“O’zapft is”—Munich’s mayors have used these exact same words over the past 173 years to open the Oktoberfest, or Wies’n as Germans call it. Literally meaning, “The barrel is tapped,” these two words are the opening shot for the world’s biggest folk festival, or as some (not unjustifiably) call it, the world’s biggest booze fest.

Sadly, despite the innumerable pubs, bars and beer taverns Bangkok boasts, not to mention the obligatory 7-Eleven on every street corner, there are still very few places where you can get high quality beer—but they do exist, some even with ingredients directly imported from Germany. These “microbreweries” distinguish themselves from common pubs in that they brew their own ale. Forget about mass-produced lukewarm broth that is drawn badly, and say hello to fresh, ice-cold beer with a delicious, foamy head.

Why go through the trouble of brewing your own boozy bubbles? “We want to provide the same atmosphere as a pub in England, and real English beer just isn’t available in bottles,” says the Operations Manager Anusorn Tanthanont of The Londoner (Basement, 591 UBC II Bldg., 104 Sukhumvit 33, 02-261-0238/-9. Open daily 11am-1am. BTS Phrom Phong. www.the-londoner.com). His pub boasts London Pilsner and Londoner’s Pride Cream Bitter, the only British-style bitter beer to be made in Thailand. The Londoner’s brewmaster Peter Schwarzmueller is German and worked at Paulaner Braeuhaus before joining the Londoner in 2000.

This is not the only place boasting a German master of the barrel. Over at Tawandang German Brewery (462/61 Rama 3 Rd., on the corner of Narathiwat Rd., or on Ramintra Rd., 02-678-1114/-5. Open daily 5pm-1am), Jochen Neuhaus has been busily brewing away over the past seven years, concocting mainly traditional beers with ingredients directly imported from Germany. Tawandang’s favorites are lager, weizen and dunkel, and they actually allow guests to watch as the beer is being brewed. But does home brewing really mean such a great improvement in taste?

“Definitely,” says Neuhaus. “Since we neither filtrate nor pasteurize our beer during the brewing process, the taste is absolutely unique. There are no chemical additives in our beer, and all the ingredients are directly imported from Germany. Brewing by the traditional method takes more time and money, but the result is definitely worth it!”

Though they don’t actually brew their own beer and are thus technically not a microbrewery, the Roadhouse BBQ (942/1 Suriwong Rd., on the corner of Rama 4 Rd., 02-236-8010/-1. Open daily 10am-midnight. BTS Sala Daeng) serves up some tasty microbrews. Managing Director Ivan Lavelle says, “The taste is completely different from factory-produced beers…Try our pilsner and you’ll taste just the faintest hint of honey—that’s something you won’t find in a factory-made beer.” While having two locally brewed beers available, the Roadhouse Pilsner and the Strong Ale, you can also choose from a vast array of imported drafts from Germany and the UK. Beware of the Strong Ale, though: Absolutely living up to its name, this is not a beer well drunk on an empty stomach.

One thing the DIY method ensures is compliance with the Reinheitsgebot (Bavarian purity law), a set of rules concerning the brewing process. First enacted in 1516 and allowing only barley, water and hops as ingredients, it was intended to ensure the availability of rye and wheat to bakers. The Reinheitsgebot regulations were relaxed in 1987 allowing anything edible to be legal for making beer, as well. This allowed breweries to egally create the now popular wheat beers. Ales still brewed today in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot are protected as traditional foods. Tawandang and the Londoner brew according to the purity law.

So what are you waiting for? You’ve got a lot to make up for—last year’s Oktoberfest saw 6.1 million liters of beer floored and 55,913 pork knuckles devoured. Get into the spirit and guzzle, guzzle, guzzle.

The Boozy Facts

The Londoner

Beer: Londoner’s Pride Cream Bitter
% alcohol: 5.2
Description: As the name suggests, a “bitter” ale brewed with top-fermenting yeast imported from the UK. (It’s actually not all that bitter.)
Price/pint: B160

Beer: London Pilsner
% alcohol: 5.4
Description: Reminiscent of a traditional Czech lager, this beer brewed with bottom-fermenting yeast has a slightly bitter flavor.
Price/pint: B160

Tipsy Tip: Hit their happy hour, daily 4-7pm, where you can secure 2-for-1 deals on almost all drinks including the micro-brewed beers. Wednesdays it gets even crazier—drinks by the glass are 2-for-1 until closing (5pm-1am).

Tawandang

Beer: Lager
% alcohol: 5
Description: This slightly cloudy and yeasty beer has a refreshing, slightly hoppy taste and is less prone to produce hangovers due to live yeast, which is a natural source of B-group vitamins.
Price/pint: B150

Beer: Weizen
% alcohol: 5.5
Description: This wheat beer receives its unique fruity flavor through the use of wheat instead of barley malt and a traditional brewing process.
Price/pint: B150

Beer: Dunkel
% alcohol: 4.5
Description: The use of five special roasted malts guarantees this dark and thick ale’s chocolaty flavor and richness.
Price/pint: B150

Tipsy Tip: If you come with a couple of friends, grab one of their “beer party” self-tap columns, which contain 3-5 liters of brew and cost B6,000. Chug-a-lug!

Roadhouse BBQ

Beer: Roadhouse Pilsner
% alcohol: 5
Description: A cloudy and yeasty yet slightly honey-sweet beer that doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste.
Price/pint: B185

Beer: Roadhouse Strong Ale
% alcohol: 7.5
Description: This is the real thing: Don’t be fooled by its deceptively light flavor!
Price/pint: B185
Tipsy Tip: They do have a happy hour (daily, 4-7pm), but unfortunately it doesn’t include the good stuff. Local drafts (boo!) are B75/pint—but peanuts are free.