon and come back around Christmas. We really hope it will be a regular feature in the town.”

Tickets cost £12 and are on sale at www.beerfestuk.com. They will also be available on the night.

RECIPE

Golden beer-battered fish with chips

Ingredients

• 50g plain flour

• 50g cornflour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• turmeric

• 75ml Pilsner

• 75ml sparkling water

• about 1 litre sunflower oil, for frying

• 400g fillet sustainable cod, hake or haddock, halved

For the chips

• 750g potatoes, Maris Piper or Desiree, peeled and sliced into thick chips

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil

Method

1. Combine the flour, cornflour, baking powder and turmeric in a large bowl, season, then spoon 1 tbsp onto a plate and set aside. Gradually pour the beer and water into the bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. Leave to rest for 30 mins while you prepare the chips.

2. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Boil a large pan of water, then add the chipped potatoes and boil for 2-3 mins until the outsides are just tender but not soft. drain well, then tip onto a large baking tray with the flour, oil and some salt. Gently toss together until all the potatoes are evenly coated and the flour is no longer dusty. Roast for 30 mins, turning occasionally, until the chips are golden and crisp.

3. To cook the fish, heat the 1 litre oil in a deep saucepan until a drop of batter sizzles and crisps up straight away. Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, then toss it in the reserved turmeric flour mix. Shake off any excess, then dip into the batter. Carefully lower each fillet into the hot oil and fry for 6-8 mins – depending on the thickness of the fish – until golden and crisp. Using a large slotted spoon, lift out the fish, drain on kitchen paper, then sprinkle with salt. Serve with the hot chips and Homemade tomato sauce.

Marion Sauvebois

Showbiz news

• Brenda Blethyn loves Vera’s ordinariness

• The stars of Bugsy Malone – where are they now?

• Why Kylie Minogue has ruled out a return to Neighbours

• David Threlfall: I don’t get offered loads of work

• Corrie’s Sue Cleaver: Patients confide in me

• Who does Victoria Wood get mistaken for?

Comments (1)

Please log in to enable comment sorting