It's all about the Beer, Wine and Cider this September!

If you are a beer lover, then September is your month!! It seems that lots of beer related events are popping up all over the place. 

First off is the fourth annual Irish Craft Beer Festival which takes place in the RDS, Dublin, from 7th - 9th September. This event will feature over 20 Irish craft breweries, including West Kerry Brewery, Dungarvan Brewing Co., DJ's Tempted Juice & Cider White Gypsy, Eight Degrees Brewing, Franciscan Well Brewery, Hilden Brewing Co., McIvors Cider Co., Messrs Maguire Craft Brewers, Metalman Brewing Co., and many more! For the first time, the festival will launch with a beer and food pairing evening on the 6th September, offering guests the opportunity to learn more about the different attributes and traits of Irish Craft Beers as well as providing a deeper understanding on which foods compliment different types of craft beers.Tickets for the festival start at €10 per day and can be purchased from Ticketmaster as well as participating outlets. For tickets to the beer and food pairing evening on September 6th please contact the team on info@IrishCraftBeerFestival.com. For more information follow the Irish Craft Beerfest on Twitter and Facebook.

Next up is the The Secret Beer Garden Festival hosted by Deveneys of Dundrum which is taking place in the Pembroke District in Dundrum Town Centre on Saturday 15th September from 2.30 - 10pm.  This is a craft bottled beer festival with 100's of craft beers from around the world; live music; great food and an incredible atmosphere! Tickets cost €20.00 which includes access to all areas; an official festival tankard and 3  complimentary beer tokens and guarantees lots of great entertainment! For further updates you can follow Deveney's Secret Beer Garden Festival on Twitter  and Facebook or check out their website. I have also just found out that The Port House will have a secret wine garden that leads into the secret Beer Garden as part of the festival. So something for everyone there!!

Then there is  the Paulaner Oktoberfest which takes  place in The Mansion House on Dawson Street from Thursday 13th of September to Sunday 16th. Paulaner will be converting The Round Room into a beer tent for the four days filled with traditional Bavarian food and German Oompah bands. Festival doors open at 5pm each day and entry to Paulaner Oktoberfest is free. It is on a first come, first served basis and tables can be booked through their website. You can also follow the Paulaner Oktoberfest on Facebook.

If you still feel a thirst for beer after all those events, the Erdinger Oktoberfest runs from Thursday the 20th of September until Sunday 7th of October. It will take place at Georges Dock down in the IFSC and will run from 12pm to 12.30am every day except Sunday when it shuts at eight. If you want to remain at the event past 10pm you need a wristband combined with a voucher for a meal that you can receive at the reservation office or the bars in the tent. It will be €6 per wristband, €5 for the food and €1 for a charity project. I always find this event a bit hectic and really packed but I generally go down to grab a Bratwurst at some point. Find them on Facebook. 

This year's Paulaner Oktoberfest Beag is taking place in the Old Beamish and Crawford Brewery, South Main Street, Cork and will run from 13th - 22nd of September.  There will be tasty beers, authentic German dishes, funfair rides and a whole lot more! Tickets are €10 and can are available from www.oktoberfestbeag.ie.

If you aren't a beer drinker don't despair there are two other events out there that might be of interest; one for the cider drinkers and the other for the wine lovers. Ciderfest will take place on 22nd-23rd September.  Slow Food Four Rivers, in conjunction with The Apple Farm and Irish Seed Savers, will hold the first Irish Apple and Craft Cider Festival, in South Tipperary. There will be opportunities to try Irish and international craft ciders, watch apple-pressing and cider-making demonstrations, learn about Irish apple varieties, the heritage and history of apples and of cider-making. Apple growers and producers of apple-based foods will be showcasing their products and there will be many opportunities to enjoy good local food with a distinct apple flavour. This is a family event so the kiddies are more than welcome. For updates check out the website.

For all the wine lovers out there, McGuigan Wines is creating its own City Vineyard. Situated in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, the McGuigan City Vineyard is the perfect opportunity to kick off your shoes, stroll amongst the lush 70 year-old vines and meet the winemakers. The vineyard is open to the public from 12noon until 7pm from Wednesday 5th - Saturday 8th September. It is free to enter but it is strictly over 18s. For more information check out their website, Facebook or Twitter. 

If none of these events are your thing, take a look here because there is lots of great stuff happening during September.