As the leaves start to fall from the trees, most people start clamouring for pumpkin spice lattes at their local coffee shop, or even the annual availability of pumpkin ales from the craft breweries of the world.
I consider pumpkin spice anything to be a gimmicky abomination, so I spend this time of year drinking German beers and eating bratwurst in celebration of everyone’s favourite lederhosen-clad holiday!
For those not familiar with the biggest beer bash in history, Oktoberfest’s regal beginnings were on October 12, 1810, as a public party in Munich for the royal wedding of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxony. The anniversary of the event was celebrated each year with increasing enthusiasm.
Things started heating up in 1816 when carnival booths were added to the festival, and in 1819, the elder statesmen of Munich took over the festival management, making it an even more raucous affair.
It was back in 1816 that the city fathers of Munich decided to take advantage of the warmer weather in September, and extend the one-day event to start two weeks prior to the first Sunday in October. This year’s event runs from September 19 to October 4.
The event has been celebrated ever since, missing only 26 years out of the last 216 due to world-shattering events like wars, cholera epidemics, and the like. The first cancellation was due to a little man with a big temper kicking off the sixth chapter of the Napoleonic Wars by invading Bavaria in 1813. Up until the COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered the event for 2020 and 2021, the last time Oktoberfest was missed was in 1945, when Germany was a bit too preoccupied with WWII to host a beer festival.
Munich still plays host to Oktoberfest, with nearly 30% of the annual beer production of the Munich breweries being consumed during the festival. The traditional beer consumed at Oktoberfest is not your average sipping beer – Oktoberfest is a time for swilling large mouthfuls from your stein glass to wash down spicy bratwurst sausages.
Despite the enormous quantities consumed, not just any old beer can be served as official Oktoberfest beer in Munich. The privilege is reserved for a small group of traditional Munich breweries, including Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten, which collectively keep millions of thirsty festival-goers well lubricated.
Oktoberfest beers are derived from an old Vienna style of brew with a reddish hue caused by the sugars being caramelized while the beer is being brewed.
Early Bavarian brewers picked up the style from their Austrian neighbours, and refined it into the smooth-tasting lagers that are referred to as an Oktoberfest-style brew, also commonly known as Märzen, the German word for the month of March, which is when this beer was traditionally brewed, and then aged (or lagered) for many months until being released for Oktoberfest.
Unlike the light and crisp lagers most North American beer drinkers are accustomed to, a traditional Märzen has a richer malt character, with flavours of toasted bread, caramel and just enough hop bitterness to keep things from becoming overly sweet. The beer usually pours somewhere between amber and copper in colour, with a smooth finish that makes it dangerously easy to drink by the litre.
Interestingly, the beer poured at modern Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich has gradually become lighter than the traditional amber Märzen. The modern golden-coloured Festbier retains plenty of malty flavour, but is lighter and more refreshing, an important consideration when you plan on consuming it from a one-litre glass while surrounded by thousands of singing Germans.
Oktoberfest-styled brews are a bit rare here in Alberta, but we do have a few local breweries making authentic German beers, which I have been enjoying in abundance this month.
Origin Malting & Brewing in Strathmore experimented with a one-off Märzen brew a few years back, and it proved so popular that it is now available year-round. Enjoying it with a salted pretzel or bratwurst sausage is optional, but highly recommended!
Looking a little west to Canmore, Grizzly Paw Brewing puts out their Mountain Marzen around this time every year, but it is often available only in their taproom, so stop in for a burger and pint on your next visit to the mountains.
Should you be looking for an alcohol-free option, more and more breweries are providing de-alc 0% versions, with Calgary-based One For the Road Brewing being one of my favourites. Their No Regrets Marzen is alcohol-free and available year-round, perfect for Oktoberfest celebrations when you have early meetings the next day!
Whatever your preferred beer style may be this month, lederhosen and bratwurst are optional, but highly recommended!