My wife picked up some Victory Brewing Oktoberfest Festbier the other day and while it was very good, it was NOT the Oktoberfest beer I remember drinking at the actual Munich Oktoberfest in both 1993 and 1995 while over there courtesy of Uncle Sam.

This beer was a amber-ish, lager, kind of sweet/malty, medium bodied I’d say?

What I remember, drinking in Munich was more of a lighter yellow, more light-ish lager, and it was by the liter-full.

Is there more than one style of what is considered Oktoberfest beer? I just seem to remember the yellow lager.

I don't think there is 1 style. I can't say what it's like in Germany. I did go there, not during Octoberfest, and had many beers in many styles.

I think in the USA people tend to use darker, maltier beers as Octoberfest beers because it signals the change from light summer beers to heavier fall beers. I like a sweet malty dark beer so I'm good with it here in the USA.

There are two styles of Oktoberfest beer:

Marzen is the amber style that is more traditional (~200 years)

Festbier is newer (~70 years) blonder style. More like a lager. Sounds like what the OP prefers.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

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tatortodd has it right.

This is what they serve these days at the tents at the actual Oktoberfest:

Look for 'Festbier' or 'Weisn' on the label from the big Munich breweries. This style is not easy to find but specialty bottle shops should have it. Some US brewers make this style as well. I usually stock up on the Paulaner Oktoberfest Weisn this time of year.

The American retail market is awash this time of year with Marzen style, also labeled Oktoberfest over here. They don't serve Marzen at the Oktoberfest, but it is popular (and not bad at all) so the Germans still make it for us. You can tell the difference by color, Marzen is deep orange:

Both are brewed with lager yeast, difference is in the malt, like Tatortodd said.

I’m not a beer drinker, but boy those frostys look mighty tasty.
PROST!

To me, Oktoberfest differs widely from brewery to brewery more than perhaps any other named style. However a brewery processes their recipe seems rooted in their mainstream offerings. If I don't like a brewery's usual beers, it is a safe bet that I won't like their Oktoberfest. I will acknowledge that this may be prejudice or confirmation bias on my part.

Thanks to tatertodd for pointing out the competing styles called Oktoberfest. I was unaware of this distinction although my taste buds strongly favor the Marzen style.

If malty was a distinct flavor, you're likely seeking a Helles, which would be a lager.
If you remember a hoppier flavor, likely a Pilsner.
Something in-between, full-body, with some flavor but, not too hoppy, likely a Marzen

All three would be classed as a light beer but, flavors can vary.

Closest I've tasted here in the US, to what I had in Bavaria was a Helles by Enegren Brewery, serve in a frosted glass and enjoy. Trader Joe's has carried it over the last 3-years, which reminds me, I need to get some.

I think I'll pour one and enjoy the festivities

As Tator pointed out, 2 real styles.
Marzen which is darker and Munich(Festbier) which is more golden.
I like both but I found Warsteiner (Munich style) locally and it's damn tasty.
Platform brewing makes a really good Marzen style that's close to what my one friend brewed at his brewery.

Yuengling Marzen style Oktoberfest beer is very tasty, yet nothing like the beer I had in Germany during Oktoberfest. My thought is, if you like the taste, enjoy. Prost!!!

And here is a younger German's take on Oktoberfest (she is from Munchen and has been to the event a time or two)

American brewery’s aren’t using a yeast strain that’s been propagated at the brewery for the last 2-300yrs

Bayern Brewery in Missoula MT probably has some of the oldest yeast strains in use domestically. Jurgen brought it with him when he moved here from Germany in the 80’s. His main yeast was 150yrs old when I would stop by the brewery often. My roommate was the assistant brewer at that time. He propagates multiple strains depending on what seasonal is being produced. His Octoberfest is a dark Marzen

https://www.bayernbrewery.com/oktoberfest

Been to Munich about 20x, been to Oktoberfest there twice. No beer in the US even comes close to what they serve there. Hell, you can't even buy Augustinerbräu outside of Bavaria, and that's the best beer there. My favorite beer in the US is Gordon Biersch's Märzen from tap, but those places are disappearing. And I can't recall having any Märzen-style beer anywhere outside of Austria.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:
tatortodd has it right.

This is what they serve these days at the tents at the actual Oktoberfest:

Look for 'Festbier' or 'Weisn' on the label from the big Munich breweries. This style is not easy to find but specialty bottle shops should have it. Some US brewers make this style as well. I usually stock up on the Paulaner Oktoberfest Weisn this time of year.

The American retail market is awash this time of year with Marzen style, also labeled Oktoberfest over here. They don't serve Marzen at the Oktoberfest, but it is popular (and not bad at all) so the Germans still make it for us. You can tell the difference by color, Marzen is deep orange:

Those two are probably the best “Oktoberfest” style biers I can get around here. Excellent stuff..

Yep. Tatortodd and joel9507 nailed it. The only missing piece is that both styles of beer were at various times the "official" beer served at the Oktoberfest festival. The amber Marzen was the original style served from the start in the early 1800s through the mid/late 1900s, and starting in the 1950s the lighter golden Weisn/Festbier style was introduced then gradually took over and eventually totally replaced the older Marzen style at the festival.

Nearly all domestically brewed Oktoberfest beers are the older Marzen style. Weisn/Festbier can be tougher to find, and will almost exclusively be German imports, although the German breweries also export Marzen style Oktoberfest beers to the US since Americans seem to prefer that style.

I love both styles, and try to stock my fall/winter stash of Oktoberfest beers with both, mostly German imports rather than domestics (although I do dabble in domestic Oktoberfests).

Paulaner is the easiest to find of the imported German Weisn/Festbier around here, but I think Hoffbrau's is better, although availability is usually limited. I couldn't get my hands on any Hoffbrau this year...

Whereas Spaten is the easiest to find of the imported German Marzens around here, but I think Ayinger is the best.

I prefer marzen style beers to the festbier style personally. They are far more interesting to my palate, though I like them both.

When I was at the '06 Oktoberfest in Munich, some of the Deutsch biers also had a small amount of lemonade added to the beer. We were told this was traditional for some of the selections.

quote:

Originally posted by Dakor:
When I was at the '06 Oktoberfest in Munich, some of the Deutsch biers also had a small amount of lemonade added to the beer. We were told this was traditional for some of the selections.

Those are known as a radler, lemonade mixed with beer; basically its a shandy. Sprite or Ginger Ale can also be used for a more refreshing/fizzy drink.
Coca Cola mixed with beer is called a Diesal or, colabier.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by Dakor:
When I was at the '06 Oktoberfest in Munich, some of the Deutsch biers also had a small amount of lemonade added to the beer. We were told this was traditional for some of the selections.

Those are known as a radler, lemonade mixed with beer; basically its a shandy. Sprite or Ginger Ale can also be used for a more refreshing/fizzy drink.
Coca Cola mixed with beer is called a Diesal or, colabier.

Radler, that's it! I was having trouble remembering the term. I particularly liked the Dunkel Radler, damn good stuff. And no, I'm not a fruity beer kind of guy (I shy away from wheat beer b/c of that taste perception) but an authentic dark Radler made for some smooth drinking.

Pick up some hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest. That’s the real deal. I went to Oktoberfest in 09, 11, and 19. Next time will probably be when my son is old enough to partake