Oktoberfest will look mighty different this fall. Germany’s annual beer-and-sausage blowout is canceled, and large American gatherings will likely remain limited—but don’t see the glass half-empty. Instead, fill it to the top with festbier, the golden lager that’s designed for celebrations. Americans mostly associate Oktoberfest beers with the richly malted Märzen (meaning March), a copper-toned lager historically brewed in early spring and lagered, or cold-conditioned, throughout summer. However, the robust brew has long had an Achilles’ heel: They’re a little on the heavy side. That’s why Germany’s go-to Oktoberfest lager is now festbier, lighter in color, loaded with flavor, and suitable for a liter or four on an autumn afternoon. “It’s full-bodied but very, very easy-drinking,” says Steve Hauser, CEO of Paulaner USA. With imported-beer aisles now brimming with freshly brewed German takes, stateside breweries have also embraced the more assertively hopped festbier. It’s time to go for gold. “It’s full-bodied but very, very easy-drinking.” WEIHENSTEPHANER FESTBIER Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan Freising, Germany • 5.8% ABV This German brewery—reportedly the world’s oldest, dating to the 11th century—makes its richly golden festbier with several varieties of Hallertauer hops. They lend the hearty lager a oral, spicy profile that IPA fans will appreciate. COMMERZIENRAT RIEGELE PRIVAT Brauhaus Riegele Augsburg, Germany • 5.2% ABV Established in 1386, this family-run Bavarian brewery makes its year-round festbier with Germany’s heirloom Stef barley and its own unique yeast strain. Riegele cold-ferments Privat for more than 60 days, creating a clean and snappy lager with a fragrance of blooming flowers. OKTOBERFEST BIER Paulaner Brewery Munich, Germany • 6% ABV To recreate Oktoberfest at home, hoist a hefty glass mug of Paulaner’s trophy-gold Oktoberfest Bier. It’s the same lager they serve at the festival, and balances a bready base with a grassy, herbaceous scent—a bratwurst’s best friend. HOFBRÄU OKTOBERFESTBIER Staatliches Hofbräuhaus München Munich, Germany • 6.3% ABV Roast chicken shines with the excellent Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier, a festival lager as strong and warming as late-summer sun. Despite its heft, the lager drinks soft and easy, with a slight lip-smacking sweetness that’s balanced by a bit of bitterness from a quartet of German hops. FESTBIER Three Weavers Brewing Company Inglewood, CA • 5% ABV Brewmaster Alexandra Nowell looked to the blonde German lagers of Oktoberfest for her moderate-strength festbier, which she says is “brewed to be incredibly drinkable and refreshing.” Expect crystalline clarity, notes of biscuit and light toast, and a oral fragrance that’s as appealingly mellow as a Sunday afternoon. OKTOBERFEST Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Chico, CA; Mills River, NC • 6% ABV Sierra Nevada makes America’s most widely available festbier, keeping things fresh by annually tweaking the recipe. A mix of four grains gives the latest lager a toasty profile that’s twinned to a fruity, oral fragrance supplied by several German hops. It’s a great grilling companion.
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Oktoberfest will look mighty different this fall. Germany’s annual beer-and-sausage blowout is canceled, and large American gatherings will likely remain limited—but don’t see the glass half-empty. Instead, fill it to the top with festbier, the golden lager that’s designed for celebrations.
Americans mostly associate Oktoberfest beers with the richly malted Märzen (meaning March), a copper-toned lager historically brewed in early spring and lagered, or cold-conditioned, throughout summer. However, the robust brew has long had an Achilles’ heel: They’re a little on the heavy side. That’s why Germany’s go-to Oktoberfest lager is now festbier, lighter in color, loaded with flavor, and suitable for a liter or four on an autumn afternoon.
“It’s full-bodied but very, very easy-drinking,” says Steve Hauser, CEO of Paulaner USA.
With imported-beer aisles now brimming with freshly brewed German takes, stateside breweries have also embraced the more assertively hopped festbier. It’s time to go for gold.
WEIHENSTEPHANER FESTBIER Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan Freising, Germany • 5.8% ABV This German brewery—reportedly the world’s oldest, dating to the 11th century—makes its richly golden festbier with several varieties of Hallertauer hops. They lend the hearty lager a oral, spicy profile that IPA fans will appreciate.
COMMERZIENRAT RIEGELE PRIVAT Brauhaus Riegele Augsburg, Germany • 5.2% ABV Established in 1386, this family-run Bavarian brewery makes its year-round festbier with Germany’s heirloom Stef barley and its own unique yeast strain. Riegele cold-ferments Privat for more than 60 days, creating a clean and snappy lager with a fragrance of blooming flowers.
OKTOBERFEST BIER Paulaner Brewery Munich, Germany • 6% ABV To recreate Oktoberfest at home, hoist a hefty glass mug of Paulaner’s trophy-gold Oktoberfest Bier. It’s the same lager they serve at the festival, and balances a bready base with a grassy, herbaceous scent—a bratwurst’s best friend.
HOFBRÄU OKTOBERFESTBIER Staatliches Hofbräuhaus München Munich, Germany • 6.3% ABV Roast chicken shines with the excellent Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier, a festival lager as strong and warming as late-summer sun. Despite its heft, the lager drinks soft and easy, with a slight lip-smacking sweetness that’s balanced by a bit of bitterness from a quartet of German hops.
FESTBIER Three Weavers Brewing Company Inglewood, CA • 5% ABV Brewmaster Alexandra Nowell looked to the blonde German lagers of Oktoberfest for her moderate-strength festbier, which she says is “brewed to be incredibly drinkable and refreshing.” Expect crystalline clarity, notes of biscuit and light toast, and a oral fragrance that’s as appealingly mellow as a Sunday afternoon.
OKTOBERFEST Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Chico, CA; Mills River, NC • 6% ABV Sierra Nevada makes America’s most widely available festbier, keeping things fresh by annually tweaking the recipe. A mix of four grains gives the latest lager a toasty profile that’s twinned to a fruity, oral fragrance supplied by several German hops. It’s a great grilling companion.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
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