Autumn. It’s the most wonderful time of the year… for beer. The weather is finally cooling down, the leaves begin to change and fall, and the malty lagers begin to emerge. In the beer culture, Oktoberfest, both the party and the beer that bears its name, are synonymous with the fall season. Nothing is more comforting than a giant mug of beer and consuming the golden liquid while toasting the person next to you.
The story of Oktoberfest is one of the most repeated tales in the beer world that is quite accurate if told in its very basic form. But there are two parallel narratives, one regarding the beer and one about the annual celebration, to explore.
Ready? Grab a beer. Here we go.
A good starting point is the enactment of the Reinheitsgebot. On April 23rd, 1516, Duke of Bavaria, Wilheim IV, a member of the royal Wittelsbach family, decreed what will eventually be the longest still-standing brewing standard we now refer to as the German Purity Law. Although beer was not the focus of the decree (more about it here), it did lay the foundation for Lagerbier.
Mother Nature assisted in Lageriber’s firm grip in Bavaria before the next proclamation. Climatologists agree there was a “Little Ice Age” that began no later than 1550 that dropped the average temperatures by a degree or so. It may sound insignificant, but it was enough to be noticed all over Europe until temperatures stabilized around 1850.
In 1553, Wilheim’s successor and son, Duke Albrecht V, outlawed brewing in the summer months due to the inconsistent beers being produced during these warmer months. The dates Albrecht chose were April 23rd, the original date of his father’s proclamation, to September 29th. They didn't understand why, yet they knew fermentation and cold storage (lager) done in the colder months of the year resulted in higher quality beers.
The Munich Dunkel Lagerbier origin as a beer style can be traced back to these events.
Brewers stepped up production beginning in March into April and brewed plenty of beer to be stored away. These beers were quite strong, dark, and well hopped. Kept in cool caves, they eventually mellowed out. They eventually became known as Märzenbier (March beer).
Incongruent with the new harvest, brewing would begin again in late September or early October. Evidence shows that the remaining Märzenbiers were consumed in mass quantities to free up the casks for the upcoming brewing season. Not exactly a party or celebration, still a good time as one could imagine.
Duke Wilheim V, the next Wittelsbach to reign, would construct a royal brewery in Munich in 1589. The location still stands as an enormous, touristy pub and the brewery name is recognizable; The Hofbräuhaus.
Fast-forward to 1807. Gabriel Sedlmayr (the Elder), Master Brewer to the royal court of Bavaria, obtains a small brewery in Munich, the Spaten Brewery. Sedlmayr would spend the rest of his life perfecting the Lagerbier practice and teaching his sons (Gabriel the Younger and Joseph) the trade.
The key event that is nearly always quoted when recanting the Oktoberfest story took place on October 12, 1810. The Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. A grand wedding party was held just outside of the city gates on a meadow that lasted for several days. Of all things, the main attraction to the commoners was a horse race during the last day of festivities.
The first Oktoberfest (although it was not yet called that) was a wedding celebration that lasted a few days. There was no focus on beer yet mainly because there might not have been any available. By 1814, there is literature mentioning generous amounts of beer served in tin-lidded .5L steins and tents.
Following Gabriel Sedlmayr, the Elder’s death in 1839, his two sons -Gabriel and Joseph- assume the ownership responsibilities.
In 1833, brewers Gabriel Sedlmayr (the Younger) of the Spaten Brewery his good friend, Anton Dreher of the Dreher Brewery in Vienna made a research trip to England. Their goal was to witness and study a revolutionary hot air kiln, which kilned green malt to a relatively pale consistency. They returned and immediately got to work creating paler malts and incorporating them at their respective breweries.
Shifting briefly and slightly to the east, a brewer by the name Josef Groll released his pale golden lager to the unsuspecting public of Pilsen, Bohemia (modern-day Czechia) on November 11, 1842. It did not take long for this beer to gain footing with beer drinkers. Virtually all other breweries in the world, including Germany, would follow suit in creating paler beers. No market was unaffected, not even the traditional Märzenbiers.
Sedlmayr released an amber lager during the 1841 Oktoberfest known simply as a Märzen made with his pale grain dubbed Munich malt (although this Märzen was paler in comparison to Märzenbiers prior). Likewise, a few months later Dreher released an even paler amber lager made with his pale grain dubbed Vienna malt. These two beers were the precursors to what we know as the Oktoberfest/Märzen and Vienna Lagers today.
Joseph would later (in 1842) withdraw from Spaten to pursue his brewing venture and would acquire the Leist Brewery. Joseph after a while attains the Franziskaner and shuts down the Leist Brewery. By 1865, Joseph’s only focus is brewing operations at Franziskaner.
Aware of the growing popularity of pale-colored beers, Joseph applied that understanding to modify a Vienna Lager formula. Depictions vary as to how, but it was released at the 1872 Oktoberfest. This beer was Franziskaner’s Ur- Märzen. The copper-colored, toasty, crisp Oktoberfest beer was finally born.
That same year, 1872 in Northern Germany, the Radeberger Brewery lays claim to having developed the first German Pilsner.
The development of refrigeration by Carl von Linde in 1873 encouraged breweries to slowly move into year-round production (ironically enough, the first refrigeration system was developed for the Spaten Brewery). The Märzen style beers evolved into specialty products specially made for the festival. Märzen as a “March” beer slowly became a style designation associated with the festival. They are now known as one and the same, Märzen/Oktoberfest. With this mash-up, the need to create a special, darker, stronger beer in March eventually dissipated. There was simply no need for it any longer.
As other lessons in beer anthropology have taught us, the popularity of the Pilsner forced brewers to get with the program to keep their thirsty customers happy. Spaten introduced a Helles Lager to the Munich locals in 1895 in response to the growing demand for the golden beer.
Spaten and Franziskaner would join in 1922 bringing the Sedlmayr’s back under one umbrella of influential brewers.
"O'zapft is!" With that loud cry, the ceremonial first keg is tapped, and the world’s biggest party is underway. ('O'zapft is!' means ‘It’s tapped!’ in German, Bavarian dialect). Ludwig and Therese’s wedding celebration continued year after year on its anniversary, eventually evolving and merging with the celebration of the new harvest and clearing out the casks for the new brewing season. As mentioned above, these older casks of beers were in their prime condition with the extended aging. Horse racing eventually was dropped from the celebrations. To honor the princess, the grounds that continue to hold this party are named Theresienwiese or Therese’s Meadow in German, Bavarian dialect.
Only the 6 Munich breweries are allowed to serve their beer at the Munich Oktoberfest. Those breweries are Spaten, Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, and Paulaner. This festival, now called Oktoberfest, is the world’s biggest party where about 30% of all Munich brewery production is accounted for!
The traditional Märzen beers are copper-colored and very bright with a dense cap of creamy foam. Rich malty aromas with toasty notes. Sweet yet pleasantly bitter on the palate with a complex malt backbone, medium-bodied, and clean, dry finish. These are the versions we commonly see here in the United States as they are now produced mainly for export. The need to create this version as a necessity is no longer valid due to the development of refrigeration. That’s not to say traditional Märzen/Oktoberfest beers are not available in Bavaria because they are (just not as common as before), although they are primarily produced for export. Traditional decoction mashing (where portions of the mash, including the grain, are boiled then added back to the mash) is common to produce Märzen.
The Oktoberfest style has split into two distinct versions: The golden Festbier and the traditional densely gold to coppery-orange Märzen. Paulaner is usually credited to have introduced a less-filling golden-colored malty lager at Oktoberfest in 1970, but there is evidence to indicate other beers served during the celebrations well before that. Some flyers and programs dating back to the late 1800s call for Helles and Dunkel being served. So as is most often the case, the transition was most likely gradual with 1990 being when the Festbier became the lager all 6 breweries served at Oktoberfest.
The official golden Oktoberfestbier goes by many other style names: Festbier, Wiesn, Wiesnbier, Oktoberfestbier, Oktoberfest Wiesn, and so on. These beers are gold in color, brilliant clarity with a creamy white head. Pilsner malt dominates the aroma with notes of grain-like sweetness. Compared to Märzen, not as much (but still plenty of) toasty flavors or aroma with hints of honey and hay, low perceived bitterness in flavor and finish, with a well-rounded and soft malt character. Best described as a supercharged Helles. Again, decoction mashing is traditional.
Regardless of the version, be it a Vienna, Märzen, or Festbier, serve in a traditional dimpled mug and enjoy. Pair with traditional pork schnitzel with sauerkraut or bratwurst sausages to let the malt sweetness contrast out the tart of the kraut and the toasty nature compliments the savory meats., In the cheese world, a simple medium-aged cheddar, gouda, or Gruyère, will harmonize with the toasty notes or goat cheeses like Hoja Santa or Ibores have earth notes that give those malts something to latch on to. Backyard burgers, roasted chicken or pork, grilled veggies, American pizza with lots of meat, Caesar salads, or beef chili also work nicely.
The Oktoberfest beer style history is expansive. Short of simply saying, “Oktoberfest is the celebration of beer and harvest that began with a royal wedding,” which is fairly accurate, understanding the significant historical events and timeline brings even more depth to this already amazing beer style.
One of my favorite styles, indeed. The toasty flavors and golden copper colors of these malty Lagerbiers resemble autumn in a glass. - Pumpkin. Spice. Need. NOT. Apply. -
Prost!
-Gilbert "Charlie" Perez, Advanced Cicerone®
References:
Alworth, J. (2015). The Beer Bible. Workman.
Amato, M. (2014). Beerology: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Beer… Even More. Appetite by Random House.
Dornbusch, H. D. (1997). Prost! The Story of German Beer. Brewers Publications (Brewers Association).
Kraus-Weyermann, T., Dornbusch, H. D. (2018). Dark Lagers: History, Mystery, Brewing Techniques, Recipes. Master Brewers Associations of the Americas (MBAA).
Herz, J., Conley, G. (2015). Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros. Voyageur Press.
McCalman, M., Gibbons, D. (2009). Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager. Clarkson Potter.
Oliver, G. (2003). The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food. HarperCollins.
Oliver, G. (2012). The Oxford Companion to Beer. Oxford University Press.
Amato, M. (2014). Beerology: Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Beer… Even More. Appetite by Random House.
Dornbusch, H. D. (1997). Prost! The Story of German Beer. Brewers Publications (Brewers Association).
Kraus-Weyermann, T., Dornbusch, H. D. (2018). Dark Lagers: History, Mystery, Brewing Techniques, Recipes. Master Brewers Associations of the Americas (MBAA).
Herz, J., Conley, G. (2015). Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros. Voyageur Press.
McCalman, M., Gibbons, D. (2009). Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager. Clarkson Potter.
Oliver, G. (2003). The Brewmaster’s Table: Discovering the Pleasures of Real Beer with Real Food. HarperCollins.
Oliver, G. (2012). The Oxford Companion to Beer. Oxford University Press.
