Ocktoberfest is an opportunity for us to celebrate all things German

Undated Handout Photo of Irish Beef and Irish Stout Casserole with Herby Dumplings. See PA Feature FOOD Irish. Picture credit should read: PA Photo/Irish Food Board Bord Bia. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature FOOD Irish.

This celebration of beer has been held in the city since 1810 and has up to six million people attending over a ten day period.

It is now replicated in cities all over the world and it’s a great excuse to liven up early autumn.

Ten years ago there were only a couple of real ale breweries in Northern Ireland but at the last count there are currently twenty three.

They’ve won many awards and like most of food and drink producers, they don’t rest on the laurels of their success.

Making beer is like cooking and unless you keep on top of trends, you’ll be left behind. It’s not enough to brew beer and lager and sit back. Nowadays a young, discerning beer drinking audience is demanding more.

Sour beers are when the beer is made intentionally sour or acidic.

Historically these were made by the introduction of wild yeast or bacteria as opposed to the sterile environment beers are now produced in. Some of the breweries here have introduced sour beers that are great to drink on their own or equally delicious matched with pork or game dishes.

Another trend is Nitro Stout where the usual carbon dioxide gas is replaced with nitrogen giving the beer a smooth creamy finish.

Matching dishes with beers rather than the usual wine is bang on trend at the moment.

Using beer as an ingredient is a good way of injecting some va va voom into your cooking. Its slight bitterness lends itself to a myriad of dishes.

Pork and cider is a common partnership but beer lends itself well to a pork casserole.

Apples are plentiful at the moment and add a fruity element to the dish.

Here its served with turnip that’s been roasted and tossed in a crispy bacon, honey and mustard dressing.

The evenings are closing in and this is the perfect meal for this time of year.

For something sweet and comforting treacle stout cake is a sticky confection that’s served with candied pears and a nutmeg custard. The bitterness of the stout is offset with treacle and syrup and the pears.

The brewers in this country are an innovative bunch and are constantly coming up with new varieties of flavours and techniques.

No better time to emulate our German friends and enjoy our own Ocktoberfest.