Style Profile: Oktoberfest

October 15th, 2009 | by Carleton

OktoberfestAlthough Oktoberfest in Munich ended last Sunday, there’s no reason why we can’t continue to enjoy all the great Oktoberfest beer that’s produced every year. Today we’re going to take a look at the history and characteristics of this wonderful German style of beer.

Oktoberfest first took place on October 10, 1810 as a 16 day celebration of the marriage between Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The main attraction for the 40,000 Bavarians at the  festival wasn’t the beer but rather a horse race. Over the next few years, the attention shifted away from the horse race and wedding anniversary and toward a celebration  of the fall harvest. When food and beer stands were introduced in 1818, this transition was complete, and the Oktoberfest as we know it was born. Since that time, Oktoberfest celebrations have spread to the rest of Germany, and today, Oktoberfest type celebrations are held throughout the world each fall.

Some brewers have a tendency to make whatever beer they want and call it “Oktoberfest,” but the real stuff has its roots in the strong traditions of German beer. Oktoberfest is usually brewed in the Marzen style, a beer brewed in the late spring for consumption over the hot summer months. A type of lager, Oktoberfest/Marzen typically has a copper  to red color with a lightly malty or sweet taste. The hops are generally mild and take a backseat to the malts. These balanced qualities make Oktoberfest/Marzen the perfect brew for the fall. It’s right between the lighter summer styles and the heavier winter styles.

Sam Adams’ take on Oktoberfest is probably the most well known American version, but be sure to try some German varieties for something slightly more authentic. Paulaner, Spaten and Ayinger are three great German breweries who each make a mean Oktoberfest that’s slightly sweeter than Sam Adams.

What’s your favorite Oktoberfest beer? Let us know next time you have it by tweeting your beer and adding the ‘#mybeer’ hashtag.

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Categories: Style Profiles

  • BP

    Hooker has a pretty good oktoberfest that I tried for the first time this week

  • BP

    Hooker has a pretty good oktoberfest that I tried for the first time this week

  • http://blog.beeriety.com/2009/10/20/five-alternative-autumn-brews/ Five Alternative Autumn Brews – Beeriety

    [...] taken a look at a few of the most well known beers of the fall season, such as pumpkin ales and the Oktoberfest style. They’re plenty of lesser known styles of beer that go great with the autumn also. [...]

  • http://blog.beeriety.com/2009/10/22/a-hard-look-at-hard-ciders/ A Hard Look At Hard Ciders – Beeriety

    [...] been discussing the many different beers that are associated with the autumn months lately. For many though, beer is not the only [...]

  • http://blog.beeriety.com/2009/11/19/pairing-the-right-beer-with-your-thanksgiving-day-meal/ Pairing The Right Beer With Your Thanksgiving Day Meal – Beeriety

    [...] – If you can still find it this time of year, Paulaner’s a great choice. See are our article on this style for more [...]

  • http://twitter.com/xbuzz Chris Williams

    Favorite Oktoberfest hands down is Southern Tier Pumking

  • http://playmixt.tumblr.com/ Playmixt

    Hacker Pschorr and Shiner!

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