Midwest Oktoberfest Beers (2022)

My hometown favorite 2 years running.

 

I still say Festbier and Marzen are interchangable for German beers. The distinction between the two as distinct styles is more of an American thing.

See Rothaus Marzen which is pale and Bitburger Festbier which is amber.

Team “pale Marzen” and “amber Marzen” over here.

 

I always distinguish between Festbier and Amber Märzen. In Germany Märzen is now more of an ABV distinction, though Paulaner and H-P label their amber beer Märzen for export (holdover from past distinction).

Rothaus calls its beer Märzen based on the German ABV rules, not on the seasonal distinction as others do. Bitburger calls its beer Festbier because it can't call it Oktoberest because that's a protected term within Munich (if you note, BA now calls Bitburger Fest a Märzen).

Yeah, all pretty convoluted by brewery changes in Germany in the early 90s, but I separate by color, flavor, and mouthfeel myself.

All said and done, I'd never turn down a beer of either "style." (brewed in the German manner, of course)

 

How many true US Festbiers have you found? To me, it seems like most American brewers want to brew a bastardized version of an Amber Märzen (see New Glarus, Founders, Great Lakes, Sam Adams) -- all very heavy on caramel malt to try to cheat the good melanoidin character from the Munich beers of the style.

Bell's is doing a pretty good job with theirs, coming close to Ayinger's Oktober Fest beer.

 

I've had a bunch this year and the only one I'd mildly recommend is Lupulin (Schell was surprisngly particularly poor). Steveh has been right on this for awhile now (although I may have disagreed at the time)...the only ones really worth praise are from Germany...doesn't stop me from trying to find a US gem though

 

There is like 1 person in 2 pages of that thread who actually had the beer and commented on it. I just saw this in a grocery store and my interest was piqued- I haven’t had a BA Oktoberfest beer before. If anyone here has tried this, please describe how it was.

 

Ultimate Oktoberfest | Founders Brewing Company | BeerAdvocate

 

This Fair State festbier is one of the best American produced Octoberfest biers that I have the pleasure of imbibing. It's solidly American - bready, a bit sweet, a bit hoppy, complex enough but not heavy. If that's what you're looking for then you won't be disappointed

 

Please note "skepticism" in my reply in response to @Jagrmaister -- a fellow skeptic. I promised no science.

I am of the solid belief that the Amber Märzen style, when brewed with skill and knowledge of proper ingredients and process, doesn't need embellishment to alter the outcome -- in fact, I think that taking these steps only covers up the malty smooth elegance of the style.

Then again, maybe a brewer's Amber Märzen is just so mundane that they feel a need to keep tweaking it to get to something that has some personality -- if not very distant from how the style is supposed to taste.

But go ahead and like what you like, as will I, but Amber Märzen is, has been, my favorite style and I don't look for "improvements."

 

How so?

 

I'd nominate Dovetail's Festbier. It's definitely not an Amber-esque, Märzen-style beer.

 

I have to remember to start my go-fund-me page earlier next year.

But seriously, has anyone seen it yet? The local Binny's manager is wondering where it is.

 

I haven't seen it yet. But I was at Dovetail yesterday. On their menu it was listed as Coming Soon. Also, remember that Dovetail does things true-to-style. It wouldn't surprise me that they wouldn't release an Oktoberfest-related beer in August.

 

I find it to be more hoppy and sweet than German examples (Paulaner is my reference standard). There's just something about the depth of the German imports that sets them apart.
How's that for a vague response?

 

Not at all -- told the story well.

 

Because I'm pushing the envelope in this thread Roaring Table Vienna -- but bear with my rationale...

Since Dreher and Sedlmayr both developed their amber lagers for their breweries at the same time, based on the same travel and research, I thought having a Vienna Amber would fit in well here. I always called them "Amber Märzen Light," so why not?

Besides, it's one of the best-brewed Viennas I've had in a long while and I think both Dreher and Sedlmayr would be impressed.

 

That "pithy/rind" scares me. But here's a question, is it really citrus? Or more sour-ish? I've had lagers that came off sour from DMS that I could call pithy -- and that vegetal DMS in the flavor is a put-off to me.

I've been steering clear of many of the newer, local breweries because I don't think they're dialed in for lagers -- and just plain don't get what their beers really ought to be.

I've been thinking of making a mixed pack at the local Binny's if they have the beers I'd like to try -- I'll keep it in mind.