Although it seems better-suited to an autumnal event, the traditional Oktoberfest beer style is, surprisingly, not actually representative of the beer actually served at Munich’s Oktoberfest! That would be Festbier, a related but definitely distinct style. What’s even more interesting is that this is a relatively recent innovation, with the richer amber lager yielding to a lighter blonde to better accommodate the by-the-litre consumption that Oktoberfest attendees in Munich were more prone to. In this case, American breweries are actually making the “traditional” beer, while the Germans are the innovators. Up is down. Black is white. Heck, did you know that Oktoberfest isn’t even in October anymore? But I digress: let’s talk about how to make this thing.
Style
When discussing Festbier, it’s actually better to start with Helles Bock (Maibock) than with Oktoberfest. The style guidelines describe fairly similar beers, except that Festbier is lower in gravity and features a bit more hops flavor and aroma. Both are pale lagers with a clear Pilsner malt biscuit bent, along with some additional toasted malt flavors in support. While the guidelines describe it as a patently malt-forward beer, I’ve enjoyed the same Hofbrau Festbier poured on the Theresienwiese (just on this—wrong—side of the Atlantic), and I can personally vouch for its much-greater-than-expected floral hops nose and flavor, which was all the more surprising given its long journey. It comes across nearly as hoppy as German Pilsner but without the accompanying bitterness, and my recipe reflects that impression. It is also brilliantly, aggressively clean, with nary an ester or phenol or ketone to be found. You should be able to drink a stein of this and ask for another, but don’t let its color fool you: there’s still a decent amount of ethanol behind it!
Ingredients
I started with my Maibock recipe here, and it proved highly adaptable. I was shooting for the same basic impression, just a bit lighter in color, flavor, and gravity. Base malts constitute the bulk of the grist, with 9 pounds (4.1 kg) of Pilsner malt and 1 pound (454 g) of Munich malt. To that I add just 8 ounces (227 g) of Victory malt. The resulting malt character is nice and bready, but still pleasantly light in flavor and color, with a target gravity of right around 1.056.