Drinkers complain about Scottish Oktoberfest prices higher than Munich

SCOTLAND’S Oktoberfest has been slated for sky-high prices after it emerged beers cost more in Edinburgh than Munich.

Revellers have complained about “ridiculous” prices and underwhelming choice of beers after the first Scottish event opened on Wednesday.

A ‘mass’ of beer – which holds one litre – costs between £7.36 and £7.66 at the official Munich event, which has 32 beers on offer and is free to enter.

 

The same drink in Scotland costs £8.50, with only one kind of beer on offer, and an entry fee of up to £10.

After this weekend the Scottish Oktoberfest moves to Glasgow followed by Dundee and Aberdeen.

Drinkers took to social media to express their disappointment after the tent in Princes Street Gardens opened for business earlier this week.

Beverley Rainford called the event an “absolute joke” on Facebook: “Overpriced generic German beer at £11.50 for a two-pint Stein is a little much.”

Amy B agreed with her analysis on reviewing site Yelp: “Don’t get me wrong, I love jugs of beer the size of my head and live music but not at the prices Oktoberfest are charging.

“On a Friday and Saturday you pay £10 entry which I think is a bit cheeky!

“The set up is very basic, long wooden benches, a bar and a stage. The queue for the bar stretched all the way down the tent so I had to get in there quick!

“There was one beer to choose from and it came in stein, mass or pint. The stein costing £11.50!

“I’m used to Edinburgh prices but that’s a bit ridiculous! The fresh pretzels were pretty damn good but cost £3 each.

“It was a laugh but if they just lowered their prices I would be tempted to stay longer.”

The Wednesday opening was free but drinkers had to pay an entry fee of £5 on Thursday and Sunday and £10 on Friday and Saturday.

Events manager for Scotland Stine Bloch defended the pricing by pointing to the logistical costs involved in running the event.

“In Munich they don’t need to bring the beer all the way to the UK from Germany,” she said.

“We want people to get the best German Oktoberfest beer so of course it will be a little more expensive.

“The beers aren’t even that expensive compared to some in pubs. Of course it’s a little more expensive because it’s a festival.

“We’re making a special Bavarian beer imported from Germany just for this event – you’re only able to get it at Oktoberfest.

“We’re not the same Oktoberfest as in Munich. We’re trying to bring the tradition to Edinburgh – of course it’s a little bit different, we can’t do the exact same thing, we’re not able to do that.

“We set up a tent and make sure people get Bavarian food and live music from Germany.

“That’s why we have an entrance fee. The band comes from Germany, the DJ is from Germany, we’re trying to bring the best of Germany to Edinburgh.”