Left Click the Pic to see a pic of each!
Ticket cost: Paulaner tent requires a reservation, with recent prices for a 10-seat table ranging from approximately $2,940 to $3,500 for a midday session on Saturday. Tickets sell out quick and should be purchased way in advance, think July.
Samll factoid: Only 6 Munich breweries are allowed to serve beer at Oktoberfest Map of the 2025 Munich Oktoberfest.
Why is there even a special Märzen?
During the first years of the Oktoberfest, the Bavarian brewing law from 1539 stipulated that beer could only be brewed between the “Michaeli” or St. Michael’s day on September 29 and St. George’s feast day, April 23. It was forbidden to brew in the summer because the boiling process was considered a fire hazard. Moreover, bottom-fermented beer needs a temperature between 4–6°C for fermentation. Of course, no one wanted to forgo the pleasures of beer drinking in the summer, so a surplus quantity was brewed. And such are the origins of the beer known as Märzen. The last beer brewed at the end of the brewing season was given a higher gravity to increase its shelf life, since Märzen beer was to be sold throughout the summer and during the fall’s folks festivals.
The Style: Oktoberfest beers are clean, smooth lagers that emphasize a bready, toasty malt flavor with low hop bitterness and a crisp, dry finish. While traditional Oktoberfest beer, or Marzen, is amber, the modern Festbier is a paler gold color and lighter in flavor, though both feature a pronounced malt character. Key characteristics include a medium body, 5-6.5% alcohol by volume, and a lack of fruity esters or diacetyl due to cold lagering.
| Beer/Brewery | City, State | Tasting Notes | Style | ABV % | IBU | Cal | On Style | Look | Smell | Taste | Mouth Feel | Total Rating | Pic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oktobrefest Bier |
Munich, Germany | The beer pours great with a nice head. It is a wee bit light for an Oktoberfest ut the staste is crisp and clean. Brewed ince 1818. The glass is full of October sunshine, strong and golden. The perfect balance of a light taste of hops and a strong note of malt. This is the mark to meet.
Hops used are Herkules, Hallertauer Grains Light Pilsner malt, Munich Malt |
Oktoberfest Marzen | 6.0% | 16 | 220.9 | 4.1 | 45. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | Pic |
Oktoberfest Marzen |
Munich, Germany |
Hacker-Pschorr started brewing in 1417 but really developed as a brewery in 1793. Hops Hallertauer Tradition, Hallertauer Herkules. Grain - Marthe, Grace and Catamaran barley varieties |
Oktoberfest Marzen | 5.8% | 15 | 220.9 | 4.2 | Pic | |||||
Oktoberfest |
Aying, Bavaria, Germany | This beer pours with only a slite amount of foam which disipates quickly. It has a deep golden color tinted with amber. It is lightly sweet with a malty nose balanced with floral hops. It's medium to big body and alcohol are not overpowering. The soft dryness comes from long maturation. While I enjoyed this beer I have had it before in Bavaria and it was a much better beer which is no surprise since the closer you are to the brewery the better most beers are. The brewery is family owned and opperated and has been brewing since 1878. What I find interesting is that they do not list the Oktoberfest on there web page which is available in German, English and Itailan.
|
Oktoberfest Marzen | 5.8% | 15 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | Pic | |
Oktoberfest |
Fredericksburg, TX | This beer pours perfec with a great amount of carbonation which stays for the entire session. While not being a German brewery Altstadt is the closest thing you will find and their Oktoberfest is a great example The beer is Malty with a wee bit of sweetness . It is clean and yet has a complex mouth feel. If your at the Texas Renaissnce Festival this fall I recommend stopping by Brigadoo Brewery for a pint or two of this beer! It is brewed on German equipment which was brought over and installed in Fredericksburg in what can only be discribed as a German building. I highly recommend taking a tour. Tell them I sent you. |
Oktoberfest Marzen | 5.9% | 16 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Pic | |
Oktoberfest |
Houston, TX | Saint Arnold's Oktoberfest pours with great head which stays throughout the session. It ios full bodied, malty, slightly sweet beer. This rich beer has a round malt flavor and an above average alcohol but still provides and excelent example of an Oktoberfest. If your in Houston I recommend stopping by their beer garden and order an Oktoberfest on tap.
Malted Barley: Hops: |
Octoberfest Marzen | 6.6% | 18 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | Pic | |
Oktoberfesrt |
Fort Worth, TX | This beer pours with and abondance of head and it stays around. It has a great color and appears to be a good Octoberfest. It has a nice smell and the mouth feel is well ok. Then comes the taste or should I say the sugar rush. This beer is way to sweet and to prove the point I did not finish it. There was way to much residual sugar. In fairness I would try this again just to see if I got a bad one but with way to many good )ktoberfest on the market I would strongly suggest going with something else. |
Octoberfest Marzen | 5.5% | 14 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2.2 | Pic | |
