Giant beer bottles such as this one by Russian brand Bajithka indicated from afar the 15th edition of the festival, held along a 2km corridor on the former East Berlin boulevard of Karl-Marx Allee.

Wooden puppets adorned the booth of Slovakian brand Zlaty Brazant; the country has a long tradition of traditional puppetry and beer making.

Grimbergen's abbey origins were hammered home by habit-clad servers; originating from Belgium, the beer is now brewed commercially there and in France.

Asia was represented by Vietnam ..

.. and India, complete with a plastic coconut tree prop. But hang on, this beer (pronounced 'yogi') is actually brewed in Brandenburg, outside Berlin!

In any case, what would a beer fest be without Bavarian beer and a traditional blue-and-white Oktoberfest beer tent?

Let's not forget beer gardens like this one set up by 450-year-old black lager producer Köstritzer. Though these patrons didn't look thrilled to be photographed – gulp!

There were pretzels and sausages aplenty to have with the beer.

For those with a more discerning palate, horse meat was an option.

And of course, gherkins from the Spreewald, south of Berlin ..

.. which these strapping lads relished.

Dressing up is part of a beer festival, as is carrying around your own Stein (beer mug).

Or you just drink from the glasses they provide, as this group did with their Belgian fruit beer.

I tried hard to not take any it-takes-girls-to-sell-alcohol photos. But not when they were dressed in such pretty costumes like this Russian one ..

.. and this Czech one ..

Moreover, the promoters posed so willingly at my polite requests that I caved in and took this stereotypical shot.