Time to grab your lederhosen and don those dirndls: we’re throwing an Oktoberfest party, no passport required!
Did you know one of our most popular corporate virtual events is our beer tasting event for Oktoberfest? We select a variety of German style craft beers, ship them to you and your guests, and host an hour long virtual tasting and Oktoberfest! Yes, there are pretzels too.
What styles of beer are appropriate for an Oktoberfest party? We’re so glad you asked!
The Beers of Oktoberfest
Should you find yourself in Munich for Oktoberfest, you might notice that only six breweries are represented in the many beer tents. The criteria for serving beer at Oktoberfest is extremely strict: the beers must be brewed in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot, or Bavarian Beer Edict, and they must be brewed within the city limits of Munich.
The six breweries allowed to be served at Oktoberfest are:
- Augustiner
- Hacker-Pschor
- Löwenbräu
- Paulaner
- Spaten
- Hofbräuhaus
Oktoberfest Beer Styles
Let us be clear: Oktoberfest beer is it’s own specific style. Märzen and Festbeir are the official beer styles of Oktoberfest.
Märzen (or “March”) is brewed in the spring to be consumed, you guessed it, for Oktoberfest! It is a bottom fermented, full bodied lager beer with toasty malty notes, a hint of hops, a crisp dry finish and an abv of 6% or higher.
Festbeir is a lighter, lower abv pale lager with subdued, toasted malt notes brewed specifically for Oktoberfest. The beer tents in Munich also feature Radlers and Shandies (beers mixed with with citrus sodas) and a few offer Hefe-Weissbier, an unfiltered ale comprised of >50% wheat, which may have banana, clove, vanilla, and even bubblegum notes.
Our virtual Oktoberfest craft beer kits celebrate and feature the official Oktoberfest beer styles but, seeing as how we are not within the Munch city limits, let’s have some fun with some other German beer styles, shall we?
German Beer Styles
Alright, there are literally thousands of beer styles being brewed in Germany’s roughly 1,500 breweries. We’ve selected a stein-full of German beer styles for your perfect Oktoberfest craft beer event.
German Lagers, Helles, Pilsners & Kolsch
Let’s kick things off on the lighter side of things! Crisp, refreshing, and oh so food friendly: German light lagers!
Traditional German Pilsners are lighter in abv than Oktoberfest, pale gold in color with a dry hoppy aroma. Helles is a maltier version of the style, known for the aroma of Noble hops and a slight bitterness. Helles is also available in Dunkle, a darker version of the style due to the roasting level of the malt.
Cologne’s answer to crushable: Kolsch uses ale yeast but its fermentation is finished cold, like a lager. Bright gold, crisp, dry, and oh so drinkable, Kolsch makes a great palate cleanser!
Wheat Beers, Gose & Zwickl
Weißbier or “wheat beer” is avaible as unfiltered Hefeweizen, clear filtered Kristal, and Dunkel, which is dark and rich from the roasted malt. Wheat beers are top fermented, best consumed out of a tall weizen “vase” with room for a luscious head of aromatic foam, and they hail from Southern Germany. The style is low in hops and big in banana, clove, and sometimes even bubblegum notes. Traditionally speaking, it is not served with citrus so leave the lemons out of it (yes, that means you Suzanne!)!
If bright citrus vibes are what you crave, crack open a Gose! Gose is a special style of wheat beer that incorporates salt and corriander during the brewing process, it also uses lactic acid bacteria which gives it a subtle funk and citrus sour note.
Feeling like taking a walk on the wild side? Zwickl is for you, my friend! Unpasturized and unfiltered, these German beers are golden brown and surprizingly light. Considered highly nutritious from their lack of filtration and pasturization, Zwickl makes for– dare we say– a healthy addition to your Oktoberfest beer tasting!
Rauchbier & Schwarzbier
Smoke ’em if ya got ’em– German beers, that is! Rauchbier brings the smoke of your fave bacon and the aroma of a cozy campfire, all while being surprisingly light on the palate. We love this German beer style! The smokey notes are a result of the malt being kilned over an open flame, tradionally a beechwood fire, and the beer style hasn’t changed much since its inception during the 1500s in Bamburg.
We hope this article is inspiring you to sample more German beer styles for Oktoberfest and, if Jena had her way, it would be Shwarzbier in your glass. Dark roasted malt, a hint of sweetness, balanced with lager crispness and a session-able abv–what is not to love?! The name translates to “black beer,” a style with its roots in Saxony and Thuringia. Founded in 1543, Köstritzer brewery became synonomous with this beer style, thanks in part to the students from the University of Jena, which was founded fifteen years later (you cannot make this up). Now, our staff writer was unaware of this fun fact when she developed her love of this German beer style, but it certainly gives her another reason to suggest it!
Prost!
With all these delicious German beer styles for Oktoberfest, we simply can’t wait to start celebrating! Stock up on pretzels, roasted chicken, ham, potato pancakes, ready the mustard (don’t forget the sauerkraut) and prepare to pour those beers into steins!
Want a whole Oktoberfest inspired box of German beer styles? Book a virtual Oktoberfest beer tasting event with us!
Jena is an event host & contributing writer for The Crafty Cask, as well as an award-winning bartender, cocktail educator, Cicerone Certified Beer Server, and Executive American Whiskey Steward. Based in NYC, Jena has been working in the craft alcohol world for the last 15 years with recipes appearing in Manhattan restaurant/bars & multiple publications. She is the 2019 Nikka Perfect Serve Global Runner Up and a 2020 Cognac Connection winner.
