Beer styles 101: Oktoberfest beer

October 27, 10:50 PMChicago Craft Beer ExaminerMark McDermott

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(AP Photo/Diether Endlicher)

We're running late with this article thanks to illness (those flu shots really work; two weeks after my shot, I got the flu!). And Oktoberfest in Munich ended on October 4. But stores are still offering specials of Oktoberfest beer and bars are still hoisting their steins. So what is Oktoberfest beer?

The first Oktoberfest commemorated the wedding of Bavaria's Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1810. The wedding took place on October 12, and was commemorated with a horse race on the 17th. Except for the following year, when the land was troubled by some pest named Napoleon, Munich has put on Oktoberfest ever since. The date has slid forward on the calendar to accommodate the weather, and now runs for 16 days, ending the first Sunday of October (unless the first Sunday is the 1st or 2nd of the month, then it takes in German Reunification Day on the 3rd).
The beer served at the early Oktoberfests would have been in various styles. Brewing was difficult in the hot summer months, with a greater risk of infection, and before filtering or pasteurization. The Brauerei Hofstetten of western Austria, not far from the old Kingdom of Bavaria, claims to have been the "Royal Brewer" for the original 1810 celebration, and has reintroduced an approximation of the original recipe as "Hochzeitsbier von 1810," available for the first time this year in America at a few draft accounts. (A brown, unfiltered Maerzen lager).

Beer, and food for that matter, were not served at the Oktoberfest celebration until 1818. A specific style for Oktoberfest was started in 1872 by Spaten brewer Josef Sedlmayr. With Anton Dreher of Vienna, he introduced a malty, slightly dark beer based on the amber-colored Vienna lager. The beer was known as Märzen, because it was brewed in March and lagered in cellars and caves until Oktoberfest time. The maltier grain bill made this "festbier" slightly higher in alcohol (6% by volume) than regular table beers, and than the Vienna lager it was based on. Today, only the brewers still based in Munich: Spaten, Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrau, Löwenbräu, and Paulaner, are allowed to sell beer at the Munich Oktoberfest. Other brewers like G. Schneider, maker of a line of wheat beers, used to sell at Oktoberfest, but lost the right when their Munich facilities were destroyed in WWII.

What to Expect: A traditional Oktoberfest beer will be darker than the usual lager, running gold to amber to almost orange. As a German lager, though, expect it to smell clean, with no fruitiness. Instead, a strong "beer" smell and some noticeable hop bitterness. Taste should be maltier, maybe a bit grainy, but not sweet, as it should have a dry finish. Some residual yeast character may appear, but not if it's been fully lager conditioned. German style noble hops will balance out the maltiness and may lend an earthy or peppery note, but should stay in the background. Finish can be clean and dry as a standard American lager, but some sweetness or hop on the lips is fine.

Notice: Many beer fans express the view that the big German brewers, like Beck's or St. Pauli Girl, have made their "export" Oktoberfests progressively paler to match the American (and European) taste for pale, pale lagers. Don't be disappointed if you can't tell these Oktoberfest beers from the usual Heineken.
Favorite Oktoberfest beers:

I have to give a shout-out to Goose Island's Oktoberfest, which is produced this year only as a "20th Anniversary edition" in a commemorative bottle. The original was malty, toasty, and a little bit smoky, and the label showed their goose mascot in a German feathered hat, looking for all the world like Chicago TV icon Garfield Goose. Regular production of all Goose Island lagers seems to have been curtailed, possibly due to the longer prep time.

Avery the Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest: Yes, if there's a style, someone has made an "Imperial" version of it. Deep copper color, almost like ancient amber with extinct species of insects trapped in it. Pours a thick German head that leaves a big rime around the glass. Tastes strong, can get mediciny, but reminiscent of fine caramels. A definite hop pack, too. Each year's edition is slightly different, but can clock in at up to 10% abv. 38 out of 50.

Rock Bottom Rocktoberfest: Though this is a special at all Rock Bottom brewpubs across the country, each location's brewmaster has some latitude in their recipe. I've enjoyed the versions by Pete Crowley at State & Grand, and Tim Marshall at Yorktown (Lombard), but each location should have a personal twist on the beer.

Three Floyds Munsterfest: Named not for Herman and Lily, but the town where it's made. The Floyds are known for their extreme, way hoppy beers, but this one hews pretty closely to style, clocking in at a respectable 5.5% abv, and with straightforward German hops. 35 of 50.

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen: One of the best-rated of the original Oktoberfest brewers' beers. Try to locate a fresh import bottle, and you'll find a lighter colored beer that pours a big frothy head. Drinks with slight stickiness, a hop balance that simply keeps the malts sensible, and again a bit of smoke. 34 of 50.
Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen: Of the import Oktoberfests, this seems closest to the style in color. Dark maltiness is more accented by hops than other German Märzens. 32 of 50.

Hofstetten Hochzeitsbier von 1810: As mentioned above, this Austrian example claims to have been the recipe of the first Oktoberfest. This was only available in our area at the Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, and may still be around. Becauase it's served unfiltered, it's actually classified as a "Landbier." Brown color, cloudy; lacy head. Darker than anything passed as an Oktoberfestbier. Rich, malty smell; very little roastiness, but a hearty malt smell with a bit of yeast. Some Vienna malt. Sharp, spicy hop note. A very drinkable lager beer, just amped up in flavor without interference from big alcohol. 34 of 50.

Coney Island Freaktoberfest: New for 2009 is an admitted gimmick from the folks at Schmaltz Brewing of New York. Blood red in color, advertised as "6 malts, 6 hops, 6.66% alc." (nudge nudge). This even had a pink head. Taste has a load of malt that I’d expect from an Oktoberfest style. Don’t think you can really get this color from a malt. Still, there’s a peppery and earthy hop to it, and it’s not stinted (being warm probably helps the hops come through). Alcohol is well hidden. If I were hosting a party, I’d be serving some of this. 25 of 50.

By the way, after ascending to the title King Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1825, Ludwig became one of royalty's major players, having affairs with many of the tiaraed heads of Europe. Unlike other royal wives, Therese let it be known she would accept these affairs, and left town when her husband was consorting in the castle. She stood by him, though, when the scandal of his dalliance with an English dancer who went under stage name Lola Montez forced him to abdicate in 1848.

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