Best Oktoberfest Beers – 2024

(Courtesy Firestone Walker Brewing)

It’s Oktoberfest season…Time to dust off your designer Lederhosen and bang out a new polka mixtape. And, oh yeah, you’re gonna need the right seasonal lagers.

So here are some Oktoberfest beers that you need to check out…Prost!

Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest

Firestone Walker Brewing has returned a classic that’s an oak-inspired homage to the great Bavarian tradition of Oktoberfest. Oaktoberfest has been a seasonal staple for Paso Robles craft brewery dating back to the inaugural release in 2006. Lagered in in French oak barrels from a premium Napa Valley Cabernet producer, Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest is a 5.2% ABV Oak Aged Lager with an uber-smooth mouthfeel, a crisp malt profile and hints of noble German hops.

For the past several years, a portion of Oaktoberfest has been lagered in oak barrels inherited from a Napa Valley cult winery. This year, Brynildson and his team changed it up, sourcing the barrels from Winemaker Russell From of Herman Story Wines in Paso Robles.

“Some recipes endure for a reason, and Oaktoberfest is a perfect example,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “We’ve been making this ‘Paso Festbier’ periodically for more than 15 years, and it has stood the test of time. The barrels lend a fifth element and an underlying presence in the texture of the beer. It’s hard to put your finger on, but it’s wholly different than if the beer was lagered only in stainless steel.”

(Courtesy Paulaner)

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 of them 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 5.8% ABV classic for almost 400 years.

Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier – Brewed once a year and only available while supplies last, this is the beer you’ll find offered in the Paulaner tent in Munich. And now, Paulaner USA is making this full-bodied deep golden 6% ABV Pale Lager more available than ever before.

(Courtesy Sierra Nevada Brewing)

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Festbier

.Few beers signal the end of summer and fall’s arrival like the return Sierra Nevada’s annual Oktoberfest beer, an annual release where the brewery partners with a legendary German brewer.

Brewed this year in collaboration with Brauerei Gutmann, Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Festbier is a smooth and balanced 6% ABV special release with a rich biscuity malt profile and an uber-clean finish.

Tröegs Oktoberfest Lager

Pennsylvania has a rich German heritage, so it shouldn’t surprise that Tröegs Independent Brewing makes one of the best Oktoberfest beers in the nation. Part of the brewery’s popular Long Live Lagers Series and crafted using a traditional brewing technique called decoction, Tröegs Oktoberfest Lager is a 6.1% ABV seasonal release with bright notes of sweet caramel, fresh-baked bread, and flowering herbs.

(Courtesy Tröegs Independent Brewing)

“It’s one of our simplest recipes and only uses two types of malt,” said brewmaster and co-founding brother, John Trogner. “It starts with a base of pilsner malt, then we add a touch of Munich to impart a bready flavor. By boiling a portion of the mash, we create a bright, dry maltiness. The yield is a rich, complex malt character.”

###

Want more beer suggestions?

NEW FESTIVAL BEERS AND JUICY LAGERS

BEER ALERT: MOVIE-INSPIRED RETRO LAGERS AND FRUIT SOURS

NEW TERPENE BEERS AND FARMHOUSE ALES

NEW INDIA PALE ALES AND SMALL-BATCH RELEASES