Grab your favourite gluten free beer to celebrate Oktoberfest 2022 (17 September – 3 October)
The origins of Oktoberfest hark back to 12 October 1810, when the Crown Prince of Bavaria (King Louis I) married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. We can safely say that there was no gluten free beer available.
Ever since (only breaking for World Wars and COVID in 2020 and 2021), a 14-16 day funfair and festival has taken over Munich, and other cities across the world have replicated the great tradition.
When the Official Munich Oktoberfest was last held in 2019, 6.3 million people attended and 7.3 million litres of beer was consumed – that's almost 20 million cans of TWØBAYS!
This year, we've decided that it's not fair for all the Märzen and Festbier drinkers to be the only ones clashing steins, dancing in lederhosen, and powering through pretzels... so we brewed a gluten free Oktoberfest beer, called OktoberGFest!
OktoberGFest will be pouring on tap from Saturday 1st October at TWØBAYS Mornington Peninsula Brewery in Dromana – book your table here! The small batch release will also be available at The Local Taphouse Oktoberfest celebrations on 1 October and Stomping Ground Collingwood and Stomping Ground Morris Moor for their 7 October final Oktoberfest weekend celebrations.
OktoberGFest is a Helles Lager – a straightforward, lightly hopped, mildly sweet, easy-drinking lager with low bitterness. The German word hell translates as bright, pale or light in colour.
"It's a very quaffable beer," said TWØBAYS Head Brewer Kristian Martin.
"While we have used Munich Millet malt in the brew, we also added a large quantity of Vienna Millet Malt. Like all of our grains, it's a great quality malt and it helps to create a little more creaminess to help with head retention; a hugely important factor for this Oktoberfest beer.
"It's clean, great with a range of food, and perfect for warmer weather. The Helles style accentuates maltiness, but in a crisp, light-bodied fashion – not as you would expect with an amber, red, brown ale or stout. It's a refresher – a palate cleanser – with subtle spicy notes and a marmalade sweetness. It's not as bitter or hoppy as a Pilsner like our core Lager."
And while US and UK gluten free breweries have brewed Oktoberfest beers before, this is the first dedicated festival beer commercially brewed in Australia.
"We're delighted to be offering gluten free beer drinkers an opportunity to join in with this amazing international beer festival," said Richard Jeffares, who founded TWØBAYS after being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in 2015.
"I have fond memories of Oktoberfest celebrations, and it's definitely an event that should hold no barriers for those who live a gluten free or vegan lifestyle."
Can't get to Victoria to taste TWØBAYS OktoberGFest? Grab a 4-pack of Lager or Pale Ale, or a 6-pack of GFB Draught to celebrate! Or order online here.
