Top Ten Oktoberfest Beers

1. Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen-Full-bodied, flavorful March (Märzen) beer is brewed and lagered to celebrate Bavaria's famous Oktoberfest. In September and October, these rich beers fuel German beer festivals -- served in big mugs, alongside sauerkraut, roasted meats, lederhosen, and brass bands.Oktober Fest-Märzen is a full-bodied, rich lager with a malty bouquet and a hint of sweetness. Color is deep gold and the flavor is a perfect balance: malt backbone with depth & richness; complimented by perfect conditioning from long maturation; and alcohol of 5.6% by volume. Fest-Märzen is spiced with enough hops to make it snappy and thirst-quenching, but in the classic Bavarian style it's not highly bitter. And remember, Oktober Fest-Märzen is seasonal . . .so get it while you can or you may have to wait until next year.

2. Beck's Oktoberfest- This Oktoberfest by Beck's is quite a tasty devil. The only thing missing is a bit more punch on the ABV. Most Marzens are in the 6% range but this one weighs in a a scant 5%. No matter,It is such a delicious and easy to drink Oktoberfest style beer, that the lighter alcohol content will keep you going.

3. Spaten Marzen Oktoberfest- ABV 5.9%- It is amber in color, medium bodied and has an impeccable taste due to the perfect balance of roasted malt flavor and the perfect amount of hops. Spaten Oktoberfest has a rich textured palate with an underlying sweetness true to tradition. Available in the fall.

4. Flying Fish Oktoberfish- ABV: 5.5%
Style: Marzen/Oktoberfest
Trivia: According to the Flying Fish website, “Back for its ninth year, our take on this classic German style, the O’Fish uses German malts, hops and yeast. A beautiful reddish color, a savory malt profile and nice hop flavor make this Fest beer quite drinkable. OktoberFish is great with food and especially great with lederhosen.”

5. Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen- ABV: 5.9% If there’s one thing that you should know about Paulaner, it’s the fact they brew one of the world’s very finest Oktoberfest beers. Paulaner Oktoberfest is a rich and malty brew perfect for cool fall weather. Paulaner Oktoberfest, along with other beers in this style, is a rich, smooth, clean malty brew that balances the sweet malts with a light noble hop. The brew has a hint of alcohol warmth as the beer warms, yet it does not detract from the character of the beer. In fact, it adds to the finish as the one area Paulaner Oktoberfest may be slightly weak in in the finish. If you like beers, and enjoy rich, malty brews, you’ll enjoy this beer.

6. Victory Festbier- ABV: 5.6% Malty aroma with tea and bread and nuts. Flavors start out with a very prominent toasted bread experience. There are caramel flavors as well and the nutty is nice. Rich and sweet beginning. Just enough bitter comes along to challenge that sweetness, though it was never able to completely suppress it. Smooth texture, good body and decent carbonation. This was a very enjoyable beer. Check it out when you can!

7. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest- It is a traditional Bavarian Amber Oktoberfest that strictly follows the Reinheitsgebot Purity Law of 1516 and brewed with natural Spring Water, caramelized Barley, a traditional Hacker-Pschorr Yeast and noble Hallertau Hops for an alcohol content of 5.8% ABV. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest is one of the best examples of a traditional Bavarian Oktoberfest created for the spirit of the season. Its amber color and bold flavors exemplify the style and enhances the feelings of old world life and tradition.

8. Avery The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest- An 9.3% ABV punched up version of the traditional brewed annually in August and released the following year. Like all Oktoberfest beers, The Kaiser has a big malty backbone, amber-brown color and bone-white head. It wafts like caramels, marshmallow fluff and assorted dark malts. But where The Kaiser really stands out is in the taste as it is filled with powerful candied-apple flavors, underlying hints of lime peel, subtle floral notes and a very pronounced, spicy finish. The combination of red-apple flavors and a peppery finish really makes The Kaiser a unique beer with a lot of complexity when you want it and a good old fashioned drinking beer when you don. Plus, with a manageable price tag, it’s one that you can revisit throughout the season. Its worth noting that The Kaiser does pack an obvious presence of alcohol but seeing how it has already aged a year before it hits the shelves, I think aging it further would only mute the unique pepper notes and is not worth the trade off.

9. Brooklyn Oktoberfest- ABV: 5.5% The aroma is mostly malty, yet there is an interesting floral character to it too. The flavors start out nutty with malty caramel and butter, and not too sweet. There is a very nice hop and orange citrus balancing the flavors of this beer. You will also taste some bread flavors and a hit of spicy cloves toward the end. Carbonation is pretty high, but makes for a refreshing and not heavy mouthful. Very good beer

10. Sam Adams Octoberfest- Sam Adams Octoberfest is a 5.3% ABV Märzen. Overall, not bad.  Perhaps the Sam Adams Octoberfest is not the excellent  Ayinger Oktoberfest (the best of the style I’ve ever tried), but its certainly good enough for me to buy again this season, or recommend to you to give a try.  Pretty good, but not great