At this year’s Shinjuku Beerfest, a celebration based on the grandfather of all beer festivals, Oktoberfest, you can chug German brews from the seven different big-name breweries, including Krombacher, Hacker-Pschorr, Paulaner, and Arcobrau – all in a comfortable outdoor setting. Drinks start at ¥800, and cover the spectrum from wheat beer and fruit beers to pilsners and stouts. It’s also the first time in Japan that festival-goers will have the chance to take home German barrel draft beer, distributed in 500ml PET bottles that keep fresh for up to 3 days – although there’s little chance of it lasting that long in our fridge.
On the food side, there are plenty of hearty snacks to soak up all the beer, including schnitzel sandwiches, sauerkraut, pickles, grilled wagyu, potato fries and wedges, and sausages, with food starting around ¥500. There’ll also be two special eating events taking place inside the festival – a Meat Grand Prix, from November 6-15, and Gyoza Grand Prix, from November 17-23.