Pale Craft Oktoberfest beers?

Two words: Weihenstephaner Oktoberfest

 

Victory Zeltbier, but it's draft only

 

Good question. There really aren't many. Even the newer places tend to go the burnt orange amber route.
The only US-made one I've had was from Prost and even that one was a bit of a hybrid.
I'm curious to learn of more, too...even though I honestly don't enjoy them as much.

 

Where do you live? I was just looking at Spaten, Weihenstephaner, and Hofbrau O'fests in the Dickson City Wegmans.

 

This is my favorite festbier.

 

@Uniobrew31 , how close are you to Downingtown (Victory Brewpub)? As @YamBag already posted: Victory Zeltbier! Last year's Zeltbier was excellent. A trip to Downingtown to drink fresh Zeltbier is worth the trip; plus buy yourself a growler from their high-tech double evacuation counter-pressure filler growler station.

Last year I was able to find Zeltbier at two of my local beer bars; maybe a beer bar local to you will get kegs of Zeltbier?

Cheers!

 

I've personally never seen any. And now that you mention it, I would think American craft brewers would be all over this style as opposed to the amber Oktoberfest. @Crusader could probably correct me, but I thought the Germans slowly made the beer paler to make it more drinkable, and appropriate for mass consumption. I imagine American brewers would want to emulate this, and maybe even make it hoppier (this isn't what I would like mind you).

But then when I think about it further, making the amber version probably allows many of them to cheat a bit more, going heavy on American 2-row and caramel malts, and not exclusively using more traditional malts such as pils/Vienna/Munich.

 

Capital, out of Madison, WI, used to make one as a Summer "Fest" beer. Used to be pretty good too.

I think it was more an evolution of their customers' trend toward desiring lighter colored beers, if not necessarily that much lighter in body. I've always had a theory that the breweries started using paler malt because it was less expensive and more economical to serve at parties where people weren't necessarily savoring their beer.

 

Give Sly Fox a shot. It's not a pale o'fest, but it does lean in that direction (i.e. not the dark, heavy, cloying style that you are looking to avoid)- kind of a hybrid of sorts, light amber in color, with a more dry-ish and slightly toasty finish. It should be more of what you are looking for, if you can't find Hofbrau or Weihenstephaner.

 

Michael, that is a nice description of Sly Fox Oktoberfest. I always thought of Sly Fox as being on the order of Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen; the description you provided above for Sly Fox is pretty close to how I perceive Ayinger as well.

Cheers!

Jack

P.S. If you ever get a chance to try Victory Zeltbier I would highly encourage you to drink some; Victory Zeltbier is very similar to Weihenstephaner Oktoberfestbier for my palate.

 

I brewed one that I am very proud of. It is from the Blue Pants Brewery in Madison, Al. In my opinion, it is our best brewed beer to date. Maybe you could find an Alabama forum member and work a trade? There are several really good Alabama breweries you might be able to try some other offerings from as well if you go that route.

Edited to Add:

I don't know of many breweries that are brewing pale Oktoberfests. I have received a lot of positive feedback on ours, but if there is a complaint, I have heard a lot of people say, "Isn't this kind of light colored for an Oktoberfest?"

 

@Uniobrew31 I frequent central and nepa - if you are around those areas let me know and I can bring you a growler fill (of Zeltbier) when it is released.

 

Hacker-Pschorr makes one of the "lighter" marzens, in that malt sweetness seems held in check. Actually, it has snappier flavors of apple and some faint spiciness from hops. A good counterbalance to the sweeter, maltier Paulaner/Ayinger profile, if that's something that interests you.

 

Other than the default Weinestephaner (or however you spell it)

Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest.

 

Slightly OT but I did run across a Paulaner "party" 15 pack today that had 5x each of Weisn, Marzen and Hefeweizen

 

Yeah- I see Ayinger pretty much in the same way, too. I think the Ayinger is a better beer overall, but the Sly Fox is still a good value in the $9-10/sixer range.

 

Ayinger for sure, Spaten is good too

 

Have you seen pale versions of either of those in the U.S?