The history of Oktoberfest beers and the malts that made them
September 24, 2025
While the history of Oktoberfest is quite simple and easy to understand – someone got married, they celebrated, repeated the fun every year – understanding the history and timeline behind the beers isn’t quite as simple.
Whether you’re a brewer or just a fan of beer, understanding where your beer comes from makes the taste all the more enjoyable. And while most of us know a bit about Oktoberfest, do we know enough to understand the nuances of the flavors behind our beloved Oktoberfest beers?
In the U.S., an Oktoberfest beer generally takes on the role of a Märzen. But in Germany, that role has changed over the years.
Oktoberfest all began with a wedding
Just like any tradition worth repeating year after year, Oktoberfest began as a celebration. In October of 1810, the Royal Families of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen put together a huge get-together to feast and drink in celebration of these two tying the knot. The Bavarian citizens were invited to celebrate this joyous occasion, and in so doing, brought a young nation together after a tumultuous beginning.
Sounds like an event worth repeating, right? The people then thought so, and the people today still think so.
Over two hundred years later, this celebration has continued every fall in Munich, Germany. Later, it was decided that there needed to be more time to celebrate during warmer weather. The party was pushed back a couple of weeks to begin in September, always ending on the first Sunday in October or October 3, whatever is later.
Today and for many years prior, only beer conforming to the Reinheitsgebot, the German beer purity law, and brewed within the city limits of Munich, can be served at the Munich Oktoberfest. There are only six breweries, some dating back to 1328, that meet that criteria: Spaten Brauerei, Hacker-Pschorr, Paulaner, Hofbräu, Augustiner, and Löwenbräu.
Those are also the only breweries that can officially call their beer Oktoberfestbier, at least in Germany. In the U.S., that rule does not apply.
Take a deeper dive into the History of Oktoberfest
All about the official Oktoberfest Beer
So, what beer did the wedding party partake in to cause such a stir as to re-create this event year after year? Since we coin Märzen as the official beer for Oktoberfests in the U.S., you might think it’s a Märzen.
From a Dunkel
You are correct, but you’re also not. Märzen was the official beer for Oktoberfest in Germany for around 100 years, but it wasn’t the first beer to be consumed. In the early 1800s, the beer style then was reported to have been dark and bold due to the technology, or rather, lack thereof. In that era, malt was fired over direct heat, giving the beer a chocolatey, bready profile. Even smoky at times.
As people began to understand the minutiae of brewing and started to fine-tune and comprehend the science behind it, the beer profiles began to change.
DUNKEL
The dunkel was the first lager style coming to fruition sometime in the 16th century. Originally brewed completely with an amber colored malt, it is now brewed using Pilsner, Munich, and a bit of black malts to add color back in bringing out a reddish brown and copper color.
To a Märzen
In 1841, two friends, who also happened to be brewers, got together to seek out an improved method to kiln malts. In England, the two came across the idea of using hot air instead of fire. Bringing that idea back home with them, they collaborated on a brand new style of beer that offered hints of toasted characteristics without the dark color and smokiness that was prevalent in earlier beer. The amber lager was born.
Anton Dreher from Austria appropriately characterized his beer as a Vienna lager. And while his style has done quite well in the history books leading up to today, it was Germany’s own Gabriel Sedlmayr of Spaten Brewery that changed the face of Oktoberfest, calling his beer a Märzenbier.
Märzen, however, was not a new concept. In fact, it dates all the way back to 1553 when the Duke of Bavaria made it a law that brewing could not take place during the summer due to extreme heat and increased possibilities of bad bacteria taking over the brewing process. Therefore, all the beer had to be brewed by the end of March, so it could be stored in cool, dark caves until it was ready to be consumed in the fall. And consumed it was. All the old beer had to be gone to make room for the new beers coming up.
While the style now for Märzenbier is lighter than in the 1500s, the beers initially made for the wedding celebration, later known as the first Oktoberfest back in 1810, could very well have also been referred to as Märzenbiers. They just wouldn’t have the same characteristics of what we now think of as a Märzen. They were more characterized by what we now call a Dunkel because in the 1500s up until the mid 1800s the kilning process was quite different, giving off very different color and flavor profiles.
The Marzenbier created by Sedlmayr was a hit, and this style quickly became the unofficial beer of Oktoberfest up until 1872. That is when it became the first official Oktoberfest beer in both name and style. It is now considered to be the modern-day Märzen, a full-bodied amber lager with perfectly balanced malty and caramel flavors.
MÄRZEN
The Märzen is a German amber lager. Märzen means March, coming from a time in the 1500s when beer could only be brewed in the cooler months of late spring to use up last season’s hops and malts before the heat of the summer season set in. Primarily brewed with Munich or Vienna malts, it gives off a caramel flavor with hints of toastiness and a pale gold to dark amber color.
To a Festbier
The Spaten Oktoberfest set the standard for Märzenbiers for the next 100 years until about the 1970s. It was during that time that Paulaner introduced a lighter style of beer in response to consumer demand and evolving tastes. This became known as a Wiesn style, also known as a festbier, named after Theresienwiese (Theresa’s fields) where the festival was originally held and is still held today.
It took only 20 years for the Big Six breweries to go all in with this golden lager style. From the 1990s to today, the Oktoberfest style of beer in Germany continues to be a malt-forward lager with light hues and light flavors with similar character profiles of a Helles lager.
While here in the U.S., we still hang on to the traditional Märzenbier as the ever popular Oktoberfest beer, Germany has moved on long ago, with the current official beer of Germany’s Oktoberfest now being a golden lager, the Wiesn. It is the only beer that can be served at the festival in Munich.
FESTBIER/WIESN
The Festbier, also known as the Wiesn, is a strong German golden lager and is currently the official beer served at Germany’s Oktoberfest. It’s a pale lager that uses a Pilsner malt, giving a biscuity, toasty flavor and is light and clean in color.
What exactly is an Oktoberfest Beer?
In reality, that answer is quite simple, but it is different depending on whether you’re in Germany or the U.S.
CraftBeering.com gives the most concise answer. “Oktoberfest beer (Oktoberfestbier) is formally defined as a beer brewed by one of the six big Munich breweries allowed to serve their product on the grounds of the Oktoberfest.” Any other brewery must call their seasonal amber lagers an Oktoberfest style. Currently that beer is a golden lager known in Germany as a Wiesn, and more commonly in the U.S. as a festbier.
In the U.S., Oktoberfest beers are still prominently recognized as Märzen. Although, a few breweries are catching up with Germany and starting to add festbiers to their list of beers to celebrate Oktoberfest.
Is it time for more of us to change with the times? Whether that answer be a yes or a no, Malteurop Malting Company (MMC) has all the malts you need to create the beer you want to brew for your Oktoberfest celebrations. And since we don’t have to follow the Reinheitsgebot or the official Oktoberfest beer, why not brew your German style beer for any celebration. September and October aren’t the only months to celebrate drinking good beer.
All About the Malts
If you’re brewing for Oktoberfest, you better have that almost ready to drink by September. But if you’re brewing because you and your customers love drinking German beers year-round, especially those Oktoberfest styles, Malteurop has the malts you need. Malts like the Bavarian Pilsen, Munich, and Vienna, will get you started on your Oktoberfest journey.
Bavarian Pilsen
Malteurop Bavarian Pilsen Malt is a high-quality German lager style base malt produced from select 2-Row spring barley. The barley is grown and malted in Bavaria, a history-rich barley growing region of Germany. Mild, malty and pale straw in color, this malt lends itself to a wide variety of beer styles or creating special German heritage recipes.
Speaking of German heritage recipes, Josef Groll, a Bavarian brewmaster from Burgher Brewery in Pilsen, in 1842 changed the face of beer when he was thought to have created the world’s first blond lager, Pilsner Urquell, which translates to original Pilsner. Using a pale malt previously perfected by British brewers, Groll created a golden beer of a sort that hadn’t been seen prior to this. While there have actually been many golden beers before Groll’s, it is his style and unique set of ingredients that has set the standard for many styles of beer today.
Munich
Malteurop Munich Malt is a highly kilned malt, produced using the finest North American spring barley. MMC’s specialized kilning process creates a clean but intense malt flavor and aroma, and deep gold to orange hues in the final beer. This malt is best used as 5% – 50% of the grain bill in any beer style to increase malt characteristics.
Munich malt was first created by Spaten Brewery in Munich in 1841 when two brewers and friends got together to research various ways to kiln malts. Determining that indirect heat was a better way to kiln malts, Gabriel Sedlmayr of Spaten was able to create a malt that offered stability when it came to its characteristics of the color and aroma needed to create the beers he desired. Known today as Märzen, Oktoberfest wouldn’t have been the same without it, and Munich malts have since become a staple when it comes to making this traditional beer.
Vienna
Malteurop Vienna Malt is a versatile two-row malt. A specialized kilning process increases the malt sweetness and aroma, and imparts a subtle biscuit flavor. It contributes rich, dark golden hues in the final beer. It has enough diastatic power to be used as a base malt up to 100% in certain beer styles, and it can be used as a specialty malt to intensify malt flavor.
The similarities between Munch and Vienna malts make sense when you address the history behind both of them. Alongside Gabriel Sedlmayr of Spaten Brewery, was fellow brewer and friend, Anton Dreher of Dreher Brewery located just outside of Vienna. When Sedlmayr created the Munich malt, Dreher created a similar malt style. Like the Munich malt, the Vienna style malt is kilned gently to also retain enzymatic power.
Through continued experimentation, Dreher creates a malt that is slightly caramelized with a bready malt profile similar to the Munich malt. Being in Vienna, he names this malt a Vienna malt and puts out a beer called the Lager Vienna Type, during the same year as Sedlmayr, in 1841. Maybe it was the decline of the country when WWI hit that caused the Märzen to become more popular than the Vienna style, or maybe it was marketing. Whatever the cause, Märzen remains the popular style over the two, but the Vienna style is slowly making a comeback with its mellow biscuity profile.
Malting Innovation
Innovation in malting isn’t anything new. As you can see, it’s been happening for hundreds of years. As with any product, brewers are constantly working to improve upon their craft. From the beginnings when it was first found that heat could change both color and flavor of a finished malt to today with Malteurop’s innovative barley breeding program, malt is nothing static. Malt then has changed the face of beer, and will continue to do so long into the future.
And with MMC, you get both quality products and excellent customer service. It’s a core tenet of how MMC does business.
Knowing this, the malts you purchase from MMC will not only make your Oktoberfest style beer some of the best on the market, but you’ll know you’re working with fellow beer lovers that truly appreciate the little nuances of beer.
Tradition vs Innovation
When thinking of Germany’s beers, tradition comes to mind, generally not innovation. However, it is Germany that has been changing the official Oktoberfest beer just enough over the last hundred years to meet the demands of the millions of people that attend Oktoberfest in Munich annually.
The U.S., on the other hand, has stayed the course with the traditional Märzen beer for much of the Oktoberfest celebrations that happen all across the country. That seems to fly in the face of what U.S. craft breweries are known for…innovation. Or does it?
Germany and the U.S. are two very different countries, and both are doing what they need to do to survive and stay relevant within their changing times. So while we are quite different, it’s the beer that joins us together and makes us the same!
Prost!
Premium grains from field to flavor.
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About Malteurop Malting Company (MMC)
Malteurop Malting Company (MMC) is based in North America—specializing in growing and producing quality malts for the beer, whiskey, and food processing industries. With local farms and Malthouses spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Malteurop’s commitment to excellence is fully ingrained into every batch it produces, ensuring businesses of any size can create the finest beverages and food products on the planet.
Visit www.malteuropmaltingco.com to learn how we can support your malting needs.
Contact us at customersuccess@malteurop.com or (844) 546-MALT (6258) for questions or to place your order.
Malting is our passion. Quality is our promise.
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