Fresh Fall Beer Sightings 2025

Yuengling's Oktoberfest is a fall beer. I havent seen it in 6 packs of bottles in a few years and in my area its in 12 packs of cans only now. Dont know if the same way nationwide.

 

Damn. Did this thread get lost?

Personal input: Bell's Okto is much better on my palate than the current SN collab. For all those in Bell's distro radius.

 

Do you like it better this year? IIRC, you weren't happy with the Bell's beer last year (or maybe the year prior).

 

Your memory is better than mine.

I honestly don't really recall. I haven't bought a lot of Oktos this year, but Bell's called to me for some reason.

And yeah, it's tasting good in that Ami Okto range.

 

Born Yesterday...I am waiting....

 

Bell's Oktoberfest didnt show up in RI this year. Their beer finder says its in CT and Eastern Mass/Boston area but not RI or SE Mass. Dont know why it got pulled because we do still get various Bells beer.

 

So....damn...good!

What is your favorite German Oktoberfestbier?

 

Weihenstephan is my favorite without question, malt richness with high drinkability and a decent, but also restrained hop character; it’s also the perfect looking beer, crystal clear, liquid gold.

You may have determined my Eagles game be Edgar tonight

 

On draft : Spaten

In Bottles : Ayinger

 

I was in a Total Wine yesterday and saw both the Hofbrau and Paulaner mini kegs IN THE COOLER which surprised me. I think the price is $29.99 which seems steep. Surprisingly I also saw a Früh Kölsch in there which caught my eye.

 

If we’re talking the Munich Six, and one’s served in tents (but actually shipped here for export), I lean Hofbrau but honestly it’s a toss up between that and Paulaner’s.

If we’re talking overall German Oktoberfest beers, then…

For pale Oktoberfest I always go Weihenstephan’s. It’s a truly incredible beer. That being said, for both the amber style and overall I go H-P and Paulaner. But everyone knows they’re really the same beer, right @steveh ?

 

I have 2 bottles of each for the semi-annual side-by-side taste test. Stay tuned.

 

I have only seen the H-P Marzen for some reason. Paulaner festiber is tasting wonderfully.

 

Yuengling only has breweries in PA and FL and they have not opened any new ones in over 20 years. They do have a contract-brewing relationship with Molson Coors, brewing some of their beers in MC breweries in Texas and Wisconsin (at the original Miller facility in Wisconsin) but since you don't list your location ....

 

Grabbed the DFH fall sampler last night. Wife and I agreed that she gets the Punkin and 60 Minute while I get the Raison d'Etre and Chicory Stout. Hooray resurrected beer.

 

I have been on the lookout for the fall sampler every time I am at the store, but have not seen it around the Charlotte market

 

My favorite Oktoberfestbier is the one in your pic. My favorite Festbier is HB Traunstein’s.

If I could only drink one beer for the rest of my life (and have an endless supply of it), Traunstein’s Festbier would be something I’d be OK with. In actuality, I’ll probably never have it again though. I don’t know if it’s still being imported here.

 

Pretty sure I had it on tap last year.

Do you mean Fursten Trunk?

 

In the past I enjoyed drinking a Traunstein Festbier that was exclusively brewed for the Brauhaus Schmitz restaurant in Philly. I posted about this beer in a past thread:

"The Traunstein Brauhaus Schmitz Oktoberfest beer is only available at Brauhaus Schmitz and it is specially brewed for them by Hofbräuhaus Traunstein, a brewery in Traunstein, southeastern Bavaria, Germany.

I have had a number of Traunstein beers and they have all been excellent so I had high hopes for this Oktoberfest beer. As you can see in the photograph it is a Pale Oktoberfest beer in the Wiesn style.

I will not conduct a full review but I will state that this beer is EXCELLENT."

The beer is the pale colored beer in the below photo.

Prost!

 

I saw what I believe is a new Oktoberfest from Trader Joe's. Unlike the Gordon Biersch-brewed Oktoberfest sold in previous years under the Josephsbrau brand, this one is an import brewed by Flensburger and sold in 16.9 oz cans. I'm looking forward to trying it this weekend.

And for everyone who loves the fun of names and styles this time of year, I believe the full title is Trader Joe's Oktoberfest Festbier with the style of German Marzen also listed on the label