Last weekend, I headed along to Islington’s Beer Exposed, a wonderful exhibition dedicated to – you guessed it – beer! For someone who’s more of a fan of the grain than the hop it was quite an experience, wandering around, glass in hand, drinking all kinds of beer. And I was pleasantly surprised to find I actually really enjoyed many of the varieties on offer. So there IS more to beer than Stella!

It got me thinking about London’s beer culture. What with it being Oktoberfest and all – every beer fan’s favourite time of the year. In England we’re known as a bunch of beer-swilling lager louts with bellies extending so far from our mid-riffs we can barely see our toes (see Getting Shitfaced: London Drinking Culture?). There’s also rarely a day that goes by where the papers aren’t plastered with pics of girls, legs akimbo, pissed and lying in a pool of their own vomit. Nice. However, as anyone who doesn’t regularly hang out in Leicester Square will know, the majority of drinkers don’t actually enjoy seeing their dinner again, appearing in a mess on the street, and would far prefer to have a merry old time and not be so paraletic that an ambulance needs to be called. Certainly, beer connoisseurs (yes, they really do exist) aren’t all about the alcohol, but the joy of the beer itself. It is, after all, a booming industry.

Even restaurants are getting in on the action. A few months ago I told you about the revolution of beer tasting menus (see Who Needs Wine When You Can Have Beer), with even the most upmarket of restaurants getting involved. I tried the Pearl Restaurant and Bar beer tasting menu and it was amazing... fine dining with beer! For those who are a little more concerned about their wallets, yesterday I headed over to try Bierodrome’s Oktoberfest menu and it was certainly something to shout about. With beer used as central ingredients in all the dishes, and with each dish paired with a specially selected glass, it was a really interesting take on mixing beer with food.

Of course, all across London this month bars and restaurants will be celebrating the dark stuff. Famed for its beer and all-around cheesy-but-fun experience, Bavarian Beerhouse is – as it does every year – having its very own Oktoberfest celebrations. They always go all out and it’s sure to be a beer-fuelled few weeks.

So, although I agree that when you head off on holiday somewhere hot, us English do often let the side down with lobster-red sunburn, beer downing and general bad behaviour, but on the whole it’s unfair to associate beer with these images. From chocolate and banana infused bottles that taste like sweets to dark, malty ales that are an acquired taste, beer is as interesting as wine ever was.

Happy Oktoberfest!