A strong golden German lager similar to a helles, just maltier, the Festbier has become the official beer of Munich’s annual Oktoberfest.
Historically, the beers served at Oktoberfest can only come from the large breweries inside Munich’s city limits, including Augustinerbräu Münche (Augustiner), Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu (Spaten).
And the official style has varied over the years.
During the first sixty or so years, the darker Bavarian dunkel dominated. But by 1872, Spaten Brewery introduced the more amber-hued Märzen, which became the official beer of the fest. In the mid-1960s, Paulaner’s golden-colored Oktoberfest Bier, considered a Festbier, began to take over.
“Paulaner brewery is a real traditional Munich brewery and has always played a big part in the history of the city’s culture,” says Christian Dahncke, head brewmaster at Paulaner. “[So Oktoberfest] is an event dear to Paulaner’s heart.”
Since 1818, Paulaner has brewed its Oktoberfest Bier, but it actually didn’t gain popularity at the annual celebration until much later.
Today, Paulaner’s Oktoberfest Bier is the most-served beer at Oktoberfest in Munich. Although still slightly malty, the floralness and spiciness of Noble hops are more prevalent in this style. And they’re slightly meatier at 6-6.5% ABV. Still light in body, Festbiers are super drinkable and perfect for the two-week-long celebration.
Meaning you can seek out and pack them in at your leisure even if you didn’t make it to one of beer’s most famous festivals.
Untappd’s All-Time Top-Rated Festbiers
Editor’s Note: These are not Hop Culture’s personal ratings. This list is based on Untappd’s ratings for the All-Time Top-Rated Festbiers. The list shows the top beers based on Untappd’s weighted average formula, which effectively rates all beers against each other. A beer must have 150 ratings or more to qualify for this list. For more information on our rating system, please view the Untappd ratings explainer.
We’re simply reporting on Untappd’s list based on statistics from check-ins from people all around the world.
Autumna | Hill Farmstead Brewery
Greensboro, VT
Care and attention to high-quality ingredients has skyrocketed Hill Farmstead’s Autumna to the top of the charts with a scary-high 4.23 rating on Untappd.
For this Festbier, Hill Farmstead takes Autumna through a series of step mashes to coax out the malty goodness chock full of German Weyermann malt. To hop, Hill Farmstead adds German Perle and Mittelfrüh before conditioning the pale golden liquid in wooden barrels at 3º C for two months. Lastly, Hill Farmstead naturally carbonates its Festbier with some actively fermenting wort (a German technique called krausening).
You just aren’t going to find another Festbier like this one out there.
When drinking this one, it’s best to do what Hill Farmstead suggests: Drink this lightly hopped pale lager fresh.
Fest of Both Worlds | Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers
Framingham, MA
This beer has a story. Fest of Both Worlds is a once-in-a-lifetime collab Festbier between Jack’s Abby and the World’s Oldest Brewery, Weihenstephan.
“There may be nearly one thousand years’ difference in the founding of these breweries, but they are much more alike than they are different,” writes Jack’s Abby. “That kindred spirit inspired the collaboration.”
According to Jack’s Abby, the goal of Fest of Both Worlds was to “honor historical brewing methods while infusing it with modern innovations to create a delicious fest.”
Mission accomplished!
Barrel-Aged Superfest | Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Chico, CA
Sierra Nevada does something a little different for its Oktoberfest every year, collabing with a different German brewery to make something truly one of a kind. We followed last year’s collab with much delight. But what some may not know is that, when the brewery visits its German friends to sample the test batch, they also create an imperial version, aging the collab Festbier in whiskey barrels—Barrel-Aged Superfest.
We don’t often see barrel-aged versions of Festbier, which could explain how this beer locks down the third spot on this list with a 3.99 rating on Untappd.
According to Sierra Nevada, “The result is a smooth-drinking, strong lager with complex caramel and vanilla notes from its time nestled in bourbon-soaked oak.”
’Til Death Do Us | Freak Folk Bier
Waterbury Village Historic District, VT
When a beer wins multiple awards, you know it must be good. Winning a silver medal in the “Festbier” category in the Untappd Community Awards, ‘Til Death Do Us also slips into the top five on this list.
Freak Folk lagers the unfiltered German-inspired Festbier for twelve weeks, giving this beer the time and space it needs to mature, emerging crisp, clean, and clear.
Festbier | Human Robot
Philadelphia, PA
One of the “Best Beers We Drank in 2023,” we featured Human Robot’s Festbier in our best-selling Oktoberfest box last year, and we’re doing it again this year. Our social media manager, Magic Muncie, who got a bunch of these beers sent to him to shoot for the ‘Gram, shared some with the team.
We’re huge Human Robot fans; the brewery is definitely on our list of must-visits if we ever make it to Philly one of these days. Instead of traveling coast to coast, getting our hands on Human Robot’s eponymous Festbier was the next best thing.
Look, over the last couple of years, we’ve tasted a lot of Festbiers; it’s one of our favorite fall styles.
Human Robot’s is unparalleled, which is probably why it ranks as Untappd’s fifth-highest-rated Festbier of all time!
Human Robot puts its Festbier through an intense process, including a double-decoction mash along with a slow, cold fermentation.
You can taste the dedication. We get a lovely light buttery RITZ Cracker backbone from the German pilsner and Munich malt (plus the decoction step just has this incredible way of smoothly bringing out the rustic edges of malt, if that makes sense). The first sip gives way to a honied sweetness and finally a bite of Herbrucker bitterness.
This beer just has its s**t together but in such a humble way. It’s not outshining anyone, it’s not asking for the spotlight, it’s just quietly, tightly buttoned up to a T. It’s excellent lager craftsmanship at its finest.
Thanks for sharing with us, Magic!
Pro Tip: Find this beer in Untappd’s best-selling Oktoberfest box here!
G’Suffa! | Schilling Beer Co.
Littleton, NH
Landing sixth on Untappd’s All-Time Top-Rated Festbier list, Schilling’s G’Suffa! reminds us of revelry or, as they like to say in Munich, “Oans, zwo, drei, g’suffa!” Schilling’s annual Festbier release just puts a smile on our faces.
Pouring clear-as-a-bell gold, the Festbier includes Weyermann Bohemian Pilsner and Vienna malts for that chewy grain goodness, followed by Bavarian Saphir and Amira from HVG Hops for that light potpourri counterbalance.
The lager-heavy brewery sounds G’Suffa for natural carbonation for a beer that’s equal parts malty, floral, and all good times.
Festbier | Goldfinger Brewing Company
Downers Grove, IL
No surprise that Goldfinger’s Festbier also ranks in the top ten of Untappd’s highest-rated Festbiers of all time. It crushes just as hard, with a 4.14 rating on the app and a 5.4% ABV. A bit paler and lighter in body, Goldfinger’s version drinks with an elegant balance of sweet honey and floral hoppiness, finishing crisp and dry.
Rustle | Tree House Brewing Company
Charlton, MA
Does Tree House make any beers that don’t crush? For Rustle, the New England brewery starts with Pilsner, Munich, Vienna, and Victory malts for a bready base. Pouring “a brilliant golden color in the glass with an inviting and billowing head,” according to the brewery, this Festbier gets dosed with hand-selected Hallertau Mittelfruh hops, which add a “noble hop texture to this malt and crisp delight.”
You’re going to get a lovely layered malt and floral parfait. “Simple yet brilliantly executed,” writes Tree House in the beer’s Untappd description, “Rustle is a beer worth celebrating, and celebrating with—enjoy!”
Festbier | Halfway Crooks Beer
Atlanta, GA
Halfway Crooks brews its 3.92-rated Festbier seasonally, combining an Atlanta water profile with German malted barley, Bavarian hops from SeitzFarm, and a classic German yeast.
“It has a nice seasonal hue and a beautiful malt expression,” writes Halfway Crooks, “while providing a clean finish.”
Oktoberfest | FrohenFeld Craft Brewery
Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
We bet you weren’t expecting a Festbier from a Brazilian brewery to show up on this list, but the data doesn’t lie. Rounding out Untappd’s all-time top-rated Festbiers, FrohenFeld’s Oktoberfest has impressed.
According to the Brazilian brewery, this Festbier has a “tasty malt base with floral notes and is very easy to drink.”
