Oktoberfest-Style Beers

While it started in the 1800s as a small regional holiday, Oktoberfest soon became a worldwide sensation. Since its inception, the event has spurred many a spin-off festival complete with traditional music, costumes, parades and food. But this event also brought us something else: Oktoberfest-style beer. If you can’t make it out to Oktoberfest this year, or missed it (as the majority of the holiday takes place in September) we’ve collected a list of our top nine favorites that will transport you all the way to the festival grounds of Germany’s Theresienwiese. Great Lakes Brewing Oktoberfest (Ohio, US) 4 Noses Foeder Oktoberfest (Colorado, US) Samuel Adams Octoberfest (Massachusetts, US) Green Bench Festbier Lager (Florida, US) Left Hand Oktoberfest Märzen Lager (Colorado, US) Rosenstadt Festbier (Oregon, US) Victory Festbier (Pennsylvania, US) Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen (Germany) Shiner Märzen-Style Oktoberfest (Germany) Why You Should Trust Us All products featured here are independently selected by our team, which is comprised of experienced writers and wine tasters and overseen by editorial professionals at Wine Enthusiast headquarters. All ratings and reviews are performed blind in a controlled setting and reflect the parameters of our 100-point scale. Wine Enthusiast does not accept payment to conduct any product review, though we may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this site. Prices were accurate at the time of publication. FAQs What is Oktoberfest beer? Beers labeled "Oktoberfest" are generally malt-forward märzen beers. German varieties began popping up in the U.S. in the 1960s. In the years that followed, many American producers began producing their own interpretations of the classic style. What is the official Oktoberfest beer? The official Oktoberfest in Munich pours only beers produced by six local brewers: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten. These operations have been around for a good long time: The oldest, Augustiner, was founded by monks of the Augustinian order in 1328. Meanwhile, the "newest" brewery, Paulaner, dates to only 1634—more than a hundred years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. When do Oktoberfest beers come out? According to the official Oktoberfest website, sanctioned beers will begin appearing weeks before the event's start date, which is usually in mid-September. American-made Oktoberfest beers, however, may hit shelves stateside in as early as August. What does Oktoberfest beer taste like? Most märzen beers are amber in hue with malt-forward flavors that delivers bready, toasted notes. But don't forget about festbier, a lighter, golden lager that's often served as a more sessionable alternative to Oktoberfest beer. How much beer is consumed during Oktoberfest? In 2019, 7.3 million liters of beer were poured at the official Munich Oktoberfest. But when you factor in beer drunk at Oktoberfest celebrations around the world... the number of total pours is impossible to calculate. It's definitely a lot, though!