The third Taybeh Oktoberfest

Monday September 10, 2007 15:48

by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC NEWS

Over the weekend of September 8th and 9th the village of Taybeh just north of the central West Bank city of Ramallah held its third annual Oktoberfest.

The Festival provided food, music, local produce and crafts and, of course, the wonderful Taybeh beer, the first beer to be produced in Palestine and which is now exported around the world.

The village of Taybeh is the home to a population of 3,000 mainly Christian Palestinians.It is reached by roads which wind up the hills from the valleys below to where it stands looking across the Jordan Valley and into Jordan itself and. It was encouraging to see the number of people who had made it there from all over Palestine despite the problems caused by Israeli Army checkpoints.

From Ramallah it is a 30 minute car journey to Taybeh where one is assured of the typical warm welcome and atmosphere of a Palestinian village.The difference here is that you will be met by on old man holding a glass of delicious golden beer.

Since the Oktoberfests started three years ago the event has been held in the local municipal hall which commands glorious views of the surrounding countryside .A small stage area stands nearby where a number of Palestinian music performers entertained the guests over the weekend. Among those performing this year were DAM,the famous Palestinian rap group, as well Dabkah dancing groups.

Inside the hall visitors had the chance to taste local food and buy local produce � honey, olive oil and cakes. Some local artisan groups also brought handicrafts such as embroidery. Once the delights of eating and shopping had dimmed it was easy to return to beer.

Nadem Khoury, co-founder and mastermind of the Taybeh Brewing Company, welcomed visitors with warm words and drafts of beer. He told IMEMC that the aim of the Fest was to help the local economy and to support the local farmers. It was also a great way for people to meet each other and enjoy the beer.

As Taybeh beer is the main attraction of the Fest organized tours of the brewery were made available. Here one could watch a short video of the production process, look round the production facilities and then have the opportunity to buy beer directly from the brewery as well as souvenirs.

Those who undertook the tour were welcomed by Buthainah Khoury, a member of the family which owns the brewery. Ms Khouri is a well-known Palestinian film- maker and she can use her experience to market the family beer and tell the visitors all about the different stages of the brewing process.

Marketing for export is one of the obstacles the company have had to overcome in order to expand its sales, Miss Khouri told IMEMC.As the borders are controlled by the Israelis the company has to deal with both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli legal system.
In spite of the difficulties Taybeh beer has managed to reach as far as Japan and is now also brewed under licence in Germany.

On Sunday night the Oktoberfest came to end with many promising to return at the same time next year.