Hoppy Hour

When it comes to beer, the choices are just about endless

- Leila El Shennawy

EVERY AUTUMN, THE mayor of Munich taps Oktoberfest's first keg inside the festival's oldest beer tent, Schottenhamel-Festhalle. Surrounded by a cheering crowd and a brass band, he proclaims in the Bavarian dialect, "O'zapft is!"-"It has been tapped!"

Germany's Oktoberfest draws millions every year; no surprise, since beer is the world's third-most-consumed beverage, after water and tea. It is also one the oldest, having been first brewed in ancient Mesopotamia (most of which is now Iraq) around 12,000 years ago. The beloved yeast-fermented brew of malted barley has come a long way since then. Early beer was thick, porridge-like and flavoured with date syrup instead of hops. It wasn't until the Middle Ages that Catholic monks added hops to beer (which they sold to generate income), perhaps making them the first craft brewers.