Hastings Oktoberfest 2025

I hinted in  my last blog that I would be visiting Oktoberfest at The Prince Albert, 28 Cornwallis Street, Hastings TN34 1SS, 19-28 September 2025 (facebook), well I did on Friday 😉 and these are the beers I drank, thank you very much! 🍺🎉🍻

I didn't actually drink these beers in the order I'm reviewing them, the order I drank in confuses me, so I'll not confuse you, but here I am reviewing them in order of strength. First reviewing, from Bavaria, and Brauhaus Tegernsee, who see themselves as the 1675 successor to a much earlier brewery of the Benedictine monastery Tegernsee (website), and their merely 4.8% Tegernseer Hell. Pretty much a classic of the style, brewed with Hallertau hops (hopslist), and my notes simply say "clear pale golden colour, plenty of flavour, but light and refreshing and a dry slightly bitter finish" and pretty damn good to start off with, next time for me, and I did! 😉 

At 5.9% and a bit stronger than a traditional Munich Helles this was the next up in strength beer I drank, from Munich obviously, a brewery with a history going back to 1397, Spaten Brauerei (website) and their Oktoberfestbier, indeed, the first Oktoberfest bier ever! Sadly, they keep the hops used to themselves, but with a touch of light herbal flavour and very tasty, a slight maltiness to the aroma and a subtle honey to taste, plenty of body, and deep golden colour, you'll have noticed I came back for more of these 2 beers (below), very drinkable and my favourite! 😁

The Spatan, Paulaner and Hofbrau breweries are 3 of the 6 Munich breweries that are allowed to brew a protected Oktoberfestbier brand for Oktoberfest itself. The other 3 are Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr which I drank last year (blog), and Lowenbrau (Oktoberfest website).

The penultimate beer here, although it was my first beer on Friday 😏 was from Paulaner Brauerei, which has a history dating back to 1634 (website), and their 6.0% Oktoberfest Bier, brewed with Herkules (hopslist) and Hallertauer Tradition (hopslist) hops. This has a slightly deeper golden colour than the others, with lightly toasted white bread in the aroma, and taste, and with a bit of caramel, almond, melon and black pepper in the taste too, plenty of flavour and body, and with a slightly dry bitter finish, nice one! 👍

Finally, the only one of these 4 that I drank at their Oktoberfest last year, also from a Munich brewery Hofbrau Munchen (website) and their 6.3% Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier, another festival 'special' beer brewed with Herkules (hopslist), Perle (hopslist), and Spalter Select (hopslist) hops. This is a pale golden colour with a subtle sweetness and hints of grapefruit and dried fruits to the taste, very refreshing, and 6.3% (!) so dangerous to drink. My notes say "so much better than the commercial lagers brewed over here." So obviously true, no comparison, I could drink this all day, prost! 🍻

I'm adding images of the Spaten Oktoberfestbier and Tegernseer Hell below, as I went back on Sunday and had these 2 beers again, and nice to see them in a glass, although I had already taken a mouthful of Hell before photographing, but you get the message. 😉

Spaten Oktoberfestbier

Tegernseer Hell

 

If you don't know why Oktoberfest is held mostly in September, I'll share that information, because I just had to look it up for myself. 😉 Oktoberfest developed from October the 12th in 1810, which was a celebration for the wedding of Prince Regent Ludwig of Bavaria, later King Ludwig I, and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, with festivities continuing until the 17th, and finishing with a horse race! It was enjoyed so much that an event was organised the following year, but the event was cancelled from 1813 due to the Napoleonic War, returning in 1819. A number of Oktoberfests were cancelled later on during the 2 World Wars of the 20th century, but the start of the event had already been brought forward to September in 1872, basically to ensure that the weather was warmer, usually finishing on the first Sunday in October. 2025 sees the 190th Oktoberfest! More of the history of Oktoberfest is shared on their website.

If driving, the Prince Albert also has available a draught 0.4% Rothaus PILS. 👌