O’Zapft Is! Oktoberfest at Garage Project 2026

Garage Project is running its take on Oktoberfest for a week from Friday 25 September to Thursday 1 October 2026, with three German-style beers on tap across all of their Wellington venues, served in 500ml handled steins and, where they can manage it, on side-pour taps.

“O’zapft is” is the Bavarian cry that opens Oktoberfest in Munich: the Mayor taps the first keg and shouts that it’s tapped. GP have borrowed the tradition and, more usefully for us, brewed the beers the proper way.

In Garage Project’s words

Welcome to O’Zapft Is! GP’s take on Oktoberfest and a true celebration of German culture.

This year, we’ve made the most of the extra space offered by our new tanks at GP Leeds St to cold-condition three traditional Oktoberfest beers.

The beers

• Kopfüber Märzen: the headliner. An amber lager brewed back in March and lagered all through the winter, as tradition dictates.
• Sonne Tanken: a German-style wheat beer.
• Kleine Maus: a traditional German Leichtbier, or light beer. German malts, Tettnanger and Hallertau hops, clean white bread malt and a crisp hop character.

The details

• Dates: Friday 25 September to Thursday 1 October 2026
• Where: all Garage Project Wellington venues, with the Aro Street taproom at 68 Aro Street as the home base
• Glassware: 500ml handled steins
• Food: giant bretzels with beer cheese at 91 Aro and GP Leeds Street all week, plus a schnitzel special at GP Leeds Street
• Details: the Facebook event

A note if you brew: a Märzen brewed in March and lagered for six months is exactly the beer the style guidelines describe and almost nobody in New Zealand bothers to make. If you’ve ever wondered what proper lagering time does to a malt-forward amber lager, this is the cheapest way to find out. The Leichtbier is worth a look too. Brewing a clean beer at that strength with nowhere to hide is harder than it sounds.