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Like it or not we’re heading into fall and Oktoberfest season. Time to set your Spotify to Polka and dust off the Lederhosen. And, oh yeah, here are 5 Oktoberfest beers that you’ll absolutely need to chase down…Prost!
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest
Every year since 2015, Sierra Nevada (now brewing in both Chico, California and Mills River, North Carolina) has teamed up with a different Bavarian brewer to craft something special that’s always impresses.
And this year they’ve partnered with the legendary Brauhaus Miltenberger to craft the Sierra Nevada’s 2017 Oktoberfest, a 6.1% ABV deep golden Märzen Lager with a rich malt backbone and a surprisingly brisk finish.
Starr Hill Festie
Central Virginia’s Starr Hill is not the first brewery you think of when you start talking Oktoberfest beer…But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t.
Part of the brewery’s seasonal Heavy Rotation Series and available any day now (if it’s not out there already, Starr Hill Festie is 4.8% ABV Oktoberfest Lager that’s defined by its sturdy yet nuanced malt-backbone.
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest
Any serious discussion of Oktoberfest beers needs to return to the land where it all started and proud beer capitals like Munich, Germany.
Brewed using naturally sourced spring water (and one of only six Munich breweries allowed to serve beer at the city’s world-famous Oktoberfest celebration) Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest is lighter than many of American craft beer’s versions. It’s also less hoppy…and deliciously refreshing for exactly that reason.
Ninkasi Oktoberfest
If it looks like we’re in the tank for Eugene, Oregon-based Ninkasi Brewing it’s because we totally are – and like Victory they’ve got brewing lagers down.
Available in late August through September, Ninkasi Oktoberfest is a 5.9% ABV Märzen that marries Northwest ingredients with a traditional German style and doesn’t forget the hops.
Otter Creek Oktoberfest
No doubt inspired by Sierra Nevada’s transatlantic Oktoberfest collaborations, Vermont’s Otter Creek has teamed up with a Cambia Bavaria, a pilot brewing facility located just outside of Munich to craft this year’s Oktoberfest beer.
Building upon the classic Märzen style, Otter Creek Oktoberfest is a 5.5% ABV symphony of rich German malts and German noble hops with incredibly earthy aromatics that will blow you away!
Want to know more about Oktoberfest beers? Check out: WHAT THE HELL IS A MÄRZEN?
