Festbier from here
Oktoberfest beers aren’t just for the Germans. American craft brewers have embraced them as well, putting their own spin on the malty lager style.
While no local brewers have yet released their interpretations – the actual Oktoberfest celebration, after all, doesn’t begin until mid-September – you’ll find several versions on supermarket shelves.
The newest and most distinctive comes from Sierra Nevada, which teamed up with one of Germany’s oldest family-owned breweries, Brauhaus Riegele, for a complex, golden-colored collaboration with a rich, soft mouthfeel and pronounced depth of flavor. (Sierra plans to partner with a different German brewer each year.)
At 6 percent alcohol by volume and 30 International Bitterness Units, it’s made with a traditional German barley, Steffi, along with standard pilsner and Munich malts for a fairly sweet, bready and somewhat nutty character, delicately balanced by several spicy-floral German hops.
To accompany the release, Sierra has created a rather addictive old-school video game. (Our advice: Keep those arrow keys moving, and the beer flowing.)
Samuel Adams weighs in with a darker-colored but lower-octane version (5.3, 16) that has a more straightforward sweetness from the addition of regular caramel malt, and just a hint of hops in the semidry finish.
Three Northwest interpretations show the range that domestic brewers bring to the style. Full Sail’s O’Fest (5.7, 26) shares the same rich amber color as the Adams and a similarly subdued hop character, but the sweetness is dialed down a bit and less bright on the palate.
Ninkasi brings its trademark hoppiness to its off-dry, golden-hued offering (5.9, 25), while Pyramid stretches the Festbier boundaries with a bigger, darker, roastier release (6.7, 35) that practically screams “American.”