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(Courtesy Paulaner USA)
If COVID-19 hadn’t happened Oktoberfest 2020 would have kicked off this weekend. But it did and it won’t, and most of us will be celebrating at home this year.
And we’ve some Oktoberfest beers that you want to have in hand.
Paulaner Oktoberfest Beers
When it comes to the best Oktoberfest beers one has to look to Munich, home to the original Oktoberfest celebration. For over 100 years, the Märzen style (a full-bodied malt-rich lager) ruled Munich’s Oktoberfest. But In 1990, festival organizers realized that modern tastes were changing and that festival-goers were asking for something lighter.
And Paulaner USA offers both styles in the states…
Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen – Brewed with uncompromising standards that strictly adhere to the Reinheitsgebot, using only 4 ingredients (water, hops, yeast and malt} this is the Oktoberfest original. Brimming with rich malt flavor and lingering toffee tones, Paulaner has been brewing this classic 5.8% ABV Märzen for almost 400 years.
Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier – Brewed only once a year, and only available while supplies last, this is the only beer that is currently offered in the Paulaner tent at the Oktoberfest celebration in Munich. But with this year’s celebration on hold, Paulaner USA is making this full-bodied deep golden 6% ABV Pale Lager more available than ever before.
(Courtesy Bitburger)
Bitburger Festbier
Established in 1817, Bitburger is currently one of the fastest growing German beer brands in the US. And the brewery has just released a special beer that was crafted to capture the American way of celebrating German style beer festivals in October.
Brewed with a very special malt composition, including Pilsner Malt, Münchner Malt and light Caramel Malt, and a unique hop blend called ‘Siegelhopfen’ which is sourced from a farm just a few minutes from the brewery, Bitburger Festbier is a full-bodied 6.2% ABV Märzen…an almost perfect melding of hops and malt with a slightly sweet backbone, a lingering bitterness, and strikingly dry finish.
(Courtesy Sierra Nevada)
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2020
For almost a decade, Sierra Nevada Brewing has been crafting some of the world’s most impressive Oktoberfest beers, sometimes as collaborations with European brewers. In 2017 the craft beer leader partnered with Brauhaus Miltenberger, one of Germany’s most highly regarded craft brewers.
In 2018 the Chico, California-based brewery worked with Weihenstephan, the world’s oldest brewery located in Freising, Germany. And in 2019 Sierra Nevada worked with another brewing great Bitburger Brewery (see above).
And after years of creating great Oktoberfest collaborations with German masters, Sierra Nevada is going solo again and in doing so has delivered something special. Brewed using a striking blend of Two-Row Pale, Munich, and Vienna malts, and Spalter and Spalter Select German hops, Sierra Oktoberfest 2020 is a 6% ABV Märzen Lager with a floral, fruity character and a bright hoppy finish.
