The West Bank isn’t the first place I think of when I think of a Oktoberfest celebration.  Well, this morning I read an interesting article in the Washington Post about a brewer in Taybeh, West Bank, who has been brewing beer that’s becoming ever more popular around the world and their Oktoberfest celebration is in its fifth year.  Cool!

To the usual images of conflict, checkpoints — and in the case of areas influenced by Islamist groups such as Hamas, an intolerance of alcohol — Khoury and his family-owned Taybeh brewery have added a Oktoberfest, a weekend of music, dancing, local crafts and free-flowing suds, just to the east of Ramallah and across the valley from nearby Israeli settlements. To the usual lineup of traditional products like olive oil and honey, he has added a lager that has caught on in Japan and been franchised for production in Germany.