TIME to dust off your giant steins, strap on the lederhosen and march merrily to the nearest boisterous beer hall. This weekend marks the start of Oktoberfest — Munich’s traditional monthlong celebration of sausage, beer and bravado — and on Saturday afternoon, the New York City Brewers Guild will convene its own version, Blocktoberfest, with a party in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, complete with a barbecue smoker, live jazz music and, of course, plenty of refreshing, local suds from 19 NYC breweries.

“Blocktoberfest is a chance for New York City’s breweries to come together and prove that NYC is a great city for beer,” says Guild president Kelly Taylor, owner of Brooklyn’s KelSo Beer Co. and brewmaster for Manhattan’s Heartland Brewery.

While most breweries will be serving their usual flagship beers and fall seasonals, some, including Taylor’s own KelSo, Staten Island’s Flagship and Queens’ Rockaway Brewing, have commissioned brand new German- and Oktoberfest-inspired lagers and ales brewed especially for the event. (Brooklyn Brewery’s venerable Oktoberfest Märzen, first introduced 14 years ago, will also be poured.)

We wanted to see how these fresh-faced local suds compared to their centuries-old Bavarian progenitors, so we pitted the NYC vanguard head-to-head against time-honored German styles. How did the newbies fare? Here’s what we found.

KelSo Kellerfest (Brooklyn) vs. Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen (Munich)

Kellerfest is an unfiltered Oktoberfest-style lager with German Saphir hops and Munich and Pilsner malts. Paulaner’s Oktoberfest is Munich’s model Märzen lager — toasty, smooth and dry.

The Decision: Kellerfest’s sweet biscuity aromas and spicy hops held their own against Paulaner’s textbook Oktoberfest sweet-and-toasty Märzen. It was a close call, but ultimately, Kellerfest’s spanking-new freshness and clean, smooth finish propelled KelSo forward for the win.

Also try it at: Dean Street, 755 Dean St., Prospect Heights, 718-783-3326; and Snowdonia, 34-55 32nd St., Astoria, 347-730-5783

Rockaway Brewing Rocktoberfest (Queens) vs. Pinkus Münstersch Alt (Münster)

The match-up: Rocktoberfest is inspired by the traditional altbiers of Düsseldorf, a style that straddles the line between rustic ales and crisp lagers. Pinkus is a cloudy, fruity alt from Münster brewed with organic ingredients.

The decision: Both beers are lighter in color than traditional altbiers, more washed-out straw yellow than copper-hued brown. But while Rocktoberfest is crisp and delicate with subtle hop aromas, Pinkus is tart and dry with a fruity finish. We would be happy drinking either of these beers on a sunny fall afternoon, but once again, superb backyard freshness means the local brewery comes out on top.

Also try it at: Rockaway’s newly expanded tasting room and brewery in Long Island City, 46-01 Fifth St., 718-482-6528; Pine Box Rock Shop, 12 Grattan St., Bushwick, 718-366-6311; and Joseph Leonard, 170 Waverly Place, 646-429-8383.

Queens Lager (Queens) vs. Spaten Premium Lager (Munich)

The match-up: Queens is a contract brewery founded in 2013 that currently makes beer outside the borough at Olde Saratoga Brewing in upstate New York. Spaten Brau dates back more than 600 years to 1397, and first began distributing its lagers in New York around 1900.

The decision: Queens Lager is deep gold in color with a thin, lacey-white head and subtle, grassy hop aromas. Spaten is a gulpable, easy-drinking beer with a sweet taste and very little bitterness. Either beer would be great for a football game, and since we’re calling this practically a tie, we say give Germany props for it beer.

Also try it at: Community Beverage, 8004 Grand Ave., Elmhurst, 718-458-5254; and Beer Authority, 300 W. 40th St.; 212-510-8415.

Sixpoint Crisp Pilsner (Brooklyn) vs. Radeberger Pilsner (Radeberg)

The Match-up: Sixpoint was one of Brooklyn’s original hipster breweries, setting up shop on a dingy corner of Red Hook more than a decade ago. Radeberger, one of Germany’s best-selling pilsners, is a centuries-old bräuhaus in a small hamlet near Dresden.

The Decision: Sixpoint’s pils shines with clean, bright flavors backed by an assertive hoppiness that appeals to modern American craft-brew tastes. Radeberger, by comparison, is crisp and smooth, but fails to stand out among the glut of mass-produced German pilsners on the market. Brooklyn for the win!

Also try it at: Sixpoint Crisp is available in six-packs at many bodegas in the city. Also at the Kent Ale House, 51 Kent Ave., Williamsburg, 347-227-8624; and Judy & Punch, 34-08 30th Ave., Astoria, 718-626-3100.

Flagship Roggenfest (Staten Island) vs. Apostelbräu Roggen (Hauzenberg)

The match-up: Flagship’s fall seasonal is a mash-up of two German beer styles: roggenbier, a medieval ale brewed exclusively with rye, and Märzen, the Oktoberfest standard. Apostelbräu is an uncompromisingly historic roggenbier, bottle-conditioned to capture the complex singular flavors and aromas of rye.

The decision: Roggenfest is malty and mildly bitter, with some soft floral and spicy aromas from German noble hops. Apostelbräu, on the other hand, was somewhat one-note, with intense aromas and flavors of the rye, but little else. We award this round firmly to the forgotten borough’s Flagship.

Also try it at: Flagship’s 10,000-square-foot Tompkinsville, SI, brewery and tasting room, for pints of Roggenfest and growlers to go; 40 Minthorne St., SI, 718-448-5284; the Gibson, 108 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg, 718-387-6296; and d.b.a., 41 First Ave., 212-475-5097.

Blocktoberfest is Saturday at 525 Waverly Ave., between Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street. 12:30 p.m. VIP entry is $30 and includes a one-hour open sampling of all 38 beers. General admission begins at 1:30 p.m. and is $10, plus $5 for each 12-ounce pour (or five pours for $20).
newyorkcitybrewersguild.com

Further fests for the beer besotted

September 20-21

Paulaner, the Bowery-by-way-of-Munich brewpub on the Lower East Side, celebrates Oktoberfest Saturday and Sunday with a special release of master brewer Andreas Heidenreich’s Oktoberfest beer (brewed on-premise in their stunning copper-coated kettles). The festivities will continue through October with live bands every weekend and a special Bavarian menu of housemade sausages, whole suckling pig and veal shanks. 265 Bowery; 212-780-0300, paulanernyc.com.

For beer geeks, Greenpoint’s Brouwerij Lane (78 Greenpoint Ave., Brooklyn, 347-529-6133) will host a special tapping Saturday and Sunday of more than 10 rustic Oktoberfest drafts, including two wooden gravity barrels and several ultrarare Franconian gravity kegs from cult breweries like Mahrs and Weissenohe. Jim Barnes from Shelton Brothers Importers will spin German and Austrian records all evening.

On Sunday, sister brewpub Dirck the Norseman (7 N. 15th St., Brooklyn, 718-389-2940) will celebrate with an expanded menu of German favorites, as well as several special beers made on-premise by brewers Chris Prout and Erik Olsen.

September 27

On Sept. 27 the Village Voice hosts its fourth annual Brooklyn Pour tasting at 1 Hanson Place in Fort Greene. The event includes more than 20 breweries, many of them local, like Captain Lawrence, Keegan Ales and Rockaway Brewing. Tickets available at villagevoice.com/brooklynpour

October 3-5 and 10-12

East Village bar Zum Schneider will throw one of New York’s most highly anticipated Oktoberfest events on consecutive weekends under a mountainous, authentic, blue-and-white-checkerboard tent — with room for 1,000 — raised alongside the East River.

Oompah bands will entertain while revelers hoist masskrüge (dimpled liter steins) filled with traditional Oktoberfest beers from Paulaner and Hofbräuhaus Traunstein. Outside the tent, food stalls will hawk gingerbread hearts, giant pretzels, roasted chicken, pork shank and other classic Oktoberfest goodies. Test your brawn by entering a strongman competition. 23rd Street at the East River, admission $25; nyc.zumschneider.com.