The best Oktoberfest beer is malty, pairs well with rich, German foods, and has a reasonable ABV (alcohol by volume). We popped open ten different Oktoberfest beers from Germany and the U.S. to try and find the best Oktoberfest beer to buy this festival season.
Who’s ready for a lesson in beer? (That’s why you love beer, right? The academia of it all.) First, let’s get this out of the way: Oktoberfest (the festival) usually occurs in September (in 2023 it runs from September 16 through October 3). It began in 1810 as a wedding party and evolved into the massive beer festival that celebrates sausages, pretzels, tuba-driven music, lederhosen, and, of course, Oktoberfest beer. Now, if we’re talking German Oktoberfest beer, we’re talking märzen (which translates to March and nods to the month in which the beer is brewed). It’s a malty, amber ale that generally comes in around 6%—though many Oktoberfest-specific märzens have a lower ABV because they are designed to be gulped by the liter. German rules dictate that only six breweries in Munich can actually label their brews as Oktoberfestbier: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofrbauhaus, Lowenbrau, Paulaner, and Spaten. Other breweries can only call their Oktoberfest-style beers festbiers. And, of course, with any German beers, brewers must follow the Reinheitsgebot or German Beer Purity Law, which says that water, barley malt, and hops are the only ingredients brewers can use.
Phew.
But what about American Oktoberfest beers? Do they have to follow any rules? This is America, baby. We do whatever we want! While American brewers typically try to deliver on the Oktoberfest vibe (malty, moderate ABV, amber), they don’t have to do anything to call their beer an Oktoberfest beer.
So, when I was looking for the best Oktoberfest beer, I was looking for one that hit those classic malty notes. I was looking for something that was gulpable and food-friendly—something that fits that autumnal solstice timing. I donned my lederhosen, cranked the polka, and tried 15 different bottles and cans of Oktoberfest beer and festbier. Here are the best Oktoberfest beers (and festbier beers) that made me want to grab a schnitzel and yell oompapa.
- Athletic Brewing Co. Oktoberfest (0.5%)
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This non-alcoholic Oktoberfest beer from N/A beer pioneer, Athletic Brewing, is pretty darn good for a booze-free brew. It’s malty and frothy with a touch of baking spice on the finish. If you’ve ever had a beer from Athletic Brewing before and you liked it, then you’ll probably like this one, too. It tastes a lot like their Upside Dawn golden ale, but slightly sweeter and maltier. It’s the best Oktoberfest beer to sip around a fire after running a 5K if you don’t feel like imbibing alcohol.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Josephsbrau Oktoberfest (5.3%)
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Trader Joe’s beer is cheap. It’s not the best beer—but it is really, really cheap compared to other craft brews. You can get a six-pack of Trader Joe’s Oktoberfest for seven dollars. These days, that’s pretty cheap. And if you like the banana-y flavor of a hefeweizen, then you’ll also appreciate the flavor of this beer. It tastes like if you took Trader Joe’s hefeweizen and put it through a fall-ify machine. It tastes like toasted, brown butter banana bread. If you’re looking to save some cash or you’re a big hefeweizen fan, then this is the best Oktoberfest beer for you.
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Erdinger Oktoberfest (5.7%)
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Erdinger tastes more like a wheat beer than the other Oktoberfest beers we tried (probably because it is a wheat beer). So if you often find yourself reaching for a Blue Moon or a Hoegaarden, this is the best Oktoberfest beer for your palate The bubbles are extremely delicate and give the beer a crisp, refreshing bite. Erdinger’s website says the beer sets the stage for the classic Bavarian drinking song, “Prosit der Gemütlichkeit,” which translates to “here’s to good cheer” or “a toast to comfort.” That’s really the vibe I’m looking for in a festival beer.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Weihenstephan Festbier (5.8%)
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Made by the world’s oldest continuously operating brewery (originally part of a Benedictine monastery), this Oktoberfest beer smells like..well..weed. There’s just no other way to put it. It has a distinctly marijuana-esque quality. It’s grassy (ah, there’s the drug-free way to describe it) and not as heavy on the malt as some others. Be sure to pour it from the bottle into a frosty mug to get that foamy head that helps disperse the concentrated aromas and flavors.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Flying Dog Dogtoberfest (5.6%)
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Flying Dog might skirt the naming issue by calling their Oktoberfest beer a Dogtoberfest beer, but they don’t deviate too far from the standard in the making of the beer. Brewers use all German ingredients to make this märzen. But they still put their own spin on the style. It’s fruitier than other Oktoberfests, with some apricot notes to it. Sporked managing editor Gwynedd Stuart noted some floral flavors as well. It’s the best Oktoberfest beer that gives punchy, American flavors—bright and a touch bitter, it goes down easy and it has an undeniably good label, thanks to artist Ralph Steadman.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier (6.3%)
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This Oktoberfest beer smells like a picturesque fall festival—colorful leaves, damp and fragrant underfoot, bright rays of light from a low afternoon sun, apple cider mulling away somewhere off in the distance. It’s vest weather in a bottle. It’s the best Oktoberfest beer for day drinking (yes, even though it is boozier than some of the other brews on this list), and the bright, bitter notes pair well with foods like rich sausages and salty beer cheese. This beer holds back on the malty notes more than the others, so if you’re looking for a crisper, brighter Oktoberfest beer, try Hofbräu Oktoberfest.
Credit: Liv Averett / Bevmo
- Golden Road Oktoberfest (5.8%)
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Here’s a real Cali take on an Oktoberfest beer. Created in collaboration with Spaten, the märzen-style brew is heavy on the malty flavors but finished with a crisp, refreshing note. “It’s almost peanut buttery,” said Gwynedd She also noted how fresh and bright it tasted. It really has that just-tapped flavor rather than any hint of staleness or that homebrew-y quality some German-style beers can have. This is the best Oktoberfest beer for an above 80-degree Oktoberfest like the ones we have in SoCal.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Vons
- Left Hand Oktoberfest Marzen Lager (6.6%)
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This is a dark and brooding Oktoberfest beer. It’s complex and delightfully bitter on the finish. If you’re in a place where fall comes early and the light is waning and you’re feeling a little goth about life, this is the best Oktoberfest beer for your vibe. It would pair perfectly with rich, meaty sausages or deep, savory stews.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Festbier (6%)
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If you want to take a break from your darling IPAs—but not that much of a break—then Sierra Nevada makes the best Oktoberfest for you. It’s not traditional at all but it’s very, very drinkable if you’re into crisp hops with a pleasantly malty base. It’s my Oktoberfest festbier of the season, that’s for sure. And, luckily, it seems to be everywhere right now, so you won’t even have to look hard to find it.
Credit: Liv Averett / Drizly
- Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen (5.8%)
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One of the OG Oktoberfest beers is, indeed, the best Oktoberfest beer of them all. Created for Oktoberfest in 1818, Paulaner Oktoberfest is extremely quaffable. It has an inviting, malty nose that’s toasty and warm. It tastes full and rich; the malty notes tingle on your tongue, leaving you with just a touch of tang—perfect for food. To my mind, it tastes exactly like Oktoberfest beer should taste. And the bottle? It’s so pleasing. It’s slightly smaller than others with beautiful sloping shoulders. This bottle is my new comfort object.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
Best Non-Alcoholic
Best Budget
Best Wheat Beer
Best Dank
Best Fruity
Best Fall-tastic
Best Cali Style
Best Bitter
Best for IPA Lovers
Best of the Best
Other Oktoberfest beers we tried: Sam Adams Oktoberfest, Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest, Trader Joe’s Josephsbrau Oktoberfest, Leinenkugel
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