Top Ten Oktoberfest Brews You Need to Try

By Christopher Osburn

Oktoberfest is a special time of year. Even if many Americans don’t know why it’s celebrated, that doesn’t stop them from enjoying accordion music, schnitzel, sausage and sauerkraut and a big, frothy mug of beer. The style of beer that is consumed during Oktoberfest is Märzen. This dark brown, mildly hoppy, malty brew is usually around 5-6% ABV and is the perfect beer to imbibe as the temperature starts to dip and the leaves start cascading down. Here is Chilled Magazine’s list of Top Ten American Oktoberfest Beers:

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1. Great Lakes Oktoberfest (Ohio)

From Great Lakes Brewing Company in the Buckeye State, this is the can’t miss Oktoberfest beer. At 6.5% ABV, Great Lakes’ offering is not to be taken too lightly, but can still be enjoyed in multiples and could easily stand tall against the German big boys in both taste and appearance.

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2. Summit Fest Bier (Minnesota)

From Summit Brewing Company in Minnesota, Summit Fest Bier is a malty, caramel sweet brew that sits at a very comfortable 5.5% ABV. Good luck finding this one, though. It was made in very limited amounts.

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3. Millstream Oktoberfest (Iowa)

Millstream Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest offering is 5.7% ABV with a very malty, bready, sweet flavor with just a hint of bitter after taste.

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4. Berkshire Oktoberfest Lager (Massachusets)

From the Berskshire Brewing Company comes this dominant Oktoberfest beer. At 6.8% ABV, this is a brew to be reckoned with. Regardless of the alcohol content, the taste is not affected negatively. This is another beer that stays true to the flavor of Munich’s classic Oktoberfest beers.

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5. Thomas Hooker Oktoberfest Lager (Connecticut)

Thomas Hooker Brewing Company brings us this 5.7% ABV Marzen. Full of flavor with hints of barley, caramel and a dry finish, Thomas Hooker Okotberfest is an extremely balanced beer.

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6. The Kaiser (Colorado)

The name should be a hint at the majesty of this beer. At a potent 10.2% ABV, the Kaiser, from Avery Brewing Company, doesn’t just ask for your respect, it demands it. Like most Oktoberfest beers, it has a large malty, sweet flavor. It probably would be wise to only imbibe one of these bad boys though.

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7. Left Hand Oktoberfest (Colorado)

The second offering from the craft beer heartland of Colorado, Left Hand Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest is 6.6% ABV with the perfect amount of malt to sweetness.

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8. Barktoberfest (Ohio)

Ohio is not commonly known for its multitude of craft breweries, but this last now has two beers from the home state of LeBron. The 6.6% ABV Barktoberfest is definitely the most whimsical name on the list, but this beer from Thirsty Dog Brewing Company is more than a novelty.

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9. Harpoon Octoberfest (Massachusets)

Harpoon Brewery in Boston is one of my all-time favorite craft breweries. Luckily for me, they also make a delicious Oktoberfest beer. At 5.3% ABV, Harpoon Octoberfest is a complex, malty, bready, sweet beer that is perfect for a crisp fall evening.

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10. Narragansett Fest (Rhode Island)

From Narragansett Brewing Company in the tiny state of Rhode Island comes this 5.5% ABV Marzen. It’s driven by nutty, malty sweetness with slight, tart hop notes at the back end.

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