Prost! Oktoberfest events to check out on the Lower Mainland

If you can't make it to Munich for their famous Oktoberfest being held right now, never fear: there are several smaller versions taking place right here in B.C.

"Oktoberfest came about as a way to finish off the previous year's beers and make room in the casks for the new beers to be brewed," On The Coast beer columnist Rebecca Whyman told host Stephen Quinn.

"If you have to drink a lot of beer in a short amount of time, it only makes sense to have a festival for it!"

Here are some local Oktoberfests for beer lovers to check out.

• On The Coast's beer and wine stories
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Harvest Haus in Vancouver: Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, Oct. 7-9

"Ooom-pah, sausages and pretzels, and of course, lots of beer await you at the Queen Elizabeth plaza. You can enjoy swordplay and dancing and cheers-ing with ceramic steins."

Darby's Oktoberfest in Vancouver: Oct. 2

"They're pairing four beer styles, dunkel, marzen, alt and hefeweizen with German fare of pretzels and sausages. No tickets required, just show up and enjoy."

Port Moody Oktoberfest: Sept. 29 to Oct. 2

"There will be beer, pretzels, sausages and kettle corn, a live DJ, singing and dancing: $20 gets you entry to the tent for one evening, $50 gets you a pass for all the days of the festival."

5th Annual Harrison Beer Festival: Oct. 28-29

"There's an Irish-themed cask fest on the Friday night, followed by a tasting festival during the day on Saturday, culminating in an Oktoberfest dinner and dance on Saturday night."

Here are Whyman's beer picks for this week:

Category 12 Zombie Repellant Ale

"This is a Belgian red ale with hints of orange and fennel. Category 12 brewed this beer as an alternative to the overwhelming pumpkin-ing of this season: 6.9 per cent, available in 650 ml bottles at select liquor stores."

Bomber Brewing Marzen

"Medium-bodied with a dry finish. It's malty, with some hop bitterness. This seasonal is available in six packs of cans and 650 ml bomber bottles at the brewery and liquor stores, 5.5 per cent."

Phillips' Toothless Pumpkin Sour Ale

"At a mere 4.7 per cent, this sour version of the pumpkin spice beer has a sour bite and a dry finish. Available for a limited time in 650 ml bomber bottles at private and government liquor stores."

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast