Schilling Oktoberfest Is Peak Gemütlichkeit: Warm, Fuzzy, and Full of Great Beer

A brewery born from Germanic roots, Schilling has become one of the most well-respected lager-centric breweries in the entire country in a relatively short amount of time. You may be surprised to learn that brewing at such a high peak is still so young in beer years.

Opened by Jeff and Stuart (Stu) Cozzens on September 26th, 2013, Schilling gets its roots from its family.

Schilling, opened by Jeff, Matt, and Stuart (Stu) Cozzens and their longtime friend, John Lenzini, on September 26th, 2013, has its roots in the family.

The name Schilling comes from The Cozzens brothers’ great-grandfather, Dr R.J. Schilling, who was just an “awesome dude!” explains Jeff. “We wanted to honor him but also speak to the styles of beers we make, especially continental European-inspired lagers.”

So, in 2014, Schilling decided to celebrate its first anniversary in style: hosting an Oktoberfest at its idyllic Littleton, NH, taproom.

If you think carefully about the roots of Oktoberfest, this makes complete sense. Oktoberfest started with a wedding. Bavarian Crown Prince Louis (later King Louis I of Bavaria) married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen on October 12th, 1810.

The nuptials included a raucous party open to the citizens of Munich on the fields in front of the city gates. Named Therensienwiese or Therese’s Fields, the Wiesn, or outdoor meadow, hosted days of drinking and horse races. Amid the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815), this party aimed to unite Germans during a tumultuous time.

Everyone had so much fun that the festival became a yearly celebration.

Built off of what Jeff calls gemütlichkeit, the German word for a sort of “untranslatable warm, fuzzy, perfect beer-drinking gathering,” he says, Schilling’s Oktoberfest marries those time-honored traditions with just a touch of modern sensibility.

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Schilling’s Oktoberfest Marries Old and New Friends

Photography courtesy of Jose Manchola

Set on an autumn weekend at the brewery’s gorgeous taproom by the Ammonoosuc River, Oktoberfest gives Schilling and its fans much to celebrate.

“There’s an incomparable sense of place and experience for people,” says Jeff, noting you can often see snow-capped mountains on the drive into town and peak leaf color on the trees at the brewery. “It’s pretty idyllic.”

Which is precisely why Schilling aims to host its Oktoberfest on the last Saturday of September. It’s also perfect timing because it marks the brewery’s anniversary. “This is the founding philosophy of Oktoberfest for us,” says Jeff. “It’s both a birthday party and a more traditional Oktoberfest celebration, of course.”

While Jeff says that the first year felt nothing like the Munich Oktoberfest, instead relatively quiet—”simply us and our beers”—the event has grown over the years.

This year, Schilling Head of Brand and Marketing Zac Porter says it will be the biggest Oktoberfest on record, inviting forty-four breweries to pour and have a good time.

Or, as Jeff likes to say, “We have forty-four of our closest friends coming!”

This is the true magic of Schilling’s Oktoberfest.

“One of the things I love [about Oktoberfest] is that we get to see some friends who have been with us at Oktoberfest since the beginning and some friends that we haven’t seen yet,” Stu says. “That collision of old and new is … Oktoberfest.”

Those like Frank Zagami (affectionately referred to by both Jeff and Stu as “Uncle Frank”), co-owner of Deciduous Brewing Company in Newmarket, NH, which has been a staple in the state for the last nine years.

“He’s been around,” says Stu, mentioning he’s also excited for some new faces.

For instance, Manchester, England-based Track, traveling thousands of miles to pour at Schilling’s Oktoberfest.

According to Jeff, Schilling will travel across the pond in the next couple of weeks to brew a dark lager with them for the fest.

Or Eggenberger, an Austrian brewery Schilling counts as good friends with whom they’ll collaborate on an export Dunkel immediately after the fest.

Another new face Jeff and Porter are excited about is Goldfinger, the four-year-old Illinois brewery started by Tom Beckmann that only makes lagers. “I’ve only had a few of Tom’s beers, but they’ve been really good,” says Porter.

But both say they’re excited about all their friends coming, not just lager-centric breweries.

For Those Who Love Lager…And Are All About Ale

Photography courtesy of Jose Manchola

Yes, Schilling has made a name for itself as one of the preeminent lager-producing breweries in the country. As such, plenty of breweries joining them make fantastic lagers—think Barriehaus, Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Cohesion, Fox Farm, Goldfinger, Good Word, Human Robot, Urban Chestnut, and more.

But Jeff quickly points out that they encourage their friends to bring their best, whether ale or lager.

“Grouping that modern sensibility with deference to tradition is how we want to frame Oktoberfest here,” says Jeff. “That’s why we have an eclectic mix—it’s not all lager breweries. … We don’t want everybody to show up with a Märtzen or Festbier. … We want people to show up with beers that really define their brewery.”

Meaning you could see some of The Seed’s whimsical wild ales or Fidens’ fantastic hoppy ales.

“It’s fun to have an ESB from Forest and Main. Man, they make some killer stuff,” says Stu. “Then you’re having something super creative and a huge stout from Burial. You have the full mix, the full spectrum, and the full appreciation of craft beer.”

For instance, Porter expects his buddies at the aforementioned Burial to bring a huge barrel-aged stout.

Jeff adds that the goal is just to “encourage other breweries just to be themselves and show up with beers that they’re passionate about,” says Jeff, “that define who they are!”

As Oktoberfest has grown each year, Stu says, “We always wanted to continue to focus on our local community and the ability to have some of these outstanding world-class beers that they could normally never get their hands on.”

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What Beer Can We Expect From Schilling at Oktoberfest?

Photography courtesy of Jose Manchola

Of course, you know Schilling is going to throw down.

On the standard side, Schilling will pour its helles, dunkel, Festbier, and Märtzen, where things get interesting.

Schilling’s Technical Director of Brewing Operations and Co-Founder John Lenzini taught chemistry in Austria, so the brewery’s Oktoberfest is an Austrian Märtzen. “It’s a little drier; it’s not something you’re going to see every day, but it’s very true to who we are,” says Stu.

Beyond the beers themselves, Schilling also managed to get its hands on some pitch-lined casks from Munich’s only remaining cooper, the same family that coopers for Augustiner in Munich, according to Jeff. Schilling will serve various beers from these casks at different staggered tappings during the fest. “These will be filled with some of our classic German-inspired ’festival’ releases—TBD on specific beer brands for these casks, but very likely to fill these with our dunkel, Märtzen, Festbier, etc.,” says Porter.

According to Porter, Schilling will also offer several special releases, including a collab with Cohesion. “We’re doing a tiny 9 Plato black lager that I’m pretty excited about,” says Porter.

According to Jeff, Schilling Lead Brewery Ryan Murphy and Production Manager Justin Slotnik always show up with some surprises.

And he expects the ninth-ever Oktoberfest will be no different. “They do such a great job,” he says. “But you’ll probably find them in a corner with the other brewers, having a highly technical discussion while everyone else is outside, but they always pull out a bunch of surprises for Oktoberfest.”

Even Jeff didn’t have all the details, but he expects a vertical of some of Schilling’s spon beers.

Porter filled in a few of the facts. “We’ll have time tappings of Magnum bottles that are Schilling beers only,” he explains. “That’s going to be some of our spon beers, like our Bière De Coupage, some of our really good wild ales from our wood room that we have cellared for a while.”

While most know Schilling for its lager, the brewery also has a small wild ale program. Housed in a small wood room right by the river, Schilling’s coolship benefits from the brewery “busting open the windows and [getting exposed] to all that microflora from the river and in the trees,” says Porter. “Whatever happens to come into the coolship, we let it do its thing and see what happens.”

Exclusivity in Schilling’s spon program means you can only find these beers sold on-site, so Oktoberfest might be one of our only chances to try some.

Porter says they’ll have a mix of magnums, from one aged on cherries to a new one with honeyberry and even the original Blend No. 1.

“We have a bunch of cool beers we’ll tap throughout the day,” assures Porter.

See, they’re living by their own mantra: the old and the new, the lager and the ale.

Schilling’s Oktoberfest Gives Back

Photography courtesy of Jose Manchola

With the backdrop of good beer, Schilling’s Oktoberfest has a massive goal in mind: to give back.

Give back to its fans, both local and afar. Some travel from New York City, Boston, Montreal, California, and even Austria and the British Isles.

Give back to the friends far and wide they’ve made in this industry.

And give back to the community that has welcomed them for the last eleven years.

This year, Schilling has partnered with the Michael James Jackson Foundation, which strives to make the craft beer industry more diverse, just, and equitable by providing scholarship opportunities to underrepresented communities. A portion of all ticket proceeds will provide educational and career opportunities for Black and Brown folks in the industry.

Additionally, Schilling’s Oktoberfest will support Littleton Main Street, Inc., an organization focused on arts, culture, and small business support in downtown Littleton, along with the Littleton Food Pantry and local arts patron, The Loading Dock. It will also support the Littleton food bank and Adaptive Sports Partners, a favorite of Stu’s that provides access to outdoor activities such as mountain climbing to those with physical and mental impairments.

“They’re very near and dear to our heart,” says Stu, “because they’re able to [provide access to everyone] to enjoy this amazing setting we are so blessed to live in.”

The vibe of Schilling’s Oktoberfest is very much like a huge family reunion.

In fact, Jeff points out that their extended family comes to every Oktoberfest. “We have relatives—cousins, aunts, and uncles—and our mom and dad still flying in from Michigan for this,” he says. “We still maintain that family feel,” whether that’s relatives and kids, those fans from the local community, or brewer friends from around the world.

“It’s a very special time for us to interact with brewers and people in our industry,” says Jeff. “We want there to be a feeling of intimacy and sharing.”

Porter agrees, adding, “It’s a chance to host friends and to show people that I love and care about New Hampshire.”

A Beer Festival That’s Not a Beer Festival

Photography courtesy of Jose Manchola

“As weird as this sounds, [Oktoberfest] is a beer festival, but we try not to make it feel that way,” says Porter.

The Schilling Oktoberfest returns to the roots of the first event in Munich, a joyous celebration.

A celebration of friends, of family, of the industry, of camaraderie.

“We want you to be at Schilling, on the river, and lined up over our covered bridge,” says Porter. “The good vibe of just hanging with friends, family, or whoever outside and having that awesome camaraderie and good conversations around some great beers.”

Interested in joining going to the Schilling Oktoberfest?

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