Oktoberfest

It may surprise many who are familiar with Marzën style beer that it is actually not what is served at Oktoberfest. While Marzën was originally served at Oktoberfest, it has since been transformed into a highly drinkable golden lager named after the festival itself, Oktoberfest Bier.

Oktoberfest Bier has taken the place of Marzën in the beer tents dotting the Theresienwiese (Therese’s Meadow) in Munich during the two-week Oktoberfest celebration.  It is a relatively young, and mostly unknown style of beer here in the United States.

In the mid 1970’s, Paulaner Brewery in Munich decided the Marzën style wasn’t the ideal beer for the festivities. The brewery felt it was too filling.  They started experimenting and searching for a new style of beer that would be more fitting.  They wanted it to be still reasonably malty, but less heavy and lighter in color than Marzën; a more quaffable and easy-drinking alternative. Oktoberfest Bier was their answer and since the 1990s, it’s been the only beer poured at Oktoberfest.

Today there are only 6 breweries given the honor of pouring at Oktoberfest; Paulaner, Spaten, Löwenbräu, Augustiner-Bräu, Staatilches Hofbräu-München, and Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu. All pour Oktoberfest Bier. However, most of them still do brew and bottle an example of Marzën for export.