Germans have been perfecting the art of brewing for centuries (Weihenstephan since 1040 AD), and have greatly influenced the technology, terminology, and processes we use today. German lagers are nuanced, refined, accurate, and precise. It is no wonder that beer–obsessed San Diego celebrates Oktoberfest by brewing German-style lagers. These lagers are tricky to make well to insure ultimate quaffability en masse and Ein Maß – those 1 litre mugs. Many German Lagers, especially the ones made for Oktoberfest, are malt-forward, but never sweet, sticky, or cloying. Rather, the beer’s maltiness evokes the comfort of rich, fresh baked bread. They are typically hopped lightly to provide counterweight to the soulful malt-centricity. Specifically, German “noble hops” add a deep cool forest edge with earthy, spicy, and floral notes.
The word Lager means “to store.” Lagers typically take two to three times as long to produce as ales. Lager yeast fermentation is slow and low (46F–52F) using Saccharomyces pastorianus. When the beer is done fermenting it is rolled over to a long cold–storage period (lagering). The end result is a beer that is crisp and clean without the fruity notes or the more distinct ale yeast character. Prior to the invention of refrigeration, the lagering process was performed by rolling barrels into caves or dug out cellars, and using ice chunks from nearby frozen lakes to keep things cold.
Oktoberfest: The History
1810 – On October 12, Kronprinz Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxon-Hildurghhausen were married. They invited the citizens of Munich to attend the reception, which was thrown on the fields in front of the city gates. On October 18, horse races were held as part of this celebration. The field was named Theresienwiese (Therese’s Meadow), and was eventually shortened to Wiesn.
1811 – Oktoberfest was born. The city of Munich was presented with a repeat of the previous year’s wedding festivities, horse races, and a newly added agricultural show designed to boost Bavarian farming.
1818 – Beer stands were introduced to the festivities to quench the thirst of party goers.
1870 – Carnival-like rides were added to the festival.
1898 – Smaller beer stands grew into large Oktoberfest beer tents.
Cancelled – Since its inception, Oktoberfest was canceled 24 times due to two Cholera epidemics, the Austro–Prussian War, the Franco–Prussian War, and both World Wars.
1946-1948 – Following World War II, Munich only celebrated a smaller “Autumn Fest” and the stronger Oktoberfest Beer was not allowed to be served.
1950 – A new Oktoberfest tradition was born when the fest opened with a twelve-gun salute, followed by the incumbent Mayor of Munich tapping the first keg of beer and proclaiming, “O’zapft is!” (“It’s tapped!” in Austro-Bavarian dialect). Oktoberfest has begun the same way every year since then.
Oktoberfest: 21st Century
Over time, Oktoberfest grew, adding to the spectacle with more beer, more food, and more rides with each passing year. Oktoberfest is now the largest folk festival, beer festival, and funfair in the world, attracting visitors from all over the globe.
In 2017 alone, here were some fun Oktoberfest stats:
• 75+ Countries Attending
• 14 Large Tents
• 20 Small Tents
• 1,981,000+ Gallons of Beer
• 127 Oxen
• 57 Calves
• 500,000+ Chickens
• 140,000+ Pairs of Sausages
• 5 Lost Children, 14 Lost Youth helped by local youth welfare
• 4,055 Lost and Found Items
• 12,000 Mugs Confiscated by Security
• 759 Filming Permits Granted
• 56 Press Releases Granted
In Germany, the 2018 (185th) Oktoberfest runs from September 22 through October 3.
Oktoberfest Events in San Diego:
Through Sunday, September 23:
- OktoBEARDfest at Burning Beard Brewery (flyer above)
Wednesday, September 19:
- Festbier tapping party with brats and live Oompah band at Gordon Biersch Mission Valley
- Festbier Can Release Eppig Brewing (North Park & Point Loma)
Friday, September 21:
Saturday, September 22 – Sunday, September 30
Friday, September 28 – Sunday, September 30:
Friday, September 28:
- Oktoberfest celebrating Sausagefest Lager at Rough Draft Brewing Co.
- Hometoberfest Oktoberfest Stein Party & Can Release at Home Brewing Co.
- Beer to Boots w/ Festbier at Thr3e Punk Ales Brewing Co.
Saturday, September 29:
- Small-batch German-style beers, brats, sausages at Karl Strauss Tasting Room
- 5 German-style beers ($4) + DJ, stein contest & German food at Coronado Bay Park
- Oktoberfest 2018 at Eppig Point Loma Waterfront Biergarten
Friday, October 5 (starting at 5 p.m.):
Saturday, October 6:
- 45+ German beers, German food, contests & more at Hamilton’s (and South Park Brewing)
- Lederhosen contests, sausages, steins and music at Amplified Pacific Beach & East Village
- AleSchmidt Oktoberfest, food pairing, and music at AleSmith Brewing
- Steins, pairings from Biersal, contests and games at Societe Brewing Tasting Room
- Oktoberfest celebration at Knotty Barrel
Sunday, October 7:
Saturday, October 13:
Sunday, October 14:
German-style Lagers in San Diego:
2Kids – Five Finger Discount (Munich Helles Lager) – 5.5%
3 Punk Ales – Dead Ramones (Pilsner) – 4.8%
3 Punk Ales – Eternal Gates Of Helles (Helles) – 4.7%
3 Punk Ales – From Ashes Rise (Smoked Schwarzbier) – 5.3%
3 Punk Ales – Kellerbier (Unfiltered Pilsner) – 5.2%
3 Punk Ales – Oktoberfest (Märzen) – 4.5%
3 Punk Ales – Old Glory (Light Lager Collab w/ Resident) – 3.8%
32 North – Das Bruder (Vienna Lager) – 6.1%
32 North – Pilsner the Conqueror (Lager) – 5.1%
Abnormal – No Adjuncts (Zwickel Helles Lager) – 4.4%
AleSmith – AleSchmidt Oktoberfest (Märzen Lager) – 5.5%
AleSmith – Spezial Pilz (Pilsner) – 4.9%
Amplified Ale Works – Bombshelles (Helles Bock) – 8.5%
Amplified Ale Works – Doc Märzen (Märzen) – 5.3%
Amplified Ale Works – License to Pils (Dry–Hopped Pilsner) – 5.5%
Amplified Ale Works – Vienna Gadda Da Vida (Vienna Lager) – 5.5%
Attitude – Famoso Lager – 5.0%
Attitude – Victorioso Kölsch – 4.8%
Bagby – Gotta Pay The Pils (Pilsner) – 5.3%
Bagby – It’s Festastic! (Märzen/Oktoberfest) – 5.9%
Bagby – No Hype (Helles collab. w/ Benchmark) 5.2%
Bagby – Schwarz Story (Schwarzbier) – 5.0%
Bagby – Sweet Ride Bohemian/Czech/Intl – 4.5%
Ballast Point – Longfin Lager – 4.5%
Barrel Harbor – Czech Lager (Pilsner) – 5.2%
Bay Bridge – Liberty Lager – 5.0%
Bitter Brothers – Bitter Bills Pils (Pilsner) – 5.2%
Bitter Brothers – Oktoberfest (Märzen) – 5.5%
Black Plague – Revival (Lager) – 4.8%
Burgeon Beer – Pistil Pilsner (100% German Ingredients) – 5.2%
Burning Beard – Chromatic Fantasia (Dunkles Bock) – 10.0%
Burning Beard – Kellerklaus (Unfiltered Leichtbier) – 3.8%
Burning Beard – Klausbier (Leichtbier) – 3.8%
Burning Beard – Lieber Augustine (Vienna Lager) – 6.0%
Burning Beard – Name TBD (Munich Dunkel) – 6.0%
Burning Beard – Roggen the Lightning – Roggenbier – 5%
Coronado – Helles Bock – 8.0%
Coronado – Oktoberfest – 5.5%
Coronado – Schwarzbier – 5.0%
Coronado – Seacoast (Pilsner) – 4.9%
Deft – Helles – 5.2%
Deft – Märzen – 5.8%
Division 23 – Direct Drive (Dopplebock) – ABV TBD
Division 23 – Helles Yeah (Helles) – 5.6%
Division 23 – Märzen – ABV TBD
Dos Desperados – Magnifico (Lager) – 4.7%
Duck Foot – Old Bro (Bohemian Pilsner) – 5.0%
Ebullition – Green Ghost (German Lager) – 4.7%
Embarcadero – Bahia Sur (German Amber Lager) – 5.8%
Eppig – Natural Bridge: Festbier (German Style Festbier) – 6.0%
Eppig – Natural Bridge: Pilsner (Bavarian Style Pilsner) – 5.1%
Eppig – Natural Bridge: Schwarzbier (German Black Lager) – ABV 4.9%
Gordon Biersch – Festbier – 5.3%
Gordon Biersch – Golden Export (Helles) – 5.0%
Gordon Biersch – Maibock – 7.2%
Gordon Biersch – Märzen – 5.9%
Gordon Biersch – Schwarzbier – 4.4%
Helix – Day Party! (Hoppy Pilsner) – 6.0%
Helix – Night Party! (Schwarzbier) – 5.6%
Helix – Praguenosis (Red Czech Lager) – 5.4%
Home Brewing – Caffeinator (Coffee Doppelbock Collab. w/ Modern Times) – 8.1%
Home Brewing – Hometoberfest (Festbier) – 5.8%
Home Brewing – Märzen Of Our Lives (Märzen Collab. w/ Doug Hasker) – 6.0%
Home Brewing – Match Maker (Dry Hopped Ale Collab. w/ Eppig) – 5.9%
Home Brewing – Positive Pils (Pilsner) – 5.1%
Iron Fist – Summer City (Pilsner) – 4.2%
Karl Strauss – Columbia Street (Amber) – 4.5%
Karl Strauss – Oktoberfest (Märzen) – 5.0%
Knotty Brewing – Knottoberfest (Oktoberfest Märzen) – 5.6%
Latchkey – Dopplebock – 7.0%
Latchkey – Festbier – 6.0%
Latchkey – Hausschlüssel (German Pilsner) – 5.5%
Latitude 33 – ColdCraft (Lager) – 4.2%
Legacy – Iron Wharf (Lager) – 5.2%
Legacy – Iron Wharf (Grapefruit/Peach/Fruited Lager) – 5.2%
Lightning – Biergarten Lager – 4.7%
Lightning – Elemental Pilsner (Kellerbier) – 6.2%
Longship – Ragnabock (Dopplebock) – 8.1%
Longship – Sunstone (Pilsner) – 4.6%
Mason Ale Works – Donny’s Pils (Lager) – 4.5%
Mason Ale Works – Oktoberfest – 5.0%
Midnight Jack – Munich Helles – 5.0%
Mike Hess – OktoberHess (Märzen Lager) – 5.6%
Mikkeller – Building Blocks (Keller Pilsner) – 5.4%
Mission – Bock at it Again (Traditional Bock) – 6.5%
Northern Pine – Del Märzens (Märzen) – 5.7%
North Park – N.P. Lite (Helles) – 5.1%
North Park – Parktoberfest (Festbier) – 5.7%
Pariah – IWCBD My Cat From Helles (Lager) – 5.0%
Port – Port Pils (Pilsner) – 5.5%
Pure Project – Rain (Unfiltered Pilsner) – 5.5%
Resident – Oktoberfest 5.8%
Rip Current – Breakline (Traditional Bock) – 6.7%
Rip Current – Choppy Surf (Bohemian Pilsner) – 5.3% ABV
Rip Current – Delaminator (Doppelbock) – 8.0%
Rip Current – High Surf (Helles) – 5.2%
Rock Bottom – Rocktoberfest (Märzen) – 6.1%
Rough Draft – Sausagefest Lager (Märzen) – 5.4%
Savagewood – Helles Lager – 5.0%
Savagewood – Märzen – 6.5%
Second Chance – 3rd Anni. Collab. w/ Maui (Imperial Pilsner w/ Jasmine Flowers) – 7.7%
Second Chance – Over the Line (Munich–Style Helles) – 5.2%
Societe – Die Kellnerin (Oktoberfest) – 4.5%
Societe – The Baroness (Helles) – 5.2%
Societe – The Exciseman (Black Lager) – 5.4%
South Park – Golden Hill (Festbier/Märzen) – 5.3%
South Park – Here and Gone (Kölsch) – 4.8%
Stumblefoot – Creekside (Blonde Lager) – 5.0%
Stumblefoot – Märzenbier (Märzen) – 6.5%
Stumblefoot – Schwarzbier (Schwarzbier) – 5.0%
The Lost Abbey – Road To Helles (Helles) – 5.2%
Thorn – Marty Zen (Märzen/Oktoberfest) – 5.2%
German Lager Glossary:
Dunkel – Translates as “dark,” but not too dark. It is a deep brownish color with dark bready tasting notes.
Pilsener – German pilsner is crisper and drier than other pilsners, with a bit of pronounced hop character at the finish.
Helles – Helles translates to “light.” Helles is pale golden in color, and showcases pilsner malt. Helles should be rounded and with a refreshing finish.
Schwarzbier – Schwarzbier means “black beer,” but don’t fear the dark! Unlike other similarly colored beers (Russian Imperial stouts, porters) Schwarzbiers are dark lagers based on dunkel, helles, and/or pilsners, and are low on the aggressive roast character. Schwarzbiers can be drunk in large quantities without getting the same kind of palate fatigue one might get drinking the same amount of a porter or stout.
Vienna Lager – Slightly toasty malt and hops are in check. Today, many of these are brewed in Mexico.
FestBier (Wiesn) – If there was an official beer for Oktoberfest, this is it. Fest lagers have a higher ABV than other lagers, but usually a similar golden color to a big helles. Sometimes a small bit of toastier malts will be used in these beers.
Märzen – März means March in German, the month these amber-colored festival beers are brewed for enjoying during Oktoberfest. Some Märzens have similar tasting notes to Vienna lagers and dunkels, with loads of dominating rich toastiness.
Bocks – March to May is the typical season for bocks, but they are sometimes available during local Oktoberfest events. They are higher in alcohol, richer, maltier beers than typical lagers. Look for maibock (helles bock), traditional bock, doppelbock, and eisbock, the strongest type of bock.