INTO THE BREW Bavarian Bonanza


Oktoberfest remains one of the world’s strongest beer traditions By Sam Tierney


Photo: Kayla Coleman


Sam Tierney began his love affair with great beer while studying and traveling abroad in Europe during his junior year at UC Santa Barbara. He began homebrewing shortly after, and has since won multiple awards. Sam is a graduate of the Siebel Institute, a professional brewing school in Chicago, and he is now a brewer at Firestone Walker in Paso Robles, California.


all is just around the corner, and with it comes one of the most traditional and storied beer styles: Oktoberfest. I know, I know, fall isn’t exactly a big deal in coastal California where you’d never guess the season by looking outside, but this strong tradition knows no climate.


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Part of what separates good beer from generic swill is its story, and Oktoberfestbier, along with the festi- val that lends its name, has one of the best in the biz. My first experience with Oktoberfest came a few years ago when I visited Munich with some college buddies. What really struck me was how the beer defined the event; thousands of people peacefully enjoyed giant mugs of lager along with traditional Bavarian food and brass band music. A simple weekend trip turned into a life changing experi- ence.


There are six breweries in Munich that pour beer at the festival, which was first held in 1810 to commemo- rate the wedding of the prince of Bavaria: Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr, Augustiner, Paulaner, Lowenbräu, and Hofbräu. The festival grounds are now named the Theresienwiese in honor of the bride, Therese. The wed- ding celebration turned into an annual event and has developed into one of the largest festivals in the world, host- ing 14 giant beer tents that hold thou- sands of drinkers at a time, outside beer gardens that hold even more, and a host of carnival rides and attractions to keep you busy in between drinking beer and eating roasted chicken and sausages. Despite its name, Okto- berfest starts on September 17th and goes through October 3rd this year. Years ago, the festival was moved to an earlier date in order to take advan- tage of the typically better Munich September weather.


The original style of beer served at the festival was Märzen, which was a strong malty lager brewed in March (März is March in German) and stored in cool caves through the sum- mer when temperatures would get too high for brewing. It was traditional to serve the remaining beer in the beginning of fall to deplete the old stock and welcome the harvest and the return of brewing season. Modern examples of the beers served at the festival have shifted to a more pale, dry style of beer, which is now often called Wiesenbier to differentiate it from the traditional Märzen style. Color ranges from deep gold to amber, and the malt charac- ter is moderate, and reminiscent of lightly toasted bread. Hops are used primarily to balance malt character but also lend a spicy, noble hop flavor and aroma. As with most lagers, these tend to be clean and crisp in the finish, with minimal fruitiness in


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Weisswurst (Bavarian veal and bacon sausage) and bier inside the Hippodrome Oktoberfest tent comparison to most ales.


My personal favorite of the beers at the festival is Hofbräu’s version, which is one of the paler, hoppier examples. My favorite beer in all of Munich, however, requires a trip to the city’s center and the Ayingers Speis und Trank restaurant, located across the street from the famous Hofbräuhaus. The deeply malty, amber-colored märzen brewed for the season is a fantastic example of the style, whether on tap at the restau- rant, or bottled stateside.


Most of the Oktoberfest beers from the Munich brewers that we get here are actual- ly different versions than those served at the festival, and are usually the Märzen style. Augustiner, Lowenbräu and Hofbräu make the paler version, but only Hofbräu exports theirs to the U.S. Paulaner recently started exporting their paler Wiezenbier version as well as their amber Märzen, so keep an eye out for that at your favorite bottle shop. American brewers have also jumped in the game. At Firestone Walker, we recently


brewed our own annual Oktoberfest, which we call Oaktoberfest as a nod to our oak barrel union fermentation system, and the annual Oaktoberfest party that we hold. It’s a bit of a mash-up of styles; we use German pils, Vienna, and Munich malts to get a deep amber color, but the alcohol is slightly lower than normal and the finish is dryer and hoppier than the original. We made new friends with every table we shared, from locals to travelers from around the world just like us. As with beer in general, tastes have shifted to lighter beers for easier drinking; these festbiers are meant for a special, one-liter “Maß” mug, so drinkability has been a primary concern for Munich brewers. One could easily be fooled by the lighter color of these beers, but they do pack a punch. Oktoberfestbiers are typically in the 6% ABV range, higher than the standard, roughly 5% helles beers that are standard in Munich beer halls the rest of the year.


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