Favorite Oktoberfest beers

Ayinger(import) and Great Lakes(domestic).

I do want to try the Sierra Nevada this year.

But not until September 19th.

 

Staghorn gets my vote as the best Octoberfest out there!

 

Not too many out here around our way just yet.

I did do this a couple years back

Shiner, Flying Fish, and a couple of others notably missing. I'll admit it has gotten harder as the years go on to do this knowing there is a true divide in what a oktoberfest beer is, and what it should taste like. The lighter ones, Weihenstephaner and Hofbrau easily stood out in color and malt profile. Many of the others, both American and German kind of intermixed. My consensus was to stay local. The true lagers are nice crisp drinkers.

This year, we're looking at a 6 beer sampling thus far. Weihenstephaner Festbier, Sam Adams , Goose Island, Santa Fe Brewing, Ballast Point, and Sierra Nevada. It seems like there won't be too many outside of the norm coming here to NM. You don't often here of beer trades for it, But I may be down for some. GL comes to mind.

Last year I seemed to pick Sam Adams as my favorite among the larger sampling. This year, I felt it to be quite heavy, and I almost exclusively preferred the middle ground that Sierra Nevada is doing. I heard some complaints about Santa Fe's not being malty or biscuity enough. This year (maybe its because its still 90 degrees out), I am liking these lighter styles. This style is taking on a IPA/DIPA type dilemma.

I agree about La Cumbre. Their BEER won a GABF medal and no one seems to be rushing down there for it. Their VMOs release at various times through the year it seems. People are too drawn in to drinking this style only near October. I do love the sales that come with these beers that are "expired". Their Helles Yeah beer is a munich helles lager. That bone dry finish, they have on elevated, plus their lagers is quite a work of art.

 

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen. Pretty much sweat this stuff during Oktoberfest I drink so much of it.

 

How many have you found that were top-fermented? I know there are a couple that fly under the radar and attempt to sound like Oktoberfests in their names, but aren't if you take the time to check the label(s). But I don't see too many.

It's even deeper than that, in that U.S. breweries seem to have a different interpretation of what the style should be (deep dark, roasted malt and nutty characters, some even being quite estery and overly sweet/caramelly-toffeeish). Whereas even the Amber Märzens and Wies'n Fests (the lighter of the two) from Germany still carry similar malt flavor profiles from the barley, yeast, and processes being used.

Personally, I think the new SN has done a great job of matching the style to those from its country of origin. Great results from collaborating with a brewery with experience.

 

For Americans: Add another for Great Lakes, I also really like Left Hand, Jack's Abby (Copper Legend), Great Divide (Hoss), and Harpoon. Saranac (regular and Dark-toberfest, my go-to at $14/12pk) and Sam Adams are solid as well; and I'll be trying the new SN tonight.

German: Spaten and Paulaner are the only two I've had.

 

Enjoy Ayinger, Berkshire Brewing, and Sam Adams.
Cheers all

 

Shiner is a Festival Style ALE. They may play around with fermentation temps, and yeast strains. But in the truest sense, they deceived me for years. It did win a GABF medal in the Marzen category. Maybe its one of those categories overlooked like so many others. Does that style guidelines dictate it to be a lager to qualify to be in that category?

Flying Fish Oktoberfish is another ALE. It's a German Style Ale. That one also won some awards.

I tend to look everywhere on a label these days so I can properly taste test and give insights on beers. I can't find any others that seem to try and deceive the consumer.

I had a real hankering for FF for awhile, a couple years back. I may need to include it into a blind because I can't get over the fact that it's not a true lager. The taste deceived me in the right way. Now I can't get past that. Same with Shiner.
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For me, both Pyramid OFest and Left Hand OFest are a touch too high in abv (6.7% & 6.6%) to be considered that Festival style all day drinker. Even 6% is on my higher end. A lot of the recommendations and likes (GLBC and Staghorn are above 6% as well). Not that there is to be a limit. But I feel a lot of people who like the higherABV DIPAs and Stouts feel that 6.5% isn't too bad. Just some perspective on things.

 

Are you sure these beers aren't still labeled as such following the old Texas laws of ABV levels defining "Ale" and "Lager?'

Not sure what the guidelines say about fermentation, but they do say the style of beer should be smooth and clean -- hard to get that in top-fermentation, even if you cold store it.

Agreed -- let alone the very Ale-like characters in those beers.

 

Just checked their web site: "A deliciously festive seasonal Ale." Gotta really wonder, especially since A.) they brew a lot of lager-style beers, and B.) they're in Texas. Maybe they just can't let go of that old U.S. wife's tale about ales being stronger than "beer." Be interesting to find out.

 

Ayinger is my #1 by leaps and bounds.

 

Great Lakes would be my second choice, Left Hand a close third.

 

Yeah, I hear ya. I don't always catch on to some things......

 

Ayinger by a lot.

 

I have not tried many but so far Great Lakes is my favorite. So good!!!!

 

Wiehenstephaner, Ayinger, Hofbrau, and Paulaner are my longtime standards. In recent years I've found myself increasingly favoring the Wies'n style, which American brewers don't tend to do so far as I've seen, but I'll usually pick up some Victory Festbier and Jack's Abby Copper Legend nonetheless.

And there are a lot of mentions here of Sierra Nevada's new collab. I was a bit leery since I didn't much like the Oktoberfest brew that appeared in the SN fall pack last year but wowee, this year's version is really, really good. I suspect I'll be picking up lots more before the season's passed.

 

Shiner makes a tasty one.Sam adams does too.......

 

I like Metropolitan's and Revolution's Oktoberfests. Sam Adams makes a great one. It is my favorite "seasonal" for the fall as the ones I like are really cheap and delicious. I need to find more German ones and go crazy this fall.

 

8.5? Dry hopped? Definitely not a traditional Oktoberfest. I'm going to look for this one this year to try it. Not a big fan of Leinie's traditional Okto, so I have to wonder about this one.

 

Gotta love an Imperial Fest beer. The local stuff is a tad under 5 where it should be, so how do you get a Fest style beer to 8.5 without ruining it?