What Is Oktoberfest Beer?

Published on Friday, October 20, 2006, by Jordan Mackay / Edit Post

While Oktoberfest is a fest, it’s also a specific style of beer. The tradition of Oktoberfest beers can be traced to the beginning of the festival, which was supposedly inaugurated in 1810, when Prince Ludwig of Bavaria took the unusual step of celebrating his marriage in a public festival with the plebeians—instead of a private royal one. The goodwill associated with this feel-good move gained momentum and still exists today.

The irony of the Oktoberfest beer is that it often carries the name of another month—in German, Märzen—March. This owes to the fact that before refrigeration, it was not possible to brew reliable beer in the summer. Because of the heat, fermentations would often go awry, resulting in bacterial infections and spoiled beer. The last feasible time to brew was in March, hence the name Märzen. The beers were brewed to higher strength, as alcohol is a preservative, to further guard against spoilage. Brewed in large quantities in the spring and then sequestered deep in cool caves throughout the summer, these Märzen/Oktoberfest beers would make their long-awaited debut during the fall festival season. Technically, they must be brewed in Munich, though Oktoberfest-styled beers are now made all over.

Appearing in color anywhere from a burnished gold hue to a deep brown with shades of red and orange, the beers are characterized by sweet, almost humid maltiness that’s balanced by a slight bitter note from the hops, though not enough for the beer ever to be considered bitter. Alcohol levels generally hover between 5 and 6 percent.

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POST A COMMENT |4 Comments

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  • What is he drinking, a Spezi? I suppose it is traditional, if you are wimpy, or get there before they open the tents :-)

  • It's funny, my first thought was that the picture doesn't look like an Octoberfest beer, but more like a Schwartz beer.
    I find it tough to find the born on/best by date on the German Octoberfests. Does any know what I should be looking for?

  • Hmm, the picture is a bit off. Wouldn't a picture of someone drinking a Marzen/Oktoberfest be more appropriate? ;-)

    For consumers out there not familiar with this beer - be very cautious of imported Oktoberfests that hit store shelves in early August. Sometimes unscrupulous distributors will hold onto last years shipments that never sold and start sending them to stores as if they were a new...+READ

    Hmm, the picture is a bit off. Wouldn't a picture of someone drinking a Marzen/Oktoberfest be more appropriate? ;-)

    For consumers out there not familiar with this beer - be very cautious of imported Oktoberfests that hit store shelves in early August. Sometimes unscrupulous distributors will hold onto last years shipments that never sold and start sending them to stores as if they were a new shipment from Germany. Try to track down the born on (should never be over a year old) or best by date on the bottle or case before buying. Only one that I know of - Paulaner makes this style year round, the rest are brewed once a year. These beers can withstand the year of storage if storage conditions are good (most distribuors only refridgerate kegs), but they will not be as tasty as the current year's shipments.

    Also, most of the imported stuff is different than what is actually sold at the Oktoberfest in Munich - the beers at the fest are usually lighter in color and easier to drink (basically a stronger, slightly more hoppy Helles). I believe Hofbrau and Lowenbrau are close to what they serve at the fest, while Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, and Spaten imports are closer to the original Marzen style.-COLLAPSE

  • Sort of.

    Marzen is drunk througout the summer, not sequestered or squirreled away. It wasm and in some places still is, stored in kegs and barrells in caves, but the beer is continually drunk. Fermentation for Marzen is only a few weeks to a month. I can't imagine asking a beer lover to wait to drink a beer that is ready!

    October is cool enough to brew once ore, so the last of the marzen...+READ

    Sort of.

    Marzen is drunk througout the summer, not sequestered or squirreled away. It wasm and in some places still is, stored in kegs and barrells in caves, but the beer is continually drunk. Fermentation for Marzen is only a few weeks to a month. I can't imagine asking a beer lover to wait to drink a beer that is ready!

    October is cool enough to brew once ore, so the last of the marzen barrels are rolled out and drained.-COLLAPSE