Oktoberfest beers from 16 Philadelphia-area breweries

The largest beer festival in the world kicks off in Munich on Sept. 21, where traditional German lagers will be served to millions during the annual Oktoberfest.

In Philadelphia, home to the first American lager, by Bavarian brewer John Wagner in the 1840s, local breweries release their own German-style and fall-flavored beers in August and September to celebrate beer-drinking’s biggest holiday.

The most common Oktoberfest beers are Märzen and Festbier. Märzen’s amber-honey color and malty, biscuity taste and Festbier’s refreshingly crisp hoppiness make for two distinct flavors that pair perfectly with pretzels, bratwurst, and schnitzel.

Märzen, meaning “March,” dates back more than 400 years to when Bavarian brewers weren’t allowed to make beer through the dry months of April through September when their wooden brewing equipment would be a major fire hazard, according to Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers. This forced brewers to begin storing their beer in March until casks could be reopened in the summer or fall for harvest festivals.

Later, in 1810, when Prince Regent Ludwig of Bavaria married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, a horse race was hosted to celebrate the royal wedding.

With people dressing in Bavarian folk costumes, the horse racing, and the serving of Märzen-style lagers, the celebration soon evolved into a festival that now welcomes 6 million people yearly, according to the official Munich Oktoberfest organization.

Festbier is the modern take on traditional Oktoberfest beers, the predominant style since the 1960s, when brewers at Munich’s Paulaner Brewery decided a lighter beer would be easier to drink throughout the day, according to online beer magazine Hop Culture.

Here are a few locally brewed Märzen, Festbier, and other fall beers to enjoy this Oktoberfest.

Brewed just in time for Attic Brewing’s annual Funktoberfest, a free funk music and beer festival on Sept. 28, the eponymous beer is a German lager with malty flavors and vanilla undertones delivered in a creamy, light beer. 4.9% ABV

🌐 atticbrewing.com,📍137 Berkley St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19144, 📞 267-748-2495

East Passyunk and Fishtown’s Brewery ARS is tapping an unfiltered German-style Oktoberfest lager blended with Weyermann malts and hopped with Spalter Select, which produces a honey and baked bread aroma with a soft-as-silk finish. 5.4% ABV

🌐 breweryars.com,📍1927 W. Passyunk Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19145, 📞 215-960-5173

Conshy’s Festbier, brewed with German Munich, Vienna, and Pilsner malts, delivers the aroma and flavor of baked pretzels with a crisp, dry finish. 5.4% ABV

🌐 conshohockenbrewing.com,📍739 E. Elm St. #2301, Conshohocken, Pa. 19428, 📞 610-897-8962

A classic Festbier, brewed with Weyermann Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich malts, it has a fresh bread aroma and a crisp, thirst-quenching taste. Dock Street has been brewing this Oktoberfest beer for more than 35 years. 5.8% ABV

🌐 dockstreetbeer.com,📍2118 Washington Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19146, 📞 215-337-3103

Evil Genius gets cute with the names but serious with the brew. Is Butter a Carb? is a traditional Oktoberfest-style brew akin to a Märzen with a baked pretzel aroma and crisp, hoppy finish. 5.5% ABV. Or enjoy Trick or Treat, a rich chocolate pumpkin porter with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. 7.8% ABV

🌐 evilgeniusbeer.com,📍1727 N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19122, 📞 215-425-6820

Brewed with German pilsner and Munich malts and heaps of Hallertau Select hops, and fermented slowly in lager yeast, Forest & Main’s Festbier boasts a rich amber-honey color with hints of toasted bread and apple strudel, and a dry finish. 6% ABV

🌐 forestandmain.com,📍33 E. Butler Ave., Ambler, Pa. 19002 📧 info@forestandmain.com

Human Robot has Oktoberfest covered with its easy-drinking Festbier (5.6% ABV) and a richly-flavored Märzen (5.9% ABV).

🌐 humanrobotbeer.com,📍1710 N. Fifth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19122, 📞 267-534-5761

Iron Hill brews a Festbier for Oktoberfest, a smooth-yet-malty lager with notes of dried fruit, bread, and caramel that’ll have festgoers dancing in their lederhosen. 6% ABV

🌐 ironhillbrewery.com,📍1150 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107, 📞 267-507-7365

Love City’s interpretation of traditional Oktoberfest lagers is a Märzen-style beer brewed with Wyermann German malts, serving a toasted biscuit aroma, dark fruit, and caramel flavor, with a sweet, clean finish. It’s a much darker, maltier beer than the previous year’s Festbier. 6.3% ABV

🌐 lovecitybrewing.com,📍1023 Hamilton St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19123, 📞 215-398-1900

The brewers at Meyers are cooking up a classic Festbier, with a cracker-y dry flavor and crisp finish, which will be on full display at the brewery’s Oktoberfest events on Sept. 21 at both their Fishtown and Ocean View, N.J., locations. 5.5% ABV

🌐 meyersbrewing.com,📍436 E. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19125, 📞 267-928-3620

Neshaminy’s Creekfestbier, brewed with pilsner and Munich malts and Herkules and Hallertauer hops, is a medium-bodied Märzen-style lager with notes of toast, a bitter kick to ignite the senses, and a crisp, dry finish. 5.2% ABV

🌐 neshaminycreekbrewing.com,📍909 Ray Ave. Croydon, Pa. 19021, 📞 215-458-7081

Every year, Philly home growers pitch in to grow hops for a collaborative wet-hopped ale called Harvest From the Hood by Philadelphia Brewing Co. This extra-hoppy beer pours a rich amber color and packs a refreshingly crisp finish. 7% ABV

🌐 philadelphiabrewing.com,📍2440 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19125, 📞 215-427-2739

Brewed with Pilsner and Vienna malts exclusively from Pennsylvania-based Double Eagle Malt, South Philly’s Second District Festbier offers a showcase of craft malt, quality hops, and slow brewing. 5.5% ABV

🌐 seconddistrictbrewing.com,📍1939 S. Bancroft St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19145, 📞 215-575-5900

Sly Fox’s traditional Festbier is its crushable Oktoberfest lager perhaps best enjoyed at the brewery’s Can Jam disc toss tournament on Sept. 28 and Flannels & Flames lumberjack competition on Oct. 12. 6.1% ABV

🌐 slyfoxbeer.com,📍20 Liberty Blvd. #100, Malvern, Pa. 19355, 📞 484-328-3567

Triple Bottom, an environmentally and social justice-forward brewery, creates a festive Märzen each year called Crunch — as in the crunching of autumn leaves. It has an amber-golden glow, notes of pretzel, and plenty of hoppiness. 5.8% ABV

🌐 triplebottombrewing.com,📍915 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19123, ✉️ hello@triplebottombrewing.com

Pennsylvania’s first Black-owned brewery is serving up a Festbier, aptly named Oktoberfest, that releases in late September. Hopped generously with Tettnanger hops, Oktoberfest produces a bready, floral, and sweet-like honey flavor that finishes clean. (5% ABV). Other fall flavors include Double Dutch juicy IPA (8.5% ABV) and Riots smoked bacon lager (4.4% ABV).

🌐 twolocalsbrewing.com,📍3675 Market St., Suite 100, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104, 📞 267-969-3837