Here are 14 Oktoberfest beers to try from Charlotte breweries
As months go, September is usually a big one for beer drinkers. Not only does it bring the start of fall, but also Oktoberfest celebrations the world over — including the world’s largest in Munich.
That event and so many other festivals have unfortunately been canceled due to COVID-19. If you’re looking to don a dirndl or string pretzels around your neck, you might be better off doing so in the comfort of your own home. If you’re craving an early taste of fall, however, several breweries around Charlotte are releasing their Oktoberfest beers.
In Germany, Oktoberfestbier is actually a “protected appellation for beer produced at large breweries within the Munich city limits for consumption at Oktoberfest,” according to the Beer Judge Certification Program. Here in the states, though, a brewery’s Oktoberfest beer usually falls into one of two camps: a Märzen or a festbier.
Rich and complex without being overly sweet, the amber-colored Märzen is the fall seasonal most popular with American brewers. Gaining in popularity is the festbier, a pale lager with a refreshing nature and a restrained malt profile.
Whether you prefer Märzen or festbier, or simply want to enjoy plenty of each while you can, we’re fortunate in the Charlotte area to have some fantastic options available — so many that we can’t list them all here, in fact. But if you’re looking for a Märzen or a festbier around town, this list will help you kick off your own personal fest season, no matter where you’re drinking.
(1) Blue Blaze Brewing - Alpine Wiesen
On Blue Blaze’s Alpine Wiesen cans you’ll find a word seldom seen on Oktoberfest labels: Ale. While the beer is fermented with an ale yeast (specifically the brewery’s Altbier yeast) instead of a lager yeast, the other ingredients used are all traditional for the style. The brewery will release the beer in draft and 16-ounce cans when it opens at 2 p.m. Sept. 4, with live music from Jade Moore from 5-7 p.m. and the Des Cajun Kitchen food truck parked outside from 4-7 p.m.
(2) Cavendish Brewing Co. - Oktoberfest
Patience is a virtue — especially when it comes to brewing lagers — and it’s one that the folks at Cavendish Brewing Co. have in spades. The brewery’s Oktoberfest was brewed with traditional German malt and hops, and then lagered for a whopping three months. It’s on tap at the brewery now, where you can enjoy it in German steins — or pick up cans to-go.
(3) Legion Brewery - Oaktoberfest
Märzens and festbiers often hue closely to tradition, rarely straying from the Reinheitsgebot (the German beer purity law that says beer should be brewed with only water, hops, malt and yeast). As you might guess from its Oaktoberfest name, though, Legion has infused its fall seasonal with oak. This results in a beer with the malt profile you would expect of a Märzen, but with a hint of oak. The beer will be available on draft and in four-packs of 16-ounce cans on Sept. 4.
(4) Lenny Boy Brewing Co. - Festbier
Lenny Boy Brewing Co. will release its Festbier on draft and in cans on Sept. 5. This pale German-style lager comes in at 6.3% ABV, with “a moderately strong malt flavor and a light hop character,” according to the brewery.
(5) NoDa Brewing Co. - Oktoberfest
NoDa Brewing Co. has already released Gordgeous, its popular pumpkin beer. But if you like your fall beers on the more traditional side, you’ll want to check out the brewery’s Oktoberfest. The Märzen lager is brewed with German yeast, malts and hops, and comes in at 6.3% ABV. The brewery will offer the beer on draft and in cans at its North End location on Sept. 4, and it will make its way to bottle shops and grocery stores the following week. NoDa will also sell commemorative steins, which can be purchased separately or with draft pours or four-packs.
(6) The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery - Mecktoberfest
The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery’s Mecktoberfest has been one of Charlotte’s most anticipated fall seasonal beers for a long time, and it’s easy to see why. The beer took home a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2012. In 2015, OMB beat the Germans at their own game by taking home a gold medal at the European Beer Star International Competition. Mecktoberfest is currently available on draft at the brewery, and in six-packs and 12-packs at the brewery and around town. The beer will also make its debut in four-packs of 16-ounce cans for the first time. Those are available at the brewery now and being distributed to local bottle shops, as well.
(7) Pilot Brewing - Oktoberfest
Plaza Midwood’s Pilot Brewing just released its Oktoberfest on Aug. 31. The brewery has recently started canning its beers, and while Oktoberfest won’t be available in four-packs it will be available on draft and in Crowlers and growlers.
(8) Protagonist Beer Co. - Franz
Protagonist’s Franz, a 5.8% ABV Munich-style festbier, was brewed with noble hops and Ursprung Fest Malt that was grown at a small farm in Bavaria and malted by Epiphany Malt in Durham (you’ll see a few other local breweries using this malt, as well). It will tap the beer on Sept. 4, and patrons can enjoy the beer in liter steins or take home a Crowler.
(9) Resident Culture Brewing Co. - Festbier
Like Protagonist, Resident Culture used Epiphany Malt’s Ursprung Fest Malt in its festbier. The beer is currently lagering in the tanks and will be tapped (and canned) in 2-3 weeks, so keep an eye on the brewery’s Facebook page for details.
(10) Rock Hill Brewing Co. - Rocktoberfest
Rock Hill Brewing Co. has tapped a few lagers recently, including a Mexican lager, a Schwarzbier and, now, a Märzen. Rocktoberfest is now on tap at the brewery, with a balance of “rich malt flavors and hop bitterness,” according to the brewery.
(11) Seaboard Brewery - Oktoberfest
While Seaboard Brewing in Matthews has postponed its third annual Oktoberfest celebration, the brewery will still release its Oktoberfest beer this year. It’s only available on draft, so you’ll need to try this one at the source.
(12) Town Brewing Co. - Rathaus
It’s been the summer of lager over at Town Brewing Co., which pivoted to lagers not long after Gov. Roy Cooper’s shelter-in-place order in March. Now, the brewery is transitioning into fall with Rathaus, a German-style festbier brewed with Ursprung Fest Malt from Epiphany Craft Malt in Durham. The beer is currently available on draft and in four-packs of cans at the brewery.
(13) Triple C Brewing Co. - Oktoberfest
Triple C Brewing Co. recently released a slew of new beers in celebration of its eighth anniversary, but don’t overlook the brewery’s Oktoberfest. The beer has sold well since its release a couple of weeks ago, and Triple C recently canned up a second (and final) batch. Brewed with German Perle hops and four different German malts, Oktoberfest comes in at 5.5% ABV.
(14) Wooden Robot Brewery - Botober CellarFest
Wooden Robot Brewery recently collaborated with Cellarest Beer Project, a brewery that’s currently under construction in West Asheville. Together the breweries brewed a festbier that has been aging for “several months” in a large oak foeder at Wooden Robot. While foeders are often used in the production of wild or sour ales, this particular foeder is clean — meaning the only thing it will lend to the beer is “some light toasty oak flavor and a little tannin-derived bitterness on the finish,” according to Wooden Robot co-founder Dan Wade. The brewery will tap the draft-only Botober CellarFest on Sept. 18, and it will also release limited edition tankards.
