8 Great Oktoberfest Beers (That You Might Actually Be Able to FInd)

*My Opinion: I’ve had most of these and #3 is one of the best beers I’ve had (Oktoberfest or otherwise)  - Mike Hartung of IndianaOnTap

August 26th, 2014 Edition

Over the weekend, I ended up spotting sixers of Victory Festbier for the first time this season. We’d spent the day floating down the Russian River (the actual river, not a Pliny euphemism), but it felt like full-on fall by the time we swung by the bottle shop. Crispy. Amber-lager weather.

Abysmally structured märzen (or Oktoberfest, or whatever your choice of style nomenclature may be for these generally) can feel like sipping from a bucket of melted candy corn. Sticky sweet. Lacking clear lagered focus.

But the good ones… Well, here are our top-rated examples worldwide with more than 100 reviews entered. Look for careful caramel, a nice biscuity roundness, and pinpoint mouthfeel. Find below our top eight.

#8 | Paulaner Original Münchner Märzen: Munich, Germany
#7 | Buckeye Martian Marzen Lager: Cleveland, OH
#6 | Capital Oktoberfest: Middleton, WI
#5 | Boulevard Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest: Kansas City, MO
#4 | Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen: Munich, Germany
#3 | Great Lakes Oktoberfest: Cleveland, OH
#2 | New Glarus Staghorn: New Glarus, WI
#1 | Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen: Aying, Germany