It's that time of year again when the Germans don the lederhosen and aim to make merry in the traditional way. But not, it appears, if the ACT government has its way.
One of Canberra's stalwarts of Oktoberfest celebrations, the Harmonie German Club, again has been told "nein" to serving beer in traditional steins by Access Canberra.
Reshaping Oktoberfest celebrations this year to fit the COVID restrictions has been a huge challenge for the club because of the inability to have mass gatherings.
However, the club's general manager, Paul Berger, has pressed on and his team has instead devised a week of smaller celebrations of different kinds to fit within the COVID guidelines.
But there's just one legislative hitch: the German tradition of serving beer in a one-litre stein contravenes the ACT Liquor Guidelines.
Mr Berger has been frustrated by the government's intransigence and lack of response to his approaches over a number of years.
It might be small beer to the government but to the German club ahead of its one-off week of events, it's an important issue.
"I've been the manager here at the club since early 2016 and the first thing I set out to do was to promote the cultural aspects of the club such as Bavarian food and beer and hospitality and that's what we do, and that's what we're good at," he said.
"We sent an application in back then [in 2016] and tried to explain that Bavarian cultural connection to the stein glass because that's how you order a beer in Munich.
"We've brought Oktoberfest back to the ACT this year and by doing so, as a responsible provider we have to adhere to the liquor guidelines which puts a cap on the service of alcohol, in an open container, at 570ml, which basically a schooner glass.
"As we have to operate within the legal parameters; all we're seeking is an exemption on the basis of cultural significance."
He said that pubs and other businesses in Canberra had been serving beer in steins at their events and while he's tempted to follow their example and flout the law, as the manager of a registered club it's a risk he's not willing to take.
"We keep trying [to gain an exemption] but we keep getting knocked back and from our perspective, it's a bit annoying that other Canberra breweries and pubs seem to be able to sell beer this way and openly promote it," he said.
"Good on them for being able to do that but there's a basic regulatory inequity there which shows that different businesses are being treated differently in Canberra, and that shouldn't be the case."
Serving up weissbeer in steins, he says, provides Oktoberfest patrons with an "Instagram moment".
"It's a fun thing which connects the people to the event," he said.
Last year around 7000 people attended the club's Oktoberfest celebrations at the Queanbeyan showground, where NSW liquor laws allowed the beer to be served in steins.
Gwyn Rees, from Clubs ACT, says this small exemption was an important one for a club which wants to do the right thing.
"The German stein is a one-litre glass but whether it's a pint, pony, pot, schooner, middy or even the contentious schmiddy, how you order beer in Australia has never been a standard measure," he said.
"The current ban on the stein makes little sense and an exemption for events of cultural significance would be appropriate.
"We can't have one rule for the German Club the home of German culture in the ACT and a blind eye turned to others [who flout it]. If the law must stand then it should be applied consistently or not at all."
