Top 3: Manchester Oktoberfests ft. Sandbar, Port Street and Gorilla

It’s that time of the year again when the Bavarian bacchanals of Oktoberfest take place. Manchester’s largest celebration will take place in Albert Square later this month (22-26 Oct, Wed FREE, Thu/Fri/Sun £5, Sat £10) – but in the meantime there are alternative Oktoberfests taking place at other venues throughout the city. Here are three of the best:

Sandbar
Every day until Saturday, Sandbar on Grosvenor Street will host its own dedicated Oktoberfest bar, with speciality beers – some draught and some on tap – including Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu and Spaten. The festival bar opens from 5pm each day, but these new brews will be also available all day from the main bar.
Until Sat 4 Oct, Sandbar, 120 Grosvenor Street, M1 7HL, 12pm – 12am, FREE entry, www.sandbarmanchester.co.uk

Port Street Beer House
The ever-independent Port Street Beer House is doing something quite unique for its take on Oktoberfest. The bar is showcasing The Rainbow Project, a collaboration between seven breweries from the UK and Europe. Together, these companies have brewed beers with a colour of the rainbow as an inspiration. Examples include Indigo Child by Wild Beer Co. and Toccalmattom, and Yellow Belly by Buxton and Omnipollo. All seven beers are seven per cent alcohol or higher.
Until Sun 6 Oct, Port Street Beer House, 39-41 Port Street, M1 2EQ, 4pm – 12am, FREE entry, www.portstreetbeerhouse.co.uk

Gorilla
Next Friday, for one night only, Gorilla will go the whole hog and convert its music room into a beer hall, complete with communal tables and festive decor. On tap will be Munich’s own Paulaner, which you can enjoy from your own stein glass (yours to take away). To soak up the booze, there will all the German favourites: bratwurst, sauerkraut and pretzels. The evening’s soundtrack will, somewhat inevitably, be bierkeller music. Tickets are expected sell out fast, so don’t delay.
Fri 10 Oct, Gorilla, 54-56 Whitworth Street West, M1 5WW, 4pm – 10pm, £5 entry, www.thisisgorilla.com