Episode Details

Oktoberfest beers all wear the same costume, but they don’t act the same once you crack the can. We line up seven American Oktoberfest releases and taste them in order, looking for the classic hallmarks people expect each fall: toasted malt, clean lager snap, and that cozy “one more sip” finish. What we find is a spectrum, from subtle and crisp to sweet leaning and even a couple pours with a finish that just doesn’t land for us. 

We start with Shiner Oktoberfest and Eagle Park’s MC Hammerschlagen, then work through TitleTown’s Bent Tuba, New Glarus Staghorn, and Great Lakes Oktoberfest, scoring each beer and calling out what a new craft beer drinker might actually enjoy. The conversation keeps expanding beyond tasting notes into Oktoberfest history, including how the festival began, the songs that echo through Munich beer tents, and the surprising modern reality that Munich serves Festbier rather than the traditional Märzen many Americans picture when they hear “Oktoberfest beer.” We also connect the dots to the German immigrant brewmasters who helped build Wisconsin’s brewing legacy. 

Then we turn up the volume with bigger interpretations: Avery’s The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest tests whether higher ABV automatically brings better flavor, and we finish with the standout of the lineup, Founders Ultimate Oktoberfest, a bourbon barrel aged Märzen that’s shockingly smooth for a double digit beer. If you love Oktoberfest season, craft beer reviews, and real talk about what’s worth buying, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with a beer friend, and leave a review with your favorite Oktoberfest pick for the year.

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