Though official Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich were canceled this year, we’re finding new ways to mark the occasion.
The Fervent Few, Good Beer Hunting’s subscriber community, recently hosted an Oktoberfest-themed Instagram Live celebration in collaboration with Stony Creek Brewery. The virtual fest included talks on everything from Oktoberfest’s history and food-and-beer pairings to the difference between Märzens and Festbiers—plus plenty of opportunities to raise a maß.
Alongside the talks, we also reached out to our members and asked what Oktoberfest means to them. If you missed out, catch up on the conversations below—and find inspiration for your own seasonal festivities.
Our Instagram Live happy hour kicked off with Brian Alberts—beer historian, GBH staff writer, and all-around nice guy. With GBH founder Michael Kiser, Alberts discussed the difference between Märzens and Festbiers … which was fascinating to me because I’m here to tell you that I didn’t know there was a difference. As Alberts revealed, Festbiers tend to be lighter in color and body, closer to a Helles. Märzens, on the other hand, are more bready, with a toasty malt flavor and caramel sweetness. Alberts also shared a bonus fun fact: at the first Oktoberfest, 32,000 bread rolls, 4,000 pounds of Swiss cheese, about 900 pounds of mutton, 21,000 sausages, 400 liters of wine, and 23,000 liters of beer were consumed. On the first day.
I hadn’t known the difference between the two beer styles, but GBH Editor-in-Chief Claire Bullen was on it. “Lately, I've made a hard pivot from Pale Ales and IPAs to Lagers in my home-drinking sessions. In previous years I all but ignored the arrival of Festbiers and Märzens, but now I can't get enough of malt-driven Lagers. We've been lucky to have so many exceptional, upstart Lager breweries popping up in the U.K.—I've been crushing Duration Brewing's Harvest Bier, and am looking out for Anspach & Hobday's Festival Lager and Donzoko x Braybrooke x Lost and Grounded's Mega Lager Fest Bier.”
After Alberts, we talked to Mary Mackenzie from Craft Beer Cellar about the difference between old-school and new-school Oktoberfest beers. We learned why they arrive in stores so early (so that you can get them in time for Oktoberfest, which, despite its name, kicks off in September), and which ones are flying off the shelves. By the time you read this, Weihenstephaner Festbier is most likely already sold out. Hope you got to try some!
Dave Riddile opted to keep it classic by drinking a Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest with dinner, but is loving discovering the range of seasonal styles available to him in Seattle, where he recently relocated. “It’s been fantastic to see the new-to-me offerings from Pacific Northwest breweries for the Märzen and Festbier styles, Heater Allen Brewing’s Bobtoberfest and Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen’s Märzen being two favorites.”
Once we wrapped up with Mary, we next spoke with Jay Kendig of Stony Creek. He talked about what went into making the brewery’s new Oktoberfest beer—also named Literhosen—and what makes it so special. The beer’s hop bill includes Magnum for bittering and then a “traditional” dose of Hallertau Tradition. The plan for the beer? Let the malt shine, and add the grassy hops for a nice “pop.” Jay also talked about the brewery’s scaled-down Oktoberfest celebration in light of the pandemic. Normally they would host some 2,600 people; this year, it’s liters of Festbier and food pairings shared virtually.
After that, we talked to Fervent Few member and homebrew shop owner Stacy Stevenson. She told us about her homebrewing adventures and misadventures—and confessed that she hasn’t actually brewed any Oktoberfest beers before. Instead, she mostly sticks with brewing Pilsners and West Coast IPAs. (Living on the West Coast probably makes her a little biased.) I, on the other hand, brewed my own Märzen this year and you know what? It was really good. I wish you could have had some.
We finished the night off with Dave Riddile, who manages Seattle’s No Anchor bar. He recommended classic Oktoberfest food pairings, including German dishes like brats and spaetzle. But if you want to veer from that path, Riddile said you can’t go wrong with grilled meats like barbecue chicken or, for a cheese pairing, aged gouda. He also answered the question of whether or not you can porrón a Märzen. Happily, you can.
Speaking of food, Sightlines lead reporter Kate Bernot told us separately about her Oktoberfest-themed wedding, and her idea for a recent anniversary dinner. “My husband and I got married at the end of September last year, outside on a ranch here in Montana. Because it was a wedding and in September (and because my mom's side of the family is from the Black Forest region of Germany), we decided to do a loosely Oktoberfest-ish wedding. Dinner was brats, sauerbraten, red cabbage, pretzels, etc., lots of kegs of German beers, a big central barn for dancing, homegrown hops draped over the trellis where we said our vows. I was thinking that for our anniversary I'd cook some of the dishes we had at our wedding and buy some Ayinger to go along with them.”
Bernot isn’t the only one to tie family celebrations in with Oktoberfest. Brad Redick told us about his family’s “Celebration Season.” “Autumn is a special time of year for my family. My wife and I made a conscious decision to have our kids be born during what we now call ‘Celebration Season.’ For me the arrival of Weihenstephaner Festbier signals the beginning of Celebration Season. I usually take a day off of work in mid-September to buy said beer, and then I'll sit around all day staring at the 11oz bottles, wondering why they couldn't just make 12oz bottles.”
I personally have never been to Germany, but several of our members have, and they shared their stories of attending the fest. Wayne Pelletier reminisced about his visit in the early ’90s. “I love Oktoberfest. In 1991, I had the good fortune of being stationed by the U.S. Army in Bamburg, Germany. It was a short car ride, about two and a half hours, through the Bavarian countryside to the Oktoberfest grounds in Munich. I vaguely recall that we acquired the tickets secondhand. We made no sleeping arrangements, no plans, no bags. We just had tickets in hand, about 100 Deutsche Marks (best I can recall), and a trunk full of snacks and beer. Even on the Autobahn highway, a road trip through Germany is stunningly beautiful. Back then, one had to use maps printed on paper to navigate a city, but I remember the grounds being easy to find.
The festival is enormous. Our tickets were for one of the long, public, picnic-style tables in the Löwenbräu tent. We had a blast talking and singing with locals, a French family, and the many Germans seated around us. From there, things got a little fuzzy as I overindulged.
Obviously, my memories are fond. Now, distanced by so much time and experience, the feeling was this: it’s a unique cultural event that can’t be duplicated accurately here in America. The vibe is a product of Bavaria’s distinct history and relationship with beer. I would absolutely love to go back at some point to check myself, and double-check a few liters.”
Claire Bullen visited more recently, and found both highs and lows in the experience. “I went to Oktoberfest with a friend for the first time last year, and in retrospect, I'm glad I made the call to go when it was possible to do so. It was exhilarating, enormous—I remember swinging between the Augustiner tent and the cloud-bedecked Hacker-Pschorr tent, both of which were full of more people than my brain could readily comprehend, before heading to the Festzelt Tradition tent for a more old-fashioned experience. At times the festival was also overwhelming, seedy, grimy—a day or two was enough, and after that I was happy to enjoy a more relaxed experience in Munich's bierkellers.”
State-side celebrations typically take a different form. For Nick Yoder, his Oktoberfest has always been a more casual affair. “Surprisingly, given the strong German heritage in the area, we don't actually have much in terms of Oktoberfest in South Bend, Indiana. From 2015-2017, I did a Märzen blind-tasting with my brother and father-in-law, which is about the extent of our traditions. Unfortunately we hadn't really embraced Lagers at that point, and discontinued it since we didn't really enjoy it. I'd certainly like to revisit that tradition now that I've garnered an appreciation for the style.”
Stacy Stevenson travels out to Montana for the festivities each year. “I usually go to two Oktoberfest events. The first is in Whitefish, Montana where my sister and her family live. We've been going to the local Oktoberfest for the last seven years, and it's fantastic: one tent; two beer service areas; and one food service area with pretzels, local elk and traditional brats, and housemade kraut. It’s got short lines, live music, and all the contests and costumes you’d expect. The second is Biketoberfest in Fairfax, California. It’s a fundraiser for the community bicycle coalition, local breweries, food booths, bike shops, and live music, and turns an area parking lot into heaven for an afternoon.”
For John Gross, Oktoberfest means going out and catching Festbiers like they’re Pokémon. “I get a genuine kick out of the ritual seasonal hunt for different takes in the style. We've got a wealth of world-class releases down in Austin, Texas to churn through—it's a sessionable blast. Collecting as many as you can before they're off the shelves, and packing the fridge with Fraktur typeface, is a tradition I'm all about.”
What have you done for Oktoberfest this year? Did you join us for our Instagram Live celebrations? Let us know what you thought on Twitter—we’d love to hear it—and don’t forget to join The Fervent Few for virtual beer community all year long.
Hosted by Jim Placy
