Isn't it beautiful??
Ok, Ok maybe I've taken this love of Oktoberfest beers too far. Or maybe not! When I saw this collection of awesome Oktoberfest beers I knew I wanted to give it a try. It includes 12 beers (some German, Austrian & American) of both the Marzen and Festbier styles. Yes perhaps the $85 price tag (with shipping) seems a bit steep but I figured its cheaper than flying to all these places to try their Oktoberfest beers.
Honestly, I was mostly interested in the Jack's Abby/ Weihenstephaner collab and the Von Trapp Festbier. Apparently, Weihenstephaner has only done 3 collabs (including this one) in almost 1000 years! Wow, can't miss out on that one. Also, I have always wanted to get out to Stowe VT and visit the Von Trapp Family Lodge and Brewhouse. Seems the Austrian family from the Sound Of Music movie ended up in the mountains of Vermont and setup and a world class lager house.
So I hope to give a brief review of each of the beers, This post will be updated as I try more samples so check back often :)
Beer 1
ZoktoberFest Marzen by Kings County Brewers Collection, Brooklyn, NY
5.4% ABV / Hallertau Mittelfreuher and Magnum hops listed on can
Pours a nice amber/ orange color with good head retention. Full-bodied malty aroma and mouthfeel. Lovely toasty, spicy, dark bread flavor with a crisp, dry finish. Well balanced hop finish with very little hop aroma. A really outstanding Marzen that almost approaches the quality of a German example.... well done!
Beer 2
Hacker - Pschorr Oktoberfest Marzen , Munich, Germany
5.8% ABV / Hallertau Tradition and Hallertau Herkules hops, Marthe, Grace and Catamaran Barley malt listed on website
Pours a nice amber color with fair head retention. Medium-bodied malty aroma and crisp bready mouthfeel. Lovely bready and slightly bitter flavor with a super crisp, dry finish. Notes of Pumpernickel bread , a very clean classic German Marzen. Well balanced hop finish with very little hop aroma. A really outstanding classic Marzen that is far more interesting than it's American counterparts .... outstanding!
As a side note, I've never heard of these malts. Have you? Maybe they save the good stuff for Germany and we get all the leftover hops and grains!
Beer 3
Freiheit Festbier, Wayfinder Beer , Portland, OR
5.7% ABV / No ingredients listed, from the brewer: "Every golden pour flows with vivid florals followed by an elegant, honey-drizzled biscuit note. Delicate caramel carries underneath before a crisp finish."
Pours a beautiful golden color with ample carbonation and hop aroma. Outstanding head retention and lacing. I could smell the hops as I opened the can. Honey- drizzled biscuits and fairly aggressive bitterness with a super crisp, dry finish. Absolutely delicious and crushable! wow... Malty and very clean classic German Festbier. Well balanced zippy noble hop finish with good hop aroma. If I didn't know it was from Portland, I would swear this was brewed in Germany. Exceptional! Worth finding and trying, best beer so far!
Beer 4
Oktoberfest Marzen, Paulaner Brewery, Munich, Germany
5.8% ABV / Pilsner & Munich malt, Herkules, Hallertauer Tradition Hops
From The Brewer: "An amber beer style that was developed over 200 years ago to celebrate the original Oktoberfest. The Märzen name comes from “March beer” because it was historically brewed in March to be at peak flavor for the Oktoberfest celebration. Today this style is available year-round in the US due to popular demand."
Pours a darker copper color with minimal hop aroma, mostly minerality. Good head retention and lacing. Fairly one dimensional Munich malt flavor, dark bread character with a generic bitterness. Wondering if this isn't an older bottle. Very dry easy drinking but fairly one dimensional.
Beer 5
Gretel, Oktoberfest Lager, Foundation Brewing Co, Portland ME
5.5% ABV / Munich and Pilsner Malts, Spalter Hops
From the Brewer: "Gretel is our Oktoberfest lager, and a beer we look forward to all throughout the year! German Munich and pilsner malts form the base of this beer, balanced with a touch of Spalter hops in the kettle. Fermented cold with our house lager yeast, Gretel features notes of toasted bread and light spice up front with a touch of fruit and toffee at the finish. It's a beer that is all about getting back to the essentials and letting the ingredients and technique take the lead. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we do."
Pours a golden orange beautiful color with medium hop and yeasty aroma. Awesome head retention, brilliant clarity and medium lacing. Fairly spicy and toasted dark bread flavor, very dry. Almost has a yeasty character with a very dry finish. I'm guessing this is intended to be a Marzen style. Crisp finish. A little too dry and spicy for me for the style but still a very delicious American interpretation of the style. If I had to guess, I would say there is rye malt in here or I am tasting their house yeast character. Could use a bit of sweetness.
Beer 6
HofBrau OktoberfestBier, Munich Germany
From my trip to Munich at HofBrau Haus
6.3% ABV, 23 IBU - light barley malt, Munich malt, Herkules, Perle, Magnum, Select
Brewing Method Listed on website: Infusion (no decoction wow!)
From the Brewer: "AN HOMAGE TO THE ‘WIESN’
The waitress is carrying ten liters and she still has a smile on her face. Celebrating, singing, swaying – Prost! The Hofbräu tent at the Oktoberfest is known for its lively atmosphere. Here is where the world comes to celebrate. Down Under in Lederhosen. Of course, the most popular folk festival in the world wouldn't be complete without a very special beer: Hofbräu Oktoberfest beer is a full-bodied, bottom-fermented specialty beer. With its fine hoppy aroma, it’s perfect alongside a classic Oktoberfest roasted chicken."
Epic beer nerd awesomeness! Possible desert island beer.....
I happened to see this one on tap at my local beer hall so I decided to review it super fresh on draught. Pours a brilliant clear golden color with fresh grains and noble hop aroma. Very inviting. Just exactly as a festbier should be. Good creamy head with nice retention and excellent lacing. Crisp and dry yet malty and bitter. Zippy and slightly aggressive. PERFECTLY BALANCED! Epic crushable classic German festbier. Finishes clean with a noble hop punch, more than expected. Exceptional in every way and a classic for a reason! May I have more please Papa?
Beer 7
Oaktoberfest Marzen, Austin TX
5.8% ABV, 20 IBU - No ingredients listed
Brewing Method Listed on website: Decoction wow!
From the Brewer: "Our Oaktoberfest is decoction-mashed honoring Bavarian tradition using the finest German malts. Noble hops balance this rich malty fullness with a subtle smooth hop character. A fall classic. O’zapft Is!"
Pours a brilliant clear copper to almost amber color with bready and noble hop aroma. Smells very clean. Excellent head with nice retention. Dry and malty with a prominent Munich malt character and moderate bitterness. Decent hop finish. Very good American-style Oktoberfest beer.
This one has me confused because on the can it says "Munich-Style Festbier" but the color and flavor are clearly Marzen style. In fact it looks and tastes nothing like a German Festbier. Now perhaps we should give them the benefit of a doubt because the original beer served in Munich for many years was the darker Marzen style, likely similar to this beer. That being said, I do believe the decoction made this a much smoother beer than most of the American versions I've had. Being from TX, I do think this beer would pair well with some central Texas BBQ!
Beer 8
Festbier, Human Robot Brewing, Philadelphia PA
5.6% ABV / German pilsner malt, a touch of Munich, and Hersbrucker hops.
Brewing Method: Double Decoction
From The Brewer: "Festbier is all about drinkability. Ours is brewed with German pilsner
malt, a touch of Munich, and Hersbrucker hops. After an intense double decoction mash, the beer is fermented slow and cold. A cracker-like aroma, clean, honey like sweetness and just enough hops to balance it all out."
First of all, this one has the coolest can art so far! Looks very German. I will admit I had high hopes for this one, especially when I found out it was double decocted. Pours a nice golden color with decent head, strong hop aroma and some bready notes. First taste was fairly intense with a very pleasant strong bready character that was overrun by high bitterness. No IBU was listed but man it really seems out of balance. It's clear to me that the decoction had an impact on the malts but for some reason this one was way more bitter than I would have liked. Perhaps I just don't like Hersbrucker hops, not sure....
Beer 9
Spaten Oktoberfestbier, Spaten-Franzikaner-Brau, Munich Germany
5.9% ABV/ 23 IBU / Pilsner, Munich, Vienna, Caramunich, Aromatic Malts
Northern Brewer, Hersbrucker Hops
The world's oldest Oktoberfest Bier! A true Marzen style as intended in Germany
From Beerconnoisseur.com: "Brewed in Munich every year since 1872, Spaten’s Oktoberfest is considered the world’s oldest version of this style. Balancing spicy floral hops and a rounded toasty malt character, the aroma is at once soothing yet beguiling, inviting the drinker to delve deeper."
This beer has one of the more inviting aromas of any of the beers so far. Dark bread, maybe raisins, slight minerality, noble hops, very inviting! Beer pours a dark amber with a small tight head that doesn't linger. Taste can best be described as elegant, with an almost savory malty character that is rich like the dark bread from Cheesecake factory and tones of Munich malts and mild sweetness, delicious! Even with all this richness it still finishes clean and dry. Hops are perfectly balanced and leaves you wanting more. Outstanding Marzen, I forgot how good this one really is! I would say none of the other Marzen beers so far come even close to the elegance of this fine beer. Go pick some up and see for yourself :)
Beer 10
Konstantin, Austrian Style Marzen, Schilling Beer, Littleton, NH
5.0% ABV / German-Inspired Ales & Lagers
No ingredients Listed
From The Brewer: "Konstantin is a rich, light-ruby colored seasonal lager. Double-decocted for complexity. Drier and lighter in color than most German-style Märzens, biscuit and bread-like malt note shine in the flavor and aroma."
Pours a clear and well carbonated amber color with nice hop aroma and dry toasted bread. Slight Minerality aroma and a nice dense head that persist fairly long. Taste is bready, toasty and dry with a nice clean hop bitterness. Prominent Munich malt character without the complexity of the Spaten Oktoberfest. Finishes dry, slightly spicy and clean with a slight edgy American-style bitterness. Very good American interpretation of the Marzen style.
Beer 11
Stowe Style Festbier Collaboration, Von Trapp Brewing, Stowe VT and Narragansett Brewing RI
5.8% ABV / 35 IBU, Pilsner malts and Noble hop whirlpool
From the Brewer: "This collaboration with Narragansett Brewing Company of Providence, Rhode Island is the next offering in the Stowe Style series: a highly aromatic, hop-forward take on the traditional festbier. Inspired by the lighter style of lager served on the grounds of Munich's annual Oktoberfest celebration, this single-decocted pale lager is brewed with pilsner malt and loaded with bright, floral noble hops in the whirlpool."
Was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint! Hop aroma was bursting out of the can along with fresh baked bread. Dense and lingering head with brilliant clarity. Taste is elegant, bready, slight sweetness and balanced bitterness. The twist on this one is the noble hop whirlpool added a delightful touch of spice or herbal notes. They may have taken this one into more of an American interpretation of the style but still delicious none the less. It got even better as it warmed up. Perfectly executed and balanced Festbier, certainly on par with the German ones. Outstanding!
So cool! I am anxiously awaiting the reviews of the Jack's/Weihenstephan collab and the Von Trapp! Prost.