Gary Magnone
September 2, 2021
Oktoberfest 2021 season is here and as lager bier fans, we honestly couldn’t be any more excited. While the festivities in Munich are cancelled yet again this year due to the pandemic, that doesn’t stop our local breweries from celebrating with their own takes on both the more classic Märzen Oktoberfest styles of our German ancestors as well as the modern pale Festbier style the young German kids drink today.
A Quick Oktoberfest History Lesson
Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held in Munich, Germany, in late September and early October, that started in 1810 and has important roots in Bavarian culture.
During the event, people celebrate by drinking large quantities of Oktoberfest Beer, which began as a dark lager, similar to today’s Dunkel lagers. In 1841, Spaten came out with a lighter-colored amber lager, which was the birth of the modern Märzen and replaced Dunkel as the official beer of the Oktoberfest in 1872. In the 1970s, Paulaner introduce a lighter German-style lager that was more golden in color and easier to drink, which became very popular and by the 1990s replaced Märzen as the official Oktoberfest beer.
Today, most local brewers lean towards the lighter, easier drinking Festbier style, but some do opt for the more traditional, sweeter, and heavier Märzen style. Each is amazing in its own right and we highly encourage you to seek out both and try them side by side.
Now, without further ado, here’s the full list of where you can find Oktoberfest-style beers brewed in and around Los Angeles.
Bear’s Ears by Brouwerij West
Brouwerij West kicked off Oktoberfest season here in LA with the release of their 5.6% Märzen, Bear’s Ears on August 3rd. This exceptionally balanced and crisp lager bier features German malt flavors with a slight sweetness giving way to rich, toasty bread crust qualities. Cans are available at their San Pedro taproom and also went out into distro, so you should be able to find this at better beer stores around LA.
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Fest by Common Space
Common Space Brewery in Hawthorne jumped on the early Oktoberfest release schedule and released Fest, a 6% Festbier on August 6th. Fest was brewed with Weyermann Specialty Malts and Aramis hops, resulting in a light, malty, and well-balanced lager. Unfortunately, Fest is all sold out at the brewery so you’ll have to keep an eye out for it on tap at your local beer bar or in cans at retail.
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Oktoberfest by Enegren Brewing
Of course, our favorite local German-style lager brewery released an Oktoberfest beer! Released on September 1st, this 5.5% traditional Bavarian Märzen style Lager was brewed with imported German Munich, Vienna, and Pilsner malts, resulting in a beautiful copper color and a full-bodied, malty-sweet flavor with hints of honey, nuts, and caramel. They produced a lot of Oktoberfest this year, so you can either grab a pour at their taproom in Moorpark or look out for it on draft or cans in stores around SoCal.
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Oktoberfest by MadeWest Brewing Co.
MadeWest released their 5% seasonal Festbier, Oktoberfest, on September 1st. This is an incredibly delicious malty lager hopped with Saaz features a rich, toasty, bready malt flavor that drinks crisp and refreshing. Your best bet in getting this beer is by heading out to their taprooms in Ventura. I personally am sitting on a couple of four packs of this bad boy and am loving it.
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Festbier by 8one8 Brewing
Also releasing on September 1st is Festbier, the 6.3% seasonal from 8one8 Brewing in Canoga Park in the San Fernando Valley. It features a rich malt background and herbal floral hop notes reminiscent of a Märzen but is lighter in color, alcohol, and sweetness, making it a crushable beerfest necessity. Your best bet to grab cans is straight from their taproom in Canoga Park.
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Figtoberfest by Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.
Ok, yes we acknowledge this beer was produced in a large brewing facility in California’s Central Coast. But to be completely honest, Figueroa Mountain is a shoo-in for any lager list we produce, simply through their dominance in so many of those styles (most recently evidenced by the 3 GABF medals they took home this year for Amber Lager, Danish Red Lager, and Black Lager). Figtoberfest is also itself a 3-time GABF medalist, so you know you need to get your hands on this one.
This 5.6% Festbier is a golden medium-bodied lager featuring notes of cracker, honey, and gentle toast alongside meadowy German noble hop characteristics, balancing malt sweetness with floral aromas and flavors. Head over to Figueroa Mountain’s Westlake Village brewpub on October 9th for their Figtoberfest celebration and drink steins of it straight from the source!
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Hüftgold by El Segundo Brewing Co.
El Segundo released their 2021 Festbier, Hüftgold, on September 2nd just in time for their Second 10th Anniversary party. This 5.8% Festbier was brewed with German Weyermann malt, German hops, and German yeast resulting in an incredibly balanced, clean, German-style beer. You can grab a pour on tap at their taproom in El Segundo or cans shipped directly to you from their online store!
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Twist the Boot by Brewyard Beer Co
Brewyard Beer Co in Glendale dropped their annual Oktoberfest beer, Twist the Boot, on September 4th. This 5% Festbier features a 100% German grain bill that creates a deep and smooth maltiness with subtle hints of caramel plus a slight spiciness and silky mouthfeel from the rye malt and German hops. You can grabs cans at their taproom now and celebrate with them at their taproom for their Oktoberfest cornhole tournament on October 2nd and 3rd.
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Superstein by Los Angeles Ale Works
Our friends at Los Angeles Ale Works dropped their Oktoberfest seasonal, Supersetein, on September 8th. Sitting at 6.3%, this crispy, malt-driven, high gravity lager was brewed with 100% barley malt and drinks incredibly well-balanced and refreshing. You’ll likely find cans of this at better beer stores around LA but hit their Hawthorne taproom direct for best results.
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Lagerdoodle by Trademark Brewing
On September 7th, Trademark Brewing in Long Beach dropped cans of a special Oktoberfest edition of their copper lager, Lagerdoodle. This Festbier variant is 5.7% ABV and features crispy noble hops and a playful rye bite. You COULD head to Long Beach right now to grab cans. OR you could wait until October 9th and hit up their Doodlefest Oktoberfest event to drink it out of a stein in your lederhosen in true German style.
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Oktoberfest by Alosta Brewing Co.
Alosta Brewing recently released their seasonal Oktoberfest-style lager in conjunction with their Oktoberfest celebration at their Covina taproom on September 11th. More details are scarce about this Festbier, so just head out to Covina and grab cans and tell us what you think!
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Oaktoberfest by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Sure, this beer comes out of Firestone Walker’s Central Coast production facility and not their R&D brewhouse in Venice, but we’re including it here because it’s such a unique take on the style and Firestone Walker just makes awesome beer. Deal with it. This 5.2% Vienna Lager style Festbier was lagered in French oak barrels, giving it an even smoother mouthfeel on top of a crisp malt profile, toasty biscuity flavor, and hints of noble German hops. Oaktoberfest was packaged up in 12 ounce bottles for the first time, so keep an eye out at your local retailer to pick up a pack.
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Drude by Ogopogo Brewing
Drude is a 4.8% Märzen by Ogopogo in San Gabriel. Additional details about the beer are scarce but we do know the name and album art is inspired by a malevolent nocturnal spirit from Southern German folklore. If you want to know more, hit up their taproom, pick up cans, and let us know what you think!
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Golden State by Paperback Brewing Co.
Paperback Brewing Co. in Glendale released their annual Festbier, Golden State on Wednesday, September 15th. Not much else is known about this year’s 5.7% Festbier so head out to their taproom, pick up some cans, and give us your tasting notes!
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True Märzen Oktoberfest by Angel City Brewery
Released as part of Angel City Brewery’s Eastside historical beer series on September 15th, True Märzen Oktoberfest is exactly as the name implies. Brewed in March of this year, the beer was lagered for 180 days and was packaged just in time for this year’s Oktoberfest season. The end result? A 6% glowing reddish-brown lager bier with rich malt flavor and a smooth finish. Pouring on draft at their public house in DTLA’s Arts District and available to-go in six-packs of 12-ounce cans, pick yours up today and get a look at the most historically accurate version of Oktoberfest beer produced in LA!
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Mission to Märzen by Indie Brewing Co.
The first of Indie Brewing Co’s two Oktoberfest releases is Mission to Märzen. This 5% Märzen lager is clean & balanced, rich in toasted malt that finishes with smooth hop bitterness. Details on their Festbier collab w/ Beer Zombies will be added below when available!
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Festbier by Three Weavers Brewing Co.
Three Weavers Brewing Co. is back this year with their Festbier, released on September 17th. Sitting at 5% ABV, this beer features a combination of soft Pilsner malt, toasty Vienna, and rich, biscuit-like Munich malts that mingle with clean, floral German Noble Hops, bringing the style to life in a uniquely Three Weavers fashion. Hit up their taproom in Inglewood for stein pours and 4-packs of cans to-go!
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Festbier by Highland Park Brewery
Also released on September 17th is Highland Park Brewery’s Festbier. This 5.6% German-style Lager is their interpretation of a classic Munchen Festbier that drinks crisp and bright and features a hint of toasty marshmallow-y malt. You’re gonna want to head straight to their Chinatown taproom where you can get draft pours and purchase cans for to-go.
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Extremely Well Würst by Radiant Beer Co.
Rounding out the September 17th releases is Extremely Well Würst by Radiant Beer Co. This 6% copper-hued, malty treasure of a Märzen drinks extremely clean with rich melanoidins, notes of pumpernickel bread, and carefully balanced noble hop spice and bitterness. Immediately after reading this, your mission is to drive straight to their taproom in Anaheim and order a full stein pour. They’re also pouring a more modern Festbier alongside this one, so you can literally have the best of both Oktoberfest worlds.
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Smogtoberfest by Smog City Brewing Co.
In conjunction with their Smogtoberfest event at their Torrance taproom, Smog City Brewing Co. released Smogtoberfest on September 18th. This Märzen-style Festival Lager is 5.5% and features ample malt character and clean balanced hops. Grab a pour and pick up cans to-go at their Torrance, Long Beach, and Glendora locations!
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Oktoberfest Märzen Lager by Santa Monica Brew Works
EveSanta Monica Brew Works is back with their international Oktoberfest collab with Hammona Brau in Hamm, Germany! This year’s 6.1% brew is a Märzen lager featuring a blend of German and American hops balanced with old-world malts for a roasty yet smooth flavor with notes of caramel and honey. Grab a pour at their taproom in Santa Monica and pick up a couple packs of tall 19.2 oz cans to go!
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Lead Sails by King Harbor & Naughty Pine Brewing Co.
Even though they couldn’t throw the big 7-year anniversary party they wanted to, King Harbor still got together with brand new Westlake Village brewery, Naughty Pine, and brewed up something special for Oktoberfest. This 5.2% Munich-Style Dunkel with Rye is coming out on draft and in cans on September 24th and is being released as part of a special “Almost Anniversary” four beer release package. Head out to Redondo Beach and grab some cans this week!
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Festbier by Enegren Brewing Co.
Just when you thought Enegren was done celebrating Oktoberfest, here they come with a limited-release Festbier releasing at their big Oktoberfest party on Saturday, September 25th. Details are scarce on this one, but just know that it is NOT going into distro and will be extremely limited on the day of the event, so head out to their taproom in Moorpark, celebrate Oktoberfest in true German style and pick up some Festibier cans to drink at home the next day.
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