Oktoberfest 2016 - Craft Beer Recommendations

Might be the wrong forum for this, man.

Went to Munich over the summer, lovely place and I think you're going to enjoy it. Heard Oktoberfest is a bit of shit show in terms of crowds and drunkenness, so I would look up some good survival guides before you go.

That being said,the beers you are going to see the most out in Munich is going to be hefeweizens, munich lagers, dunkelweizens, and during Oktoberfest season you get the Festbier (similar to a munich lager) and Marzen (your typical "Oktoberfest" beer). Might as well start drinking those now to see if you like it. There won't be a lot of hoppy beers, and there's a much smaller portion of really dark beer like stouts there. You'll find Kostrizer Schwarzbier which is pretty close to a porter, but more like a very dark lager.

I'm sure someone will chime in and say how I'm wrong, but when I was in downtown Munich this is all that I found.

 

You won't find any IPAs at Oktoberfest. Most tents only serve 1 beer. But the beer and food is good and its way more fun than waiting in line for a few cans of IPA.

 

On the Fest grounds itself you will only find their Märzen (more of a Helles these days) and possibly a Weizen at 1 or 2 tents.... In the city, try Giesinger ( http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23313/ ) for something different.... Stores offering IPAs, Stouts, etc are Getränke Oase ( http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34921/?view=ratings ), Biervana ( http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35191/?view=ratings ), and Liebick ( http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32565/ )....

Also, look for Crew Republic stuff.... they have some nice IPAs and Imperial Stouts....

Prosit!

 

If you must seek out IPAs and other popular US styles, do it, but try your best to at least sample many of what Munich has to offer that may be different from what you typically drink.

Going to Munich and looking for an IPA is akin to going to Munich and trying to find the best burger joint. I'm sure there's a decent burger somewhere, but why travel all that way to have more of the same?

When I went to Oktoberfest I purposely avoided drinking styles like an IPA, I wanted some lagers because I heard they're absolutely incredible when they're that fresh. It was this trip that really turned me onto lagers, and I never looked back.

I learned more about beer in the few years following my trip than I ever did in the years prior drinking all of the popular US styles. Simply trying to find the best examples of "traditional" German styles truly expanded my enjoyment of beer, and overall knowledge.

Definitely check out what new US craft styles they have if you're curious, but I would also try to drink (and eat, the food is awesome in Munich in my opinion!) what they brew best over there, and become immersed in the overall culture.

Prosit! (sorry @Bierman, I stole this from you, seemed appropriate )

 

To stretch a topic: I thought the burgers at Great Leap Brewing in Beijing were among the best I'd ever had.

 

Read this: http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine...mDkoiNTU5KsujhjvxEVM/story.html?event=event25

To quote the author "I raise the glass to my lips, inhaling the hoppy aroma as I taste. And I realize that at last I’ve found what I came [to Munich] for — my palate explodes with aromatic pine with undercurrents of pineapple and passion fruit, all washed down with a crisp malty finish."

Good luck on your search.

 

If you've never been to Germany, do yourself a favor and search for perfectly brewed lagers and amazing hefeweizens, both normal and weizenbocks, and simply enjoy the German beer-drinking lifestyle and culture as it is.

 

This year I'm going to skip octoberfest.

It was a shit show, how the last OP said. I will not go back for that reason. Smarter ways to do it but it took me 3 hours just to get a seat at a table. After that it was game on. Good beer but i know i can find similar beer outside that hectic crowd.

 

I'd say, look out for Tilmans Helles and Dunkles, which are kind of a modern takes on tradtional munich styles.
Anyway, as many have said, give the traditional local brews a chance and have an open mind.

 

Then you should be vacationing in Portland, OR*, not Munich, Germany.

Seriously, there are some brew-pubs and newer breweries in Germany attempting "craft" brews, but if you're going to Munich for the Oktoberfest embrace that event, revel in a centuries old celebration that defined the beer party.

You might consider reading up on Bavarian beer and its beer culture before you go; get yourself primed for what to expect in Munich and not be disappointed when you can't find that American IPA you left at home... because it will be there when you get back... and probably will have multiplied.

*Which isn't a slam, Portland is a terrific place for a beercation.

 

Pro Tip: Enjoy a classic Volksfest by attending the Bad Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart:

http://cannstatter-volksfest.de/en/landing-page/

 

Probably no IPA there either.

 

oh fick no!

Why would there be??!

 

Exactly the answer to the O.P.