Hofbräu-Munchen: Festbier; Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier. In 1539, the Bavarian brewers decreed that the production of beer was only allowed between September 29 (St. Michael’s Day) and April 23 (St. George’s Day). I think the pretzels on the ribbon are a great touch for parties. Ninkasi Oktoberfest confusingly also calls itself a “Festbier Lager.” That being said, it is still copper color, but just a little bit lighter than GB’s Märzen. Deep gold color, great mouthfeel and lots of flavor. More Steins. This post contains affiliate links which help support our blog at no cost to you. Why all the different names? Toasted bread or biscuit-like malt aroma and flavor is to be expected. So, we also did a “Mocktoberfest,” which is a traditional German Festbier with an ale yeast instead of a lager yeast. Pretzels. But pale Festbier is more common at Oktoberfest than copper colored Märzen these days! It used to be a Bavarian amber lager, known as modern Märzen but in the 1970s was replaced by a much lighter lager known as Festbier. This bier pours a nice straw-blonde color that is lighter in body compared to the traditional Märzen style and usually in the 5-6% ABV range. CURIOUS FACT: Beer was first served at Oktoberfest in 1818. These beers may also be seen at any sort of festival and not just Oktoberfest. Hope you had a great weekend. Germany’s annual beer-and-sausage blowout is canceled, and large American gatherings will likely remain limited—but don’t see the glass half-empty. Ever since 1818, we have brewed our bottom-fermented Oktoberfest Wiesn during Oktoberfest – Germany’s #1 Oktoberfest beer and a true institution in Munich. Hi! Beer tasting is fun - learn how to do it and read about all kinds of craft beer styles we have tasted over the years. October Columbus "Festbier" (Märzen) at Hofbrauhaus Newport "I should know better than to expect more from a chain, though I've been here before and really enjoyed myself. Craft Beering | DISCLOSURES & PRIVACY POLICY. I think our Festbier is lighter in color, a bit more bitter, and lower in ABV than most Märzen-Oktoberfest beers. Märzen, as we learned, is a style that is identical to historical Vienna lagers, with the exception that it is probably brewed somewhere other than Vienna. Festbier Märzen / Oktoberfest. He was also influenced by the English kilning achievements and decided to use produce and use paler malts. That specific part was phased out once refrigeration was invented. Elsewhere it is Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen. know about Oktoberfest and the beers served there? We share tasty recipes centered around cooking with beer and pairing beer and food. Thanks for linking up at the Friday Frenzy Link Party! Leave this field empty if you're human: Can't visit the site everyday like us? Sep 29, 2019 - What is Oktoberfest beer, what is Märzen and what is Festbier? The amber colored Marzen (5.8% alcohol and confusingly also with a Fest theme) was brewed year round. I love how much I learn every time I stop by your blog :). Drinks Have a great week, and I can’t wait to see the recipes you guys have coming up! Bet they are pretty special Cheers, my friend! In the US an Oktoberfest style beer is assumed to be a Märzen style lager. All the answers + historical background. Buergerliches Ur-Saalfelder, Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest, Paulaner Oktoberfest, Weltenburg Kloster Anno 1050 There are more details available on the BJCP website. vienna lager vs märzen. Basically, Märzen is just a little “more.” Oktoberfest will look mighty different this fall. This is not the golden festbier sold at the Munich Oktoberfest. Golden in color and very easy to drink it was developed and pioneered by Paulaner. The Viennas and Märzen are closely related, but my understanding always has been that Vienna-lagers are typically a bit lighter in color, a bit lower in alcohol, and a bit more bitter than Märzen. That is totally not the case now, that’s for sure. This brewery never disappoints. May 29, 2020 - What is Oktoberfest beer, what is Märzen and what is Festbier? forms: { The ABV is 6-6.5%. The Oktoberfest beers definitely deserve an explanation given how confusing the terminology that surrounds them can be. Lederhosen. Weiss bier (or Weissen) is wheat beer. It’s hard to believe that Germans are weak enough beer drinkers to accept the “lighter” beer for Oktoberfest, and that weak, light beer-drinking Americans still have the real Oktoberfest marzen beer exclusively. This is not all – there are a quite a few intricacies surrounding the identities of Oktoberfest beers. on: function(evt, cb) { I started reading this post to myself, but my hubby is sitting next to me, so instead of sending it to him, I just started reading out bits of the history you shared. But why was summer brewing forbidden way back when? I will have to send him your site so he can follow along!! It has a medium to full body and may vary in color from pale through amber to dark brown. Most certainly we will enjoy beers together some day:) Thank you Annie for the kind words! Märzen was the bier that had been served at Oktoberfest since its inception but this changed in the 1950s when a lighter color, less sweet bier style was introduced that’s now known better as Festbier. Festbier, by comparison, is described as “less intense and less richly toasted than a Märzen.” Classic Märzen should be a little darker, a little richer, a little heavier, and a little higher in alcohol than Festbier. Märzen vs. Festbier? They were much darker than today and only became amber in color after the Spaten brewery experimented with lighter malts and developed the style we are familiar with today, often referred to as modern Märzen. Our son requested his own pretzel garlands for snack at school:) They were learning about Oktoberfest in social studies (no beer tasting though, lol). The shortest answer to the Oktoberfest vs Märzen riddle is this: Oktoberfest beer (in German Oktoberfestbier) is the beer served on the Wiesn during the annual Munich Oktoberfest festival. This week we'll taste and talk all about Festbier and Märzen. Very interesting history lesson. Paulaner refers to their Oktoberfest Wiesn as “Liquid Gold”, and it is only brewed for the Oktoberfest season. Festbier is an actual German lager style that came to replace the Märzen lagers served during Oktoberfest in the late twentieth century. But other than hearing about that time your friend studied abroad in Germany, what do you really know about Oktoberfest and the beers served there? Märzen or Märzenbier, often simply referred to as “Oktoberfest lager” in the U.S.A., is the traditional beer of the event, and has been a German, Austrian and Bavarian staple since the 16th century. Most people seem to be primarily interested in drawing a distinction between Oktoberfest beer and Märzen, but things are a bit more complicated than that. The modern Festbier can be thought of as a pale Märzen by these terms. Dirndls. Seriously, this beer is bitter. 11 Oct. vienna lager vs märzen . Even during peak season in September, I was only able to find a handful of American Oktoberfests for sale across several different local beer stores and grocery stores. Dovetail and Begyle Brewing will host its second annual Oktoberfestiversary event on September 23 and 24. . Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup! We’re not beer experts, but love learning more about it and drinking it, of course! Den Abschluss des Bier-Adventskalenders macht natürlich ein Weihnachtsbier.