There's no better place to celebrate Oktoberfest than a German biergarten. Brotzeit has long been one of the go-to places for beer-powered merriment and celebration.

Here are five reasons to head on over:

They celebrate early and extend the festivities, much like what's done in Germany

Photo by Jeeves De Veyra
Oktoberfest starts a little early during the last days of September. Brotzeit has always done this by preemptively rolling out the beer barrels and adding special items to the menu a little sooner than everybody else. 

Aside from being early, all of the Oktoberfest offers are available until November 10.

An authentic Oktoberfest band

Photo by Jeeves De Veyra

For this first weekend, they have an Oktoberfest band, Anton Show, who flew in all the way from Germany. No stranger to the Philippines, these lively performers not only sing, dance, and yodel like no other, but also lead guests to celebrate along with them.

Catch Anton Show at Brotzeit's Shangri-La at the Fort Branch on Friday (September 27) and Sunday (September 29), and at the Alabang West Parade Branch on Saturday (September 28).

Community and audience participation

Photo by Jeeves De Veyra

The band, along with the Brotzeit waitstaff, encourage diners to sing, dance, and drink together, tremendously levelling up the Oktoberfest spirit. 

They will even have games like keg lifting, beer lifting, and beer drinking contests with medals, beer, gift certificates, medals and, most importantly, bragging rights.

Of course, the food 

Photo by Jeeves De Veyra

For those new to German food, the Brotzeit menu has many dishes to try out -- from pretzels with mustard and flatbread made with dark rye, to their version of shawarma, the donner sandwich, where they use bread instead of pita. A personal favorite is the Wiesswurst in light soup -- a Bavarian white sausage served in soup.

But for a smorgasbord of German items, go for the Oktoberfest platter that comes with a selection of German protein-heavy food. There’s a trio of thuringer, pork cheese sausage, and smoked pork sausage; and beef brisket so tender you can cut it with a spoon. 

Photo by Jeeves De Veyra

Of note are the pork chops, specially created by Chef Ivan Maminta and owner Malvin Ang for the Philippines but have now appeared in Brotzeit menus outside the country. The pork trotter is not deep-fried crispy pata -- it's cooked the German way, marinated in beer and spices, boiled until soft and tender, and broiled in the oven as ordered to get that crispy skin.

Beer, beer and more beer

Photo by Jeeves De VeyraWhat’s a beer garden without beer? Brotzeit has a great selection of German beer -- I recommend the beer flight which has glasses of lager, dark lager, weissbier, and dunkel weissbier for curious drinkers wanting to expand their beer horizons.

For those who want a lighter drink, try the Radler, a light, sweet beer that was developed for cyclists. But if you want a brew with more kick, get the Weihenstephaner festbier, a higher ABV special beer only served up during Oktoberfest.