Lager than life

Beer enthusiasts looking for a heftier alternative to watery Chinese brews only have weeks to wait before the 12th annual Shanghai Oktoberfest opens its taps for an 11-day Teutonic beer binge.

The Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai Hotel will host the event from Sept 16 to 26, with guests invited to empty their mugs - again and again - as the Shanghai edition aims to rival China's longstanding Qingdao and Dalian beer festivals.

Designed as a clone of the famed Oktoberfest, which draws thousands of beer-swilling locals and tourists to Germany's third-largest city of Munich, the Shanghai version promises to be the most authentic replica yet, according to organizer Gary Fung.