Welcome one and all to my favorite time of year for beer…Oktoberfest season! Before we go further, I will immediately address the “it is too early for beer cans to don their iconic blue and white Rautenflagge attire!” qualms about Oktoberfest beers appearing in late July and early August with haphazardly crafted rebuttals and the relaying of a real life event:
1. German Fest runs at the end of July here in Milwaukee. Certainly a beer with such Germanic origins and importance should coincide its release with said Festival. What is a fest without a Festbeer?
2. Fresh beer is a wonderful thing and when you see it, you should drink it no matter what the bossy calendar tells you. It is almost certain that the first local Okotberfest releases you see around this time of year are fresher than fresh and will add a bit of extra joy to every sip.
3. If the Packers are on in any form, an autumnal beer should be available for pairing with the game.
4. No fewer than three beers acquired for this review were eagerly chosen and consumed by guests from my fridge before they could even be reviewed. One such imbiber was the AC repairman—a real life example of people’s desire for a frosty Oktoberfest beer even when it is still hot enough to need conditioned air.
Onto to the style: Oktoberfest, Octoberfest, Oktober Fest, Festbeer, Festbier, Märzenbier, and Marzan are just a few of the monikers you may see adorning the menus, cans, and (ever fewer) bottles as the season comes around. As to be expected for a style of beer celebrating an event 215 years prior, what is “real” and “authentic” and “traditional” can get blurry, especially after a few two-tree liters. What can be expected from modern and accessible options is an amber lager that should feature a sweet toasted malt character with bitterness to balance it. How prominent each characteristic is and how well it is balanced is where the real diversity comes in from brewery to brewery.
For our purposes this fest season we will embrace any and all Milwaukee, suburban, or state-wide beers claims and spellings for the review flight…so let’s get drinking!
Hacker Pschorr Okotoberfest Märzen – 5.8% ABV
To set the mark on style and to have a control beer to compare against, we will start by tasting one of just six beers recognized as an official beer of Oktoberfest by the event. As you would expect, the beer is brewed in Munich, Germany and to a strict standard of purity. As you would also expect, this is a perfect beer for late summer and early fall. Full flavored but not heavy, mild grain character with a hint of bitter, in short: balanced and beautiful. Beer that tastes like beer.
With craft brewers often thriving on big flavors—imperial this, quintuple dry hopped that, and the like—how will our Wisconsin breweries compare and contrast to this Bavarian icon? I tasted through 10 beers grouped by brewery location to find out.
Milwaukee Proper
Lakefront Brewery Oktoberfest – 5.6% ABV
Sporting a blue and white can with beer swiggin’ dancing revelers and the promise of “Handcrafted Happiness,” this Lakefront seasonal beer balances grain characteristics with a mild and fleeting bitter finish. Perhaps a touch lighter, and perhaps a bit more frothy than our control, Lakefront delivers a solid offering that will fulfill all your local Oktoberfesting needs.
Third Space Brewing Oktober Fest – 6.0% ABV
Third Space joins the festivities with a beer that leans a bit heavier into the hop profile for a more pronounced bite. (I can say this with confidence not just based on my seasoned festbeer palate, but the International Bittnerness Unit printed conveniently on the can!) At 25 IBU, this ‘toberfest sits at 10 units more than Third Space’s Pretty Good Amber and just 5 below than their Nice Day IPA. If you like a touch more bitter in your beer, this is probably the one for you this season.
Black Husky Brewing Eichinger Bräu Oktoberfest – 6.0% ABV
Rounding out the Milwaukee grouping is the 6.0% tallboy from Black Husky. Despite being among the highest ABVs, the beer is one of the lightest drinking in the tasting. The bräu drinks easy with mild malt and mild bitterness present, giving it a bit more of an everyday lager feel than a rich seasonal specialty. This is not necessarily the beer you would savor on a cool autumn evening by a fire, but definitely one that would be at home in your stein during a long day of festing in a boisterous tent.
The Suburbs
Eagle Park M.C. Hammerschlagen – 5.9% ABV
Our first suburban beer entry brings us to Muskego and the home of Eagle Park (which also has a Milwaukee brewery/taproom). It’s a very clean and easy drinking (but not light) beer at 5.9%, as it leans much more into the sweet and malty side of the style. Scant bitterness and a very quick finish makes this something to be a little careful with when festing and partaking in a round or two of Hammerschlagen. One or two cans could turn into a liter or two rather quickly.
MKE OktoberFest – 5.5% ABV
Also coming out of Muskego, MKE Brewing Company’s OktoberFest delivers much the same as Eagle Park’s entrant. Whether it is brewing technique or the lower ABV, the MKE offering ends up just a touch lighter, crisper, and less sweet than M.C. Hammerschlagen, making it more sessionable and refreshing. Take note if that is what you are seeking for your beer needs.
Ope! Brewing Company Opetoberfest – 5.5% ABV
Up next, hailing from West Allis is one of the newest breweries to the scene. Ope!’s contribution to this fest season is a nice tall can of refreshing and crisp lager. You’ll find hints of caramel roast, hints of sweetness, and faint bitterness combine lead to not the most robust beers, but one of the most balanced in the bunch. Much like our Hacker Pschorr control, this is beer that tastes like beer.
Elsewhere in Wisconsin
Lion’s Tail Oktoberfest – 5.6% ABV
Our first statewide beer to be cracked arrives brewed and canned (despite a Wauwatosa location) from Neenah, Wisconsin and it announces its presence with authority. Breaking the general mold seen thus far, flavors beyond just sweet malt and bitter fill this can. Prominent toasty and nutty flavors dance a polka among the malty sweetness of the beer. Touting the use of German Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich malts with Hallertau Mittelfruh hops, Lion’s Tail delivers a very complex Germanic-style beer without trying to be a Hacker Pschorr clone.
Central Waters Brewing Co. Octoberfest Lager – 5.5% ABV
Traveling all the way from Amherst, Wisconsin (despite a Milwaukee location), this Octoberfest—with a C!—starts with sweet malt and just a hint of caramel (or perhaps even honey) with very mild bitterness. Despite the lower ABV, there is no lack of flavor from first sip to the bottom of the can. It’s easy to drink, flavorful, and refreshing at the same time, this Lager is a perfect all-around beer for the season…and beyond.
3 Sheeps Brewing Oktoberfest – 5.5% ABV
From the shores of Sheboygan, this Oktoberfest beer is our second to come clad in a blue and white can with beer swiggin’ dancing revelers on it to tell you what kind of mood it will put you in. With baked grain characteristics, mild sweetness, and a mere trace of bitterness, this is certainly the type of beer people are describing when it is referred to as “liquid bread.” Even without any overt roasty (or even toasty) notes, this rich offering still seems to warm the body as it is consumed.
New Glarus Brewing Co. Staghorn – ?.?% ABV
Before we get into the nitty-sippy of Staghorn, a disclaimer of sorts must be shared: This is my favorite Oktoberfest beer. Every year when the air begins to chill, the harvest moon rises, and pumpkins begin their seasonal reign in decorations, flavors, and patch outings, I know it is Staghorn time. Swooning aside, it’s objectively a balanced and hearty beer that leans more sweet and toasty than bitter. It’s perfectly suited for early to late fall, and well into the winter months as well. It isn’t far and away superior in flavor to anything tried today, but there is just something a little extra special about this Wisconsin-exclusive, blaze-orange-banded, eight-point-buck-logoed glass bottle that makes it my top pick.
Parting Thoughts
Overall Festing Review – Many ABVs
What a time of year to try fresh beers in many interpretations of a classic style originating across an ocean. Each has their own characteristics, nuances, and mascots to help tell their tale. I encourage everyone to try all of these beers (and more!), as they could reveal themselves differently to you if they are on tap, warmer, colder, shared with friends, shared with enemies, enjoyed during the game, enjoyed in a large tent, or paired with a bratwurst and pretzel. They sadly aren’t year round offerings, so drink ‘em while you can! Prost!