But lest you forget this is from the west coast, there's a little extra hop bitterness to goose you on the back of the palate. This take is appropriately built upon Munich and Vienna malts and noble-hopped to create a dry, bready finish that makes that third stein feel like you’re just getting started. Framingham, MassachusettsDistribution: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, VermontIf you thought expectations were high for a strictly lager-focused brewery to come up with a killer Märzen, you’d be right. During their 19th-century maraud across Germany, Napoleon's forces stumbled upon a tart, effervescent German ale that soldiers called the "Champagne of the north," a more fanciful term for Berliner weisse. Oktoberfest is one of the world’s largest beer celebrations. Fear not: We’ve picked a few of our favorite true-to-form examples that should be relatively easy to find in most corners of the country. This year, for obvious reasons, Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, has been … Like we said, in the US you can slap Oktoberfest on pretty much anything, which can make finding a good one a crapshoot. And although you may have glugged enough märzenbier—the robust, full-bodied lager typically served … Their Oktoberfest beer -- which is debuting this year at the end of the month -- is brewed with Vienna and Munich malts and Germany Hersbrucker hops, so you're still getting that rich and deep festival beer flavor without compromising on calories and ABV, so everyone can celebrate Oktoberfest. It’s an incredibly drinkable version of one of the world’s most drinkable styles, which by our measure makes this a double success. Such is the case with perennial Midwestern darling brewery, Half Acre whose Märzen bravely flies under the radar by simply dubbing itself a “lager” first and an “Octoberfest beer” second. We introduce the six breweries of the state capital allowed to fill the beer … To ensure consistency and create a more shelf-stable product, most beers, especially lagers, are filtered. In the case of Sierra Nevada, it involves bringing a different German brewery stateside each year to come up with their Oktoberfest offering. Restaurant recommendations you trust. The official website for Oktoberfest 2020 in Munich. As Oktoberfest winds down, so does the drinking public's infatuation with German beer. That copper … (The nutmeg and clove–nuanced Schneider Weisse Original is a total treat.) Instead, beer makers slightly jacked up the ABV to around 6% to help preservation and kept it in cold storage caves to be drank through the warmer months. There are a lot of fugazis out there. Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest Amber Märzen, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company Oachkatzlschwoaf. Brooklyn, New YorkDistribution: New YorkKeeping your lineup of beers fresh is easy when you’ve got three founding head brewers who all bring something to the table. Since it was founded in 1872, the German brewery has specialized on smooth, wheat-driven ales hefeweizens and other thirst-slaking delights. Once upon a time, Leipzig was known for gose (goes-uh), a sour, wheat-focused ale spiced with coriander and salt. It’s remarkably smooth and medium bodied on the palate with biscuity malts, and although slightly floral, it’s truer to traditional Märzens than other domestic versions. In contrast to wheat-driven hefeweizens, roggenbiers contain up to 50 percent rye—a spicy element that jibes with hefeweizen yeast's notes of cloves and bananas. Already weeks before the starting signal for Oktoberfest, the breweries present their newly brewed Wiesn beer and increase the anticipation of the highlight of the year. Chicago, IllinoisDistribution: California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, WisconsinNot all Oktoberfest-style beers have to loudly proclaim themselves as such. Recipes you want to make. In a process dubbed fractional freezing or freeze distillation, brewers send a stronger lager into deep freeze. Chico, CaliforniaDistribution: Available nationwideSo if festbiers are supposed to be a harkening to tradition, how do breweries who’ve been at it for a long time keep things fresh year after year? That copper-colored lager that has become inextricably linked with the biggest beer-themed holiday may be known colloquially as Oktoberfest, but there are some rules you may not be aware of. Minneapolis, MinnesotaDistribution: California, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, WisconsinThe midwest is arguably the country’s hotbed of authentic German beer interpretations, so it should be no surprise that one of the best breweries in Minnesota cranks out a perennial Märzen that is adored far and wide. Only beer from Munich breweries may be served on the Wiesn, as custom dictates. Stratford, ConneticutDistribtuion: Available nationallyAthletic Brewing has completely changed the non-alcoholic beer game, so naturally, it only makes sense that they've come up with a perfect non-alcoholic beer to celebrate Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest which is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, hosts over 6 million visitors. All rights reserved. As we said earlier, Oktoberfest/Festbiers/Marzens are a dime a dozen, but the best are remarkably drinkable. Expect a malt backbone balanced by piney, floral German Magnum and Loral hops and a dry finish. In Germany, strict trademark rules dictate that only beers brewed by the six breweries located within the Munich city limits can use “Oktoberfestbier” on their labels and ship it to the tents: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräuhaus, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten (all of which are available in the US, though some are hard to find). But it wasn’t until 2010 that they entered the brewing game, where they take on traditional German styles with touches of American influence has garnered a lot of attention. Ad Choices, There's no better moment for German beer than Oktoberfest, but don't restrict yourself to lagers. Burlington, VermontDistribution: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, VermontZero Gravity has been a fixture on the Vermont beer scene for over a decade, and if there’s a style that this Burlington-based brewery can’t nail, they haven’t found it yet. The 16oz can format is a bonus! To revisit this article, select My⁠ ⁠Account, then View saved stories. But we've got your back. In Düsseldorf, not far from where Germany hits Holland and Belgium, that meant a copper-brown ale that would come to be known as the altbier. Today, the festival still begins with the mayor of Munich tapping the first keg at noon on the first day of the celebration. The eisbock is a rather literal style. Though the technique has been pushed aside by modern kilning techniques, Germany's Bamberg, in the Franconia region, still specializes in smoldering brews known as rauchbiers (rauch is German for "smoke"). Flying Dog recently released the draft-only Roggen, and you'll find a commendable bottled example from Seattle's Reuben's Brews. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun. Kulmbach, GermanyDistribution: On draft only in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Washington, Washington, DC Sometimes, finding the best German-made festbiers requires doing a little research, a little traveling, and a bit of old fashioned luck. Here are 10 intriguing styles you'll love in any month, Mahrs Bräu Kellerbier Ungespundet Hefetrüb, Brauerei Pinkus Mueller Organic Münster Alt, Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse. Mayor of Munich tapping the first clue that Sebastian Sauer and Peter are!, not a bag of Doritos. Sebastian Sauer and Peter Essel are not boring beersmiths... Out of a sick party sugar-rich broth that becomes beer ) with white-hot rocks and the! German brews, take these foreign styles for a spin nutmeg and clove–nuanced Schneider Weisse Original is a,! 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